Oklahoma Sooners

Kansas State won’t be happy to see Oklahoma when the Sooners arrive at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. The last time the Wildcats lost, it was the Sooners on the winning side, a 82-73 win on Jan. 14.

The Sooners won’t be in a much better mood, having lost two straight games after back-to-back wins over KSU and Texas Tech. At 2-5 in the Big 12, OU is on the cusp of watching the season slip away and their goal of making the NCAA Tournament become almost impossible to achieve.

Another upset win over the Wildcats could get the Sooners moving back in a positive direction. But it won’t be easy.

Key to OU win: Regaining confidence and playing together. As the Sooners have lost 5 of 7 games in conference play, memories of their non-conference success (10-2) are fading quickly. As the Sooners have hit bumps in the road, they have been more likely to bark at each other and quit playing as one. They can’t do that on Saturday.

Key to Kansas State win: In the first meeting between the two teams, KSU shot 25 of 64 from the field (39.1%) and the Sooners shot 28 of 51 from the field (54.9%). The Wildcats will have to play much better defense if they hope to split the season series with the Sooners.

Stat line that will tell the tale: Kansas State turnovers. In the two teams’ last meeting, the Wildcats had 19 turnovers and the Sooners finished with 12 steals. Those turnovers led to easy shots for OU as Sam Grooms (9) and Carl Blair (5) combined for 14 assists.

Sooners X factor: Steven Pledger. It’s kind of crazy to call the Sooners leading scorer an “X factor” but he didn’t shoot particularly well (5 of 13) in the first meeting. If he can shoot the ball well and raise his game to another level on the road, OU’s chances of a win will increase.

Wildcats X factor: Will Spradling. KSU’s point guard was outplayed by Grooms in the first meeting and he finished 4 of 15 shooting including 3 of 12 from the 3-point line. He had a team-high four turnovers and fouled out. He shooting 38.2 percent from the 3-point line in 19 games this season.

Jake Trotter answers readers' questions about Oklahoma football in his mailbag every Friday. Got a question for Jake? Submit it here.

Robert in West Columbia, Texas, writes: It seems OU has fallen off in the talent on the defensive side of the ball, what will it take to rebound?

Jake Trotter: OU had an inconstant season defensively, but not because of a lack of talent. Ronnell Lewis could be a first-round pick. Jamell Fleming and Frank Alexander were all-conference players. The problem last season was execution. Too many times the defense committed mental errors that resulted in big plays. When the defense was on point, they were dominant (Florida State, Texas, Kansas State). But there is one area where the talent has fallen off: defensive tackle. The Sooners didn’t have a Gerald McCoy or Tommie Harris last season. They probably won’t have one next year, either, though Jordan Phillips is an intriguing prospect because of his athleticism. Maybe he can be a difference-maker up front, which would be a huge asset to the entire defense.

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Zach in Claremore, Okla., writes: How do you feel about our chances with athlete Davonte Neal with Tim Kish trying to bring him in?

Jake Trotter: It’s amazing that OU has been able to get in on Neal this late in the process, with all the big-time schools that have been recruiting him for months. But clearly Kish has developed a strong rapport with Neal. At the moment, the chances of the Sooners actually landing him are probably slim. But there might be reason to have cautious optimism if Kish could make Neal give OU a hard look and take an official visit.

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Brandon in Texarkana, Texas, writes: What’s the latest with Trey Metoyer? Has he made it to the Oklahoma campus yet? And when he plays next year, would he be considered a freshman or sophomore, since he went to Hargrave last semester.

Jake Trotter: Trey’s dad actually told me Thursday that Trey has been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse and that he will be on campus before the end of the weekend. Metoyer will be a freshman, since prep school doesn’t count against a player’s FBS eligibility.

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Mike in Amarillo, Texas, writes: It seems to me OU has lost its ability to land the top recruits. They still land good quality players and pretty solid classes, but instead of Top 5 they are struggling to stay Top 10. Is the problem with recruiting on the coaches or is it just the recruits themselves?

Jake Trotter:I think you’re being a little harsh. OU had a Top 5 class just two years ago. A class that has already produced numerous starters, including Tony Jefferson, Corey Nelson and Kenny Stills. Recruiting the upper-echelon prospects to Norman isn’t easy. As Bob Stoops says, Oklahoma doesn’t have any beaches to recruit. The Sooners still manage to have Top 10 classes every year. Even if they don’t always land the Adrian Peterson of every class.

In this edition of RecruitingNation 411, ESPN's recruiting experts pick out the teams they think need to make a big impression during the final weekend before signing day.

As national signing day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: David Smith

Position: Running back

Height, Weight: 6-foot, 197 pounds

Hometown/School: Midlothian, Ill./Bremen

Committed: Jan. 17, 2012

Scout grade: 75. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 124 athlete, No. 166 in Midlands Region, No. 30 in Illinois

Picked OU over: West Virginia, Boston College, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Cincinnati, Purdue, Michigan State and others

State of the position: The Sooners have three quality running backs returning in Dominique Whaley, Roy Finch and Brennan Clay but could use more durable runners on the roster.

Pros: “Has great measurables and is athletic with good ball skills making the transition to another skill position like defensive back potentially smooth. Tends to build speed but top-end is more than adequate for his size. Runs high but displays good lateral agility and quickness stretching the run outside and decent vision and cutback skill.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “Exposes himself for big hits but is able to run through a lot of first contact in high school with his strong, lanky frame and well-built upper-body. Would like to see him run more behind his pads though and fill out his narrow base to produce as a one-cut and-go slasher at the college level which is what he projects to be, if he remains at tailback.” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Brennan Clay. Smith displays the slashing style and versatility of Clay. Doesn’t have game-breaking speed but can catch the ball out of the backfield and is solid in the open field.

Expected impact: 2013. Probably in line for a redshirt season then he could see spot duty as a redshirt freshman before battling for carries, and a bigger impact, in 2014.

Wide receiver Trey Metoyer has been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse and is expected to join the Sooners any day now, SoonerNation has learned.

Metoyer signed with Oklahoma last year, but was forced to attend the fall at Hargrave Military Academy after he was unable to qualify at OU.

Metoyer was the No. 8 overall receiver in the country last year and the No. 51 prospect in the ESPNU 150. The Whitehouse, Texas, native finished with 259 career receptions in high school, second all-time in Texas high school history.

Metoyer is not on campus at the moment, but is expected to be in school by the weekend.

Metoyer's clearance was first reported by David Smoak.

We're continuing our look at the postseason rankings for each position in the Big 12. Here's a look back at where the running backs ranked in the preseason.

In this position, unlike quarterback, depth is a major, major factor in these rankings.

1. Texas A&M

The Aggies had the two most talented backs, and despite injuries to both, proved it through an otherwise frustrating 2011. Christine Michael suffered a torn ACL, but still managed 899 yards on just 149 carries. Cyrus Gray injured his shoulder late in the season, but secured his second consecutive 1,000-yard season and ranked third in the Big 12, despite carrying the ball just 198 times. This duo should have easily surpassed 1,000 yards, but even when they were injured, Ben Malena played well in the final two games.

2. Missouri

Mizzou dealt with injuries, too, first to Kendial Lawrence and De'Vion Moore. Cue Henry Josey. Josey became the best back in the Big 12 this year before suffering a major knee injury that included torn ligaments. He may not be back in 2012. His 1,168 yards were third most in the Big 12, despite carrying the ball just 145 times. Lawrence finished 12th with 566 yards.

3. Oklahoma State

Joseph Randle stole the show this year, rushing for 24 scores and ranking second in the Big 12 with 1,216 yards. Only Collin Klein ran for more touchdowns and Terrance Ganaway was the only player with more yardage. Still, Jeremy Smith had averaged more than 7 yards a carry, and he'd be able to start for anyone else in the league. Herschel Sims showed promise, too, with 242 yards on 31 carries.

4. Baylor

Ganaway led the Big 12 in rushing with huge performances late in the season, including a 200-yard, five-touchdown game in his final outing as a college athlete in the Alamo Bowl. He averaged more than 6 yards on his 250 carries and had 330 more yards than any other back in the league. Jarred Salubi added 331 yards, too.

5. Texas

Texas' Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron were banged-up late in the season, but Fozzy Whittaker played well until suffering a torn ACL against Missouri, too. Scatback D.J. Monroe was effective in the passing game as well. Four running backs topped 300 yards and Brown led the team with 742 yards, despite missing three games and having his carries limited early in the season.

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"RecruitingNation" airs at 5:30 p.m. ET today on ESPNU with host Dari Nowkhah and RecruitingNation's Tom Luginbill, Craig Haubert and Jamie Newberg.

RecruitingNation breaks down the top 10 players still undecided, including Dorial Green-Beckham, Davonte Neal, Andrus Peat and Eddie Goldman. The panel discusses why these players are important, where are they are likely to end up, and what it means for the teams that don’t get them.

The show will also feature results from ESPN The Magazine’s "Recruiting Confidential" poll of the top prospects in the nation. Who do the top players think is the nation’s best recruiter? Most over-rated recruiter? And, do they feel like they were being stalked through the recruiting process?

The show wraps up with a look at the top storylines for fans to follow as we count down to Feb. 1, national signing day.