By Jake Trotter

Bob Stoops said the Sooners didn't try many downfield throws against Notre Dame because of the way the Irish were defending. But OU the entire season has struggled throwing downfield, relative to recent seasons.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Landry Jones is completing 39.7 percent of his passes thrown 15 yards or longer this season. That is a significant drop from last season when Jones completed 49.2 percent on the same distance.

The Sooners did not have a pass for more than 30 yards until the fourth quarter, when Jalen Saunders broke off a 35-yard reception. Kenny Stills had OU's only other long catch, but that didn't come until the final drive when the Irish were in a prevent defense.

With the deep ball not there, the Sooners tried to dink and dunk their way down the field. But because of Notre Dame's tackling, yards after the catch were hard to come by, too.

The Irish might have the best tackling defense in college. But Iowa State is pretty solid, too. If the Sooners can loosen up the Cyclones defense with the deep ball, that should open up more space for Saunders, Stills and Sterling Shepard on the underneath passes.

By Jake Trotter

With Damien Williams ailing with his own ankle injury, senior running back Dominique Whaley could get another shot to show what he can do. Whaley has only eight carries since losing his starting job to Williams after the third game, and hasn't stepped on the field the last two games. Earlier this season, Whaley clearly wasn't completely back from last season's broken ankle. But if Williams can't go, the Sooners might have to lean on Whaley against the Cyclones.

"I don't think we are going to shut it down and say, 'All right, let's just call it quits the rest of the year.' We are a prideful program. We have a lot of pride in what we do and we are not going to shut it down."

-- QB Landry Jones, on being out of the national title picture after the loss to Notre Dame.