Baker Mayfield threw five touchdowns in the first half, but the Sooners only needed one. A week after being upset by Texas, Bob Stoops made sure his team was ready to bounce back, and they did just that. No. 19 Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) jumped all over Kansas State (3-3, 0-3 Big 12) and left Manhattan with a 55-0 blowout victory to get back in the win column. It also offered a reminder of just how much of a role Oklahoma can still play in the Big 12 championship race.
Baylor and TCU may still be the teams to beat, but Oklahoma picked up revenge for one of their more notable losses from a year ago and it should send a message to both the Horned Frogs and Bears. Oklahoma can slice and dice as well on offense. Mayfield ended his day early after going 20-for-27 for 282 yards and five touchdowns. Mayfield’s stat line is fine on its own, but this was just a complete show of dominance from the Sooners.
Oklahoma held Kansas State to fewer than 100 yards of offense up until the final minutes. Kansas State ended with just 105 yards of offense, while Oklahoma put up 568 yards. That is about all you need to know. Oklahoma gave Kansas State a Rock Bottom, followed that up with a stunner and then, just for good measure, dropped a pedigree on Kansas State. There would be no coming back from any of that for the Wildcats.
The question now is just which Oklahoma will show up on a week-by-week basis the rest of the year. The Sooners still have huge Big 12 games to be played against TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State, but they need to get by Texas Tech next week (and Kansas) before being able to worry about any of that. If Oklahoma can play like they did against Kansas State, then the Sooners are capable of making things a bit more interesting in the Big 12 later on in the season. Oklahoma visits Baylor on November 14 and hosts TCU the following Saturday.