Oklahoma Sooners: Why 10-Point Win over Missouri Was Impressive

The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners took care of business by beating the Missouri Tigers 38-28 in Norman on Saturday night. Though Mizzou was able to keep the score relatively close, the Sooners win was still impressive.

Missouri jumped out to a quick lead by scoring on two of their first three possessions. After the Sooners faltered on their first two drives with a punt and a Landry Jones interception to Kenji Jackson, the Tigers were able to take a 14-3 lead with 6:00 left in the opening quarter.

It was at that point that the Oklahoma defense decided to take control. They would not give up another score until the 6:44 mark in the fourth quarter. The Tigers would add another meaningless touchdown in the final minute of the game, but by then the Oklahoma defense had already shown their dominance.

Offense was supposed to be a strength for Oklahoma this year, but the defense was somewhat of a question mark after the tragic loss of Austin Box before the season. Through three games it looks like coach Bob Stoops and defensive coordinator Brent Venables have this defense looking like the great Sooner defenses of the early 2000's.

Without two of their top three receivers, the Sooners were not able to put up the points they would have hoped for.

WR Kenny Stills missed the game due to a concussion suffered last week against Florida State. WR Trey Franks, the Sooners' third receiver and fastest player on the team, has been suspended indefinitely.

Considering Jones was without two of his top options in the passing game, 38 points against a very solid Missouri team was very impressive—as was Jones' 448 passing yards and three touchdowns.

One positive did come from the receiving corp being a little short-handed. Sophomore WR Jaz Reynolds was able to get significant playing time and made some really big catches. Reynolds proved he could be another big weapon for the Sooners with his five catches and 95 yards receiving.

Walk-on RB Dominique Whaley was also impressive and his five catches and 82 yards showed he could be yet another weapon for Jones to throw the ball to. Whaley shared the rushing duties with Brennan Clay, but was able to rush for 68 yards on just 16 carries with one touchdown.

Oklahoma still has the best receiver in the country in Ryan Broyles. Not having Stills on the field with him meant Missouri was able to place more focus on Broyles, but it didn't pay off. Broyles still caught 13 passes for 154 yards. Jones also connected with Broyles on three touchdown passes.

With the return of Stills, Oklahoma should be able to put more points on the board. The defense has proven they can be a shutdown unit when needed. All this points towards the Sooners being a well-rounded team that still looks like the best team in the country.

Even with LSU's win at West Virginia, the Sooners still had the best road win of the season at Florida State last week. Oklahoma will be in the spotlight again in two weeks when they play Texas in the Red River Rivalry. With games still to come against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, the Sooners will have plenty of chances to lock up some really good wins.

With a renewed dominance on the defensive side of the ball and an offense loaded with dangerous weapons and Heisman candidates, this Oklahoma team looks primed to make a run at a national championship.