5 Oklahoma players to watch against Iowa State

QB caused a bit of a stir early in the season ... and last Saturday

Ben Visser

Nov. 16, 2021 10:43 am

Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams, running by Baylor safety JT Woods (22) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (2) for a touchdown on Saturday, struggled against the Bears, but has had a stellar freshman season. (Associated Press)

AMES — Like Iowa State, this was supposed to be Oklahoma’s best football team in decades.

It hasn’t quite worked out that way for either team, though the Sooners still are in line for the Big 12 championship game.

Oklahoma’s Heisman-favorite quarterback was benched for a freshman, the Sooners had narrow wins against Nebraska, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas and Kansas before finally falling to Baylor in a convincing, 27-14 win for the Bears.

The Sooners undoubtedly have talent but it isn’t quite clicking like it was expected.

Here are five players to watch heading into Saturday’s game against Iowa State.

QB Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams wasn’t the Heisman favorite before the season, but he’s taken over for Spencer Rattler and has performed admirably.

The Baylor game was the first time Williams played poorly. He completed just nine of his 18 passes for 142 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

He actually was benched for Rattler, who came in and completed 4 of 6 passes for 36 yards.

Besides the Baylor game, Williams has played as well as a freshman could.

He’s completing his passes at a 69-percent clip and has thrown 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. Williams also has rushed 41 times for 305 yards and five touchdowns.

RB Kennedy Brooks

While the quarterback position has been a bit tumultuous for the Sooners, Kennedy Brooks has been a workhorse in Oklahoma’s backfield.

He’s rushed 145 times for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Where Brooks has fallen a bit short this season is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He has just four catches for 15 yards.

Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims, running ahead of Texas Tech defensive back Malik Dunlap for a touchdown on Oct. 30, leads the Big 12 in yards per catch. (Associated Press)

WR Marvin Mims

Oklahoma always has one or two big-play receivers. This year, the Sooners have one and it’s Marvin Mims.

Mims leads the Big 12 in yards per catch, averaging 22.2 yards every time he catches the ball. He has 28 receptions for 622 yards and four touchdowns.

DL Isaiah Thomas

You wouldn’t mistake this Isaiah Thomas with either the Isaiah Thomas or Isiah Thomas who played in the NBA.

This Isaiah Thomas stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 270 pounds. The Detroit Pistons’ Isiah Thomas was listed at 6-1 and 180 pounds and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Isaiah Thomas is listed at 5-8 and 185 pounds

Oklahoma’s Isaiah Thomas leads the Sooners in sacks with six. He also has 32 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, three QB hurries, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.