Balanced ticket: After beating Kansas State 58-35 Saturday, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford said: “Balance is something we have talked about, and I feel like today we were very balanced.

When we’re able to do that, we’re a very hard offense to stop.”

OU had its highest-scoring (55) first half in the modern era. In the process, the Sooners gained 177 yards rushing and 222 passing. By game’s end, OU had 273 rushing, one off its season high at Washington, and 255 passing.

Chris Brown ran for an OU season high 143 yards on 20 carries. DeMarco Murray added 104 yards and four total touchdowns. Afterward, both credited their offensive line for the production.

Of Brown, Murray said: “They weren’t even touching him until pretty much the secondary.”

Special teams surge: Deon Murphy returned OU’s third kickoff 75 yards to set up a short-field touchdown, allowing KState to get within 14-7 midway through the first quarter. It looked like special teams were going to cost OU again.

Then OU turned a kicking game corner, if only for the rest of the first half.

Jermaine Gresham recovered K-State’s ensuing onside kick. Mike Knall dropped a punt on the Wildcats’ 3-yard line. Ryan Broyles returned a punt 68 yards for a TD, OU’s first such score in two years.

And the OU kickoff coverage stopped Murphy.

Problems arose again later, when Jimmy Stevens missed his third extra point of the season and Knall had a partially blocked punt travel 3 yards after Derek Shaw’s high snap.

Alexander the great: Freshman defensive end Frank Alexander played by far his most minutes of the year Saturday, rotating in for both Auston English and Jeremy Beal from the third series on. His biggest play was a rush off the right end late in the first half, when he hit quarterback Josh Freeman despite being held by tackle Edward Prince. His backside sack forced a fumble that DeMarcus Granger recovered for the Sooners’ third takeaway in four K-State possessions.

Dropped cause: OU’s receivers made some decent plays, and had one of their best days, collectively, blocking. But it wasn’t their best day receiving. Tight end Gresham dropped what would have been a first-down pass in the first quarter. In the second, Juaquin Iglesias couldn’t hang on to a pass at the K-State 5; Quentin Chaney dropped another at the K-State 20; Broyles couldn’t squeeze a sliding catch attempt in the end zone; and Gresham dropped another one in Wildcat territory late in the first half.

Finally, Murray missed a first down when he bobbled Sam Bradford’s thirdand- 8 dump-off.

Doctors’ report: Wide receiver Manuel Johnson watched the game with his arm in a sling after dislocating his elbow last week against Kansas. Tight end Brody Eldridge missed his second game with an ankle injury, although he did suit up.

During the game, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy appeared to injure his left foot or ankle midway through the third quarter. He returned in the fourth, and did not appear to be limping afterward.

Gresham was knocked woozy during a K-State kickoff midway through the third. He didn’t return, though offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said the Sooners simply were being cautious.