The Sooners, coming off a 35-13 win over Kansas in Lawrence last weekend, have won 27 straight games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium — including a 63-2 record at home under 11th-year head coach Bob Stoops.
A lot of the Sooners' success has been built on dominating starts to games — outscoring their opponents 58-0 in the first quarter alone this season.
"We're appealing the Big 12 Conference to see if we can start the game in the second quarter," Snyder quipped. "I mean, 58 to nothing? Give me a break. We're just going to stand on the sideline until they run the clock. You just have to hope that you can hold your own."
Joking aside, the Sooners are very scary as K-State (5-3, 3-1 Big 12) prepares for its 6 p.m. kickoff on Halloween night against the Sooners in Norman.
It all starts with defense.
"Defense is number one," Snyder said. "It's very impressive. All the numbers would indicate that. The coaching background would indicate that. Certainly the talent of the players would indicate that."
Oklahoma is second in the Big 12 in total defense, sixth nationally, allowing 264.9 yards and just 10.1 points per game this season.
Against the run, the Sooners are holding opponents to just 70 yards a game, a startling number indeed as K-State enters the game second in the conference and 25th nationally with 185.5 rushing yards a game — led by running back Daniel Thomas who needs 186 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
Up front the Sooners come at teams with a trio of players that have 28.5 tackles for loss between them in nose tackle Gerald McCoy and defensive ends Auston English and Jeremy Beal. That doesn't even include OU linebackers Travis Lewis, Ryan Reynolds and Keenan Clayton, who rank 1, 2 and 5 on the team in tackles.
"They lead the world against the run," Snyder said. "They're good players... they play hard, they play fast, have good quickness, movement, athletic ability and size, and excellent strength.
"What else could you say?"
A lot, actually.
No team has scored more than 21 points against Oklahoma all season, while the Sooners have lost their three games by a combined five points — including a pair of one-point losses to BYU and at No. 18 Miami and a 16-13 setback against No. 3 Texas.
If there's a weakness in the Sooners, it's offensively, where OU has been plagued with injuries all season. Including the season-ending shoulder injury that sidelined Bradford, the Sooners have had to go without tight end Jermaine Gresham all year, while also dealing with injuries along the offensive line, receiver and running back.
In spite of the M.A.S.H. unit that has become Oklahoma, the Sooners are still averaging more than 400 yards a game on offense though — 144 rushing and 275 passing.
A big part in finding stability has been the play of quarterback Landry Jones, a freshman who has completed 60 percent of his passes for 194.7 yards a game with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions this season — including four starts.
"I thought he played well and they showed their confidence in him," Snyder said of Jones who passed for 252 yards and two TDs against Kansas. "They came out and threw the ball virtually every snap on the initial drive. They went down and scored. He threw it well, threw it with poise. I think he feels pretty comfortable, and rightfully so."
The Wildcats, who sit in first place in the Big 12 North, will try to counter with a defensive unit that has picked up a head of steam in recent weeks after an embarrassing showing at Texas Tech on Oct. 10.
Since then, K-State has allowed just 10 points a game, while holding Texas A&M and Colorado to a combined 47 rushing yards.
Much of K-State's success on defense can be credited with its pass rush, something that not all that long ago was a major problem for this team. With 10 sacks in and 10 takeaways in the last two games though, Snyder is starting to see the improvement he's longed for as K-State tries to win the North title.
"Oklahoma can get the ball off pretty quick," Snyder warned. "Texas Tech could and that tempers your pass rush some as well. We've gotten better in the last two weeks, yes. I know that. I mean, we had minus-80 sacks in the first six ball games or so, and we've had 10 in the last two, so the numbers would indicate that we've made some progress.
"I believe we have, but the caliber of the opposition steps up too."
