Getty Jalen Hurts had 508 yards of total offense in his Oklahoma debut.
After a strong start to the 2019 season last Sunday, the Oklahoma Sooners will look to keep their offensive showcase on display in their first-ever meeting with the South Dakota Coyotes.
Most impressive from last weekend’s win for the Sooners was the performance of Jalen Hurts. The senior quarterback transferred from Alabama and immediately became the starter this season.
And what a debut it was. He finished with 332 yards passing along with 176 yards rushing and was directly responsible for six touchdowns in 49-31 win over Houston. Take that, Alabama.
The next victim for Hurts is FCS South Dakota, coming in at 0-1 after a disappointing loss to Montana in their season opener, 31-17.
South Dakota vs Oklahoma
Saturday, September 7, 7 p.m. EST
OU Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma
Coverage: SoonerSportsTV
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Bookmaker
Spread: Oklahoma (-39 at -120)
Over/Under: 75.5
Oklahoma
The Sooners are more than just Jalen Hurts, despite his 500 yards of offense.
5️⃣0️⃣8️⃣ yards of total offense, 6️⃣ total touchdowns, 1️⃣st OU player ever to pass for at least 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ yards and rush for at least 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ yards in a game.
Big 12 Offensive Player & Newcomer of the Week, @JalenHurts. #OUDNA
Trey Sermon also racked up the yards out of the backfield rushing 11 times for 91 yards. The Sooners are big variety team on offense and utilized their ground game effectively.
Defense, however, is still an issue for the Sooners. Oklahoma struggled to contain the Houston running game last week allowing the visiting Cougars 241 yards on the ground. Mobile quarterbacks have given Oklahoma fits, including in the College Football Playoff last year.
South Dakota
The Coyotes had a less-than-stellar start to the season allowing 510 yards of offense against Montana. The Grizzlies decimated the South Dakota secondary with 427 yards passing though to the Coyotes credit they came up with a pair of interceptions and two sacks.
After ranking in the middle of the pack in passing yards allowed for FCS programs last season, it doesn’t appear the Coyotes have improved on their 219.2 passing yards allowed per game.
A positive for the Coyotes came on offense and the receiving prowess of Kody Case. He caught both touchdowns in the game and amassed 144 receiving yards on 11 catches. As impressive as the connection between Case and quarterback Austin Simmons was, they still couldn’t put more points on the board.
Much of that comes from an inability to establish a rushing game. The Coyotes only had 106 yards rushing as a team, 41 of that Canaan Brooks. In his first season as a primary back, the sophomore has yet to show his explosiveness.
Prediction
Oklahoma has gone over in 12 of its last 16 games while South Dakota has been over in five of its last six. Following that trend, this game could be poised to put up a lot of points. But at 75.5 it’ll likely be mostly the Sooners doing the scoring.
Factoring into that, though, a 63-14 win would be enough to hit the over, so in that regard definitely take it. As for the point spread, 39 might seem like a lot but given the Sooners high-powered offensive and ability to put a lot of points on the board, they may be able to cover it against South Dakota.
However, South Dakota played tough against Kansas State last season en route to a 4-7 finish. So depending on how they match up against the Sooners the margin of victory for Oklahoma could be a tad lower.