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Iowa St.-Oklahoma Preview

Oct 13, 2010 - 1:40 PM By JEFF LATZKE AP College Football Writer

Iowa State (3-3) at Oklahoma (5-0), 7:00 p.m. EDT

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- As much as Oklahoma's championship chances can hinge on beating rival Texas, the Sooners always seem to be at their best just after the Red River Rivalry.

Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma is 11-0 in the game that follows the annual October clash with the Longhorns in Dallas.

Even in the aftermath of Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford's season-ending shoulder injury last year, Oklahoma came back the following week with a 35-13 blowout at Kansas.

This year, the sixth-ranked Sooners (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) have the added benefit of an off week before this Saturday night's home game against Iowa State (3-3, 1-1). It's the first time since 1999, Stoops' first season in Norman, that Oklahoma was off after facing Texas.

Stoops' Sooners are 14-3 following an off week, including 12-0 at home.

"Our best teams have always pushed and gotten stronger. We've always come off of Texas week and played pretty decent. We've always came off an open date and played pretty good," offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Tuesday.

"Now, we've got both of them together. Now, we can use both."

Oklahoma practiced four times last week then took a three-day weekend before getting back to work on Monday. The extra time gave linebacker Austin Box and running back Roy Finch, who both missed the first five games of the season with injuries, the chance to get healthy again.

Both will be available to play against the Cyclones, although Stoops wasn't sure how much either would get on the field after so much time away. DeMarco Murray and Mossis Madu have cemented their roles as the Sooners' top tailbacks, and Tom Wort - Box's replacement - is coming off perhaps his best game in Oklahoma's 28-20 win against Texas.

The problem of having too many healthy players is a welcome trend for the Sooners, considering at this point last year they were dealing with the loss of Bradford in a season filled with injuries. Star tight end Jermaine Gresham was lost for the entire season, receiver Ryan Broyles missed most of two games with a shoulderblade injury and Murray was out the week after the Texas game.

Defensive tackle Casey Walker is the only player on the two-deep roster who's out now.

"We've been able to stay healthy this year. That's the biggest thing," defensive captain Travis Lewis said. "It's always fun when you're winning football games and stuff is going right.

"The great thing is that we're 5-0 and we still have a lot to work on, a lot to get better at. That's good with any team that's undefeated. When you've got a lot of stuff to work at, it's going to make it where you can't relax."

The Sooners have won 11 straight games against Iowa State and have dominated the all-time series 67-5-2. The Cyclones are coming off a 68-27 loss at home to No. 10 Utah, but had a 52-38 win against Texas Tech just a week earlier.

Stoops said that win against a Big 12 South team should get his players' attention, but "as much as anything, we're not focused on the other team, we're focused on us being as good as we can be."

"We're still a work in progress, and the better teams, the teams that go on and have a chance to win championships improve as the season goes on," Stoops said. "So, that's really our challenge, to make sure that we're coming out this week and improving and playing better."