2011 Insight Bowl Spread
Bob Stoops is coming home. Sort of.
The former Iowa Hawkeye football player will be on the same field as his alma mater when he takes his Oklahoma Sooners to the Insight Bowl to face the Hawkeyes. Although Stoops has led the Sooners for 13 seasons, he has never faced his former school.
In fact, the only time these two storied programs hooked up came in the 1979 season opener, when Barry Switzer’s Sooners beat Hayden Fry’s Hawkeyes 21-6 in Norman.
Our latest college football odds list Oklahoma as 14-point favorites, while the total has been posted at 58 points.
Iowa
Iowa started 3-1, then 5-2, but has alternated wins and losses in each of the last six games, finishing the regular season with a 20-7 loss at Nebraska. The Hawkeyes have been 1-4 away from home, with two of the losses by a total of four points.
The Hawkeyes rank 42nd nationally in points allowed (23 points per game), surrendering 388 yards per game (228 passing, 160 rushing) while recording 20 sacks and forcing 18 turnovers – with two being returned to touchdowns (Tanner Miller and Shaun Prater, interceptions).
James Morris leads the defensive unit with 105 tackles (adding an interception), while Christian Kirksey has 103 stops (two forced fumbles, sack, interception, fumble recovery). Mike Daniels has seven sacks with 62 tackles, while Miller has three picks, 71 tackles and a forced fumble and Prater has four forced fumbles to go with 46 tackles.
Iowa ranks 53rd nationally in points scored (29 ppg) while compiling 379 yards per game (236 passing, 143 rushing). James Vandenberg has completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,806 yards with 23 TDs and six interceptions. The offensive line has allowed 26 sacks.
Marvin McNutt is the top receiving target with 78 receptions (33 more than anyone else) for 1,269 yards and 12 TDs, while Marcus Coker anchors the running game with 1,384 yards and 15 scores on 4.9 yards per carry.
Oklahoma
After a 6-0 start, the Sooners are just 3-3 in the second half of the season and are coming off a 44-10 loss in the Bedlam game at Oklahoma State. OU is 4-2 away from home, but has dropped the last two games to ranked teams (Baylor, OSU).
Oklahoma ranks 10th in the country in scoring offense (40 ppg) while compiling 532 yards per game (365 passing, 167 rushing). Landry Jones has completes 63 percent of his passes for 4,302 yards and 28 TDs with 14 INTs. The offensive line has allowed nine sacks.
Ryan Broyles (out for the season: knee injury) was the top receiving target with 83 receptions (25 more than anyone else) for 1,157 yards and 10 TDs, while Roy Finch and Dominique Whaley (out for the season: ankle injury) anchored the running game with a combined 1,228 yards and 12 TDs on 5.6 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Sooners rank 37th nationally in points allowed (23 ppg), surrendering 384 yards per game (244 passing, 140 rushing) while recording 37 sacks and forcing 25 turnovers – four of which have converted to TDs (Jamell Fleming, Tom Wort and David King, fumbles; Demontre Hurst, interception).
Aaron Colvin and Travis Lewis lead the defense with 80 and 79 tackles, respectively, adding two forced fumbles, two recoveries and an interception combined. Frank Alexander has 8.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, adding 51 tackles, a pick and a fumble recovery, while Tony Jefferson has four picks, 67 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
