Game Preview: Kansas, Oklahoma State a Battle of Explosive Running Backs

STILLWATER — Mike Gundy and Les Miles probably should’ve met in the national championship game after the 2011 season, but Saturday will have to suffice.

Gundy and Oklahoma State will take on former OSU coach Les Miles at 11 a.m. Saturday when Kansas visits Boone Pickens Stadium. It’ll be the first time Miles has coached a game in Stillwater since the Miles-led Cowboys beat Baylor 49-21 on Nov. 13, 2004.

Here are some things to look at heading into the matchup, starting with the conference table.

Big 12 Standings

Offensive Stats

Defensive Stats

Containing Pooka

Pooka Williams has had an up and down year in 2019, but Kansas will take any ups it can get.

Williams’ rushing yards have finished in the 60s in Kansas’ past two games, but he has been at his best against top-level competition. Against Oklahoma, Williams ran for 137 yards on a six-yards per carry average. In the Jayhawks’ next game, he ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns against Texas on a 7.6 yards per carry average.

At his media luncheon Monday, OSU coach Mike Gundy compared Williams to a bouncy ball and stressed the importance of wrapping him up and getting him to the ground.

“We were watching film, and there were a couple of plays in there where Texas Tech had him wrapped up, and we were like, ‘There’s no way this kid’s gonna get out,'” OSU defensive end Brock Martin said. “Then he just spins out, bounces around and ends up 20 yards down the field. It’s been stressed a lot in practice, wrapping up and getting him to the ground.

“He doesn’t look very big on film, but just by watching his film, you know he’s strong. We’re going to really have to work this week on tackling to the ground, wrapping up and making sure he doesn’t get any extra yards.”

Big-Game Potential for Chuba Hubbard

Only one team is allowing 200 rushing yards a game in the Big 12, and that team is facing the nation’s leading rusher this weekend.

The Jayhawks have given up at least 200 rushing yards in their past five games, with TCU and Kansas State running for more than 300 yards. Hubbard has two 200-yard rushing games in his past five outings and four this season.

“Our front seven’s gotta make tackles,” KU coach Les Miles said. “He’s a talented back and one of the best backs in the league, certainly. So [it’s] going to be a great test.”

Oklahoma running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who has only taken 40 handoffs this season, had five carries for 109 yards against Kansas on Oct. 5. That’s a 21.8 yards per carry average for a running back down on a depth chart.

With Chuba Hubbard being the nation’s leading rusher, it wouldn’t come as much as a surprise for the Big 12’s worst rush defense to attempt to over compensate to stop the Canadian speedster. That could also open up avenues for OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders in both the run and passing game.

But the Cowboys first gameplan should probably be to hand the ball to the best back in the country against the worst team in the league at stopping runners.