Oklahoma Sooners

Maybe it wasn’t an upset.

Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 63-60 at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday night to earn its first Big 12 road win under first-year coach Lon Kruger. The Sooners swept the season series with the No. 24 ranked Wildcats after winning the first meeting, 82-73, on Jan. 14.

Guard Steven Pledger put the Sooners on his shoulders, scoring 30 points on 11 of 17 shooting from the field including 4 of 7 shooting from the three-point line. He made more field goals (11) than any other Sooner attempted (9).

Player of the Game: Who else could it be but Pledger? Despite getting into foul trouble, the junior was unstoppable when he was on the floor. His terrific start -- he scored 10 of OU’s first 12 -- sent the message that the Sooners were ready and playing to win.

Unsung Hero: Sam Grooms. The Sooner point guard had a clutch steal with 15 seconds remaining and OU protecting a one-point lead, then buried two free throws with five seconds left to extend OU’s lead to 63-60. The Big 12’s leader in assist-turnover ratio had a bad shooting night (1 of 8) but finished the game with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 turnover.

Key Stat: 17.6 percent. Kansas State shot 3 of 17 from the three-point line and Kruger took advantage of their poor shooting, going to a zone defense in the second half and forcing KSU to settle for jumpers while OU played through foul trouble.

Up Next: at Kansas, Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones calls in to College Football Live to discuss his decision to return to Oklahoma for his senior season.

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.