Oklahoma Sooners Football: 5 Keys to the Game vs. Iowa State

Going into their matchup this Saturday, Oklahoma is the clear favorite over Iowa State.

But the Cyclones should not be underestimated, and there are a number of key things that Oklahoma has to take care of in order to come out with a win.

After their loss to Notre Dame, Oklahoma's overall record sits at 5-2, and they need to win out for a shot at a BCS bowl bid.

Iowa State has only one win over Oklahoma in the past 42 years, but this year's team seems like they could have something special. They have big wins already over Iowa, TCU and Baylor. They also only lost to Kansas State by six.

Oklahoma will have to be on top of their game this week if they want to keep their BCS hopes alive. Here are five keys to winning their game against Iowa State. 

Landry Jones

Over the past 12 months, Landry Jones has seen his draft stock rise, fall, rise and then fall down to where it is now—which is nowhere-land. 

But even though he's fallen below Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, Tyler Wilson and perhaps others, he has still put up decent numbers this year and remains the leader of this team. 

In Oklahoma's two losses, Jones had his two lowest passer ratings of the season. So, not surprisingly, his play is going to be a huge factor in whether or not Oklahoma pulls this win out.

Oklahoma Secondary

Oklahoma's secondary has been good, but not spectacular, this season. They did a great job shutting down Seth Doege and Texas Tech, but gave up 30 points to Notre Dame last week.

Tony Jefferson has led this secondary while playing at an All-American level, and needs to come up big yet again. Aaron Colvin had a solid game against Notre Dame and will have to repeat that performance on Saturday. 

Iowa State QB Steele Jantz is as talented and erratic as they come. He threw five touchdowns in the Cyclones' win over Baylor last week, but sat on the bench for a month earlier in the season because of his poor play.

Oklahoma's defensive backs have to come out and frustrate Jantz early to knock him off his game.  

Damien Williams

Oklahoma's starting running back, Damien Williams, is questionable for Saturday's game with an ankle injury. 

If he can play, he changes the entire game for the Sooners. He's averaging 6.7 YPC on 87 carries this season to go along with seven touchdowns.

Iowa State is a very solid 37th in the nation against the run, so Oklahoma will have its hands full. But Iowa State must overcome the loss of All-Big 12 linebacker Jake Knott, who is potentially out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Can Williams play, and if he does, how productive will he be? Is Blake Bell going to carry the ball more? How will Iowa State rally around the loss of their star linebacker?

All big questions, the answers of which will play a huge part in who is victorious on Saturday. 

Score Early

Iowa State had a record crowd of 56,800 on October 13th when they hosted Kansas State. They may not be known for their home-field advantage, but it seems like their fanbase is growing every year and every week this season.

The ISU defense is talented, and if Oklahoma comes out sluggish, they could get shut down early and have a hard time regaining their confidence and driving against the Cyclones' D.

Kenny Stills will play a huge part in the Sooners' offensive success. He was visibly frustrated against Notre Dame, and needs to rebound quickly. If Iowa State gets to him early, it'll be a huge loss for Landry Jones and the rest of the offense.

If Oklahoma jumps out to a lead early, they should be in good shape. But if they don't, the next slide will really become meaningful. 

Regain That "Sooner Magic"

This ESPN preview of Saturday's game makes a number of great points concerning Oklahoma's recent struggles in the fourth quarter.

The term "Sooner Magic" was first used when Barry Switzer had the reins for the Sooners, and continued on through the beginning of Bob Stoops' term as head coach.

But dating back to when Oklahoma played Iowa State in 2007, the Sooners have a poor 11-14 record in single-digit margin games in the fourth quarter. 

They blew a fourth quarter lead this season against Kansas State, and were tied at one point against Notre Dame in the fourth quarter, only to end up losing by 17.

Will they crumble again if Iowa State hangs around until late in the game? If Stoops doesn't want to start answering questions about his job status, he had better ensure they don't.