OU-Kent State: Our Picks

The AllSooners staff picks Oklahoma's game against Kent State. The Sooners and Golden Flashes kick off at 6 p.m.

John E. Hoover | Sep 9, 2022

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Oklahoma Sooners

John Hoover

Kent State has a lot of talent on offense. RB Marquez Cooper rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season, and WR Dante Cephus had more than 1,200 yards receiving. As a team, the Golden Flashes rushed for almost 4,000 yards. New QB Collin Schlee threw for 178 yards and a touchdown last week at Washington. Coach Sean Lewis will want to execute a high-tempo attack and the Flashes will try to match OU score for score. Defensively, it’s a different story. Kent State last season ranked 121st in scoring, 116th in rushing, 116th in passing and 124th in total defense. A change at the coordinator spot and seven returning starters should help. But expect Dillon Gabriel and the Oklahoma offense to feast.

Final: Oklahoma 56, Kent State 24

FOR MORE: How to Watch/Listen to Kent State v. Oklahoma

Ryan Chapman

Coming off a workmanlike season opener, the Sooners should once again control every aspect of the game. After getting out the Week 1 jitters, expect an improved showing from the offensive line to help prevent the second-quarter woes Oklahoma faced last Saturday. Kent State is going to try and match OU’s tempo, so things could once again get out of hand early if Brent Venables’ defense can hold up early on, paving the way for another Oklahoma blowout.

Final: Oklahoma 55, Kent State 17

Josh Callaway

The Golden Flashes are a decent team, having been picked to win their division in the MAC preseason poll. But this absolutely should be another walkover win for Oklahoma. Not much went right for Kent State in their season opener against Washington, with their pass defense being perhaps the most alarming. The Huskies threw it all over the yard on their secondary, which can't bode well for them against Dillon Gabriel and the bevy of receiving talent the Sooners possess. Fireworks will be on display under the lights on Saturday night as Oklahoma strikes for multiple big plays down the field and the OU defense continues the promising physicality and level of play we saw last week as Oklahoma rolls to another easy win and a 2-0 start to the Brent Venables era.

Final: Oklahoma 55, Kent State 17

Published Sep 9, 2022

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.