We survived. I can’t believe it. But we survived. That was perhaps the ugliest win I’ve ever seen from OU. But. A win is a win, right? Houston proved to be less of a cakewalk than many in our fanbase thought it would be (including Sam on the recent Sooner Pocket podcast). In spite of the offense’s persistent offers of victory to Houston, the Sooner defense held strong and delivered what was ultimately an outstanding performance to bring home the victory. Let’s dive into it.
1st Quarter
The offense started worse than expected. A quick three-and-out delayed any hopes the Sooners had of a quick start. Luckily, a (bad call) muffed punt gave OU the ball back for Jackson Arnold to throw Brennan Thompson his first touchdown of the year. Our run game showed promise in the first quarter, but we kept finding ourselves in third and long situations. Jovantae Barnes was the main back getting touches in the first quarter, making the most out of them. Believe it or not, we did not convert any third downs in the first quarter. Despite this, Jackson Arnold was on point in the first quarter. He was delivering some strikes and looked great to start the game.
The first quarter offered the Sooners two defensive opportunities. The first was a bend-but-don’t-break drive capped off by a Damonic Williams sack, which limited the Cougars to a field goal on an otherwise productive 12-play, 63-yard drive. The second was a physical display from Oklahoma that yielded two stuffs on runs and a stop just shy of the line to gain on a screen. Danny Stutsman and the rest of the linebacker crew set the Sooners up well in the first quarter for the rest of the game.
Score at the end of this quarter: 7-3 OU
2nd Quarter
We didn’t know it at the time. But the first drive of this quarter would give us our last offense points of the game. A beautiful RPO on third down (of all downs) let Jackson Arnold hit Jake Roberts for an easy touchdown. As good as Jackson Arnold looked up to this point, his performance quickly dropped. After starting nine for eleven through the air, he missed six of his next seven passes. Granted, one or two of those were drops. Still not ideal. Despite a promising performance in the first quarter, the offensive line production began to drop in the second quarter. Run lanes began to close and pass protection frequently failed. We reached a point where we just stopped moving the ball. And it didn't get much better as the game progressed.
In the second quarter, the defensive line and linebacker corps kept things relatively uneventful. After forcing three consecutive punts, the Sooners’ soft coverage at the end of the half allowed for a couple of chunk completions to set up a field goal for Houston, limiting their damage in the first half to 6 points. Damonic Williams, Danny Stutsman, and Billy Bowman stood out among the rest with aptly physical play before the intermission, seemingly being present all over the field at all times. Having only allowed two long field goals in the first half, it was a successful start to the game and set our offense up with a nice insurance policy that they would need to cash in through the second half.
Score at the end of this quarter: 14-6 OU
3rd Quarter
The offense got off to a promising start in the second half. They moved down the field well and even converted on a third and long. Of course, on the next play, Jackson Arnold underthrew Deion Burks, and the pass was intercepted. We went three and out on our only other drive of the second half. Jackson Arnold looked rattled in the second half, and our run game had no ability whatsoever. Houston does not have a good defense. How they dominated our offense in the third quarter/second half is... alarming.
Houston only crossed the 50-yard line twice in the second half on six possessions. One of those was on their opening drive, where Houston took advantage of a busted coverage deep in the OU secondary to score a touchdown. That came after a questionable defensive pass interference call against Woodi Washington, who thought he secured a one-handed interception. The defense then got caught napping on a successful 4th down conversion attempt by Houston. Gracen Halton made one of his big plays of the game later on this drive, sacking Houston QB Donovan Smith and leaving the Cougars with too much field to cover to advance past that series of downs.
Score at the end of the quarter: 14-12 OU
4th Quarter
The offense was even worse in the fourth quarter than in the third. They were gifted great field position thanks to an interception. They ended up losing a yard and missing a field goal. We had a nice drive with two third-down conversions (on the same drive???) and ended up squandering it because we couldn't run the ball. A gutsy play call after the defense forced a safety allowed us to get to midfield, but a huge mistake from our center allowed Houston to get the ball back one more time. Thankfully, it didn't end up mattering.
The fourth quarter was where it all came together for OU’s defense. It started with Robert Spears-Jennings making an expert-level read on a pass over the middle and securing a key interception deep on Houston’s side of the field, though the Sooners ultimately did not capitalize off the good fortune. A couple of drives later, Gracen Halton returned and made the play of the game for the Sooners, catching Houston RB Stacy Sneed in the end zone off a handoff and tackling him for a safety, thus pushing OU’s lead beyond the 2-point lead they originally held. The Sooners held strong on a lateral-happy play to end the game and walked away, giving up 1.7 YPC on 35 rushes and forcing one non-special teams turnover, as well as a safety. The defensive line was near-impenetrable in the second half and was the primary source of strength and leadership for what was otherwise a vibrant performance by the Oklahoma defense.
Final Score: Houston 12, Oklahoma 16
Observations
Our offense is bad. Like. Bad.
We came into the season with an elite WR room. But when three of our top four receivers are injured, we have no passing game.
What's going on with Gavin Sawchuk? In the first two games, he has 10 rushes for 20 yards.
Gracen Halton is having the best season of his career.
We have an elite defense. There is no other way to put it.
If we had a better offense, we'd be one of the best teams in the country.
If we can't fix our offensive issues, we are in for a long season.
Danny Stutsman continues to have a fantastic career.
Our offensive line is getting better. But they're nowhere near where they need to be.
Jackson Arnold seems to be trying to do too much. Take a breath. Don't think about it. Just play.
Key Players
Danny Stutsman: 15 tackles, 12 solo, one tackle for loss.
Gracen Halton: Two tackles, both solo, both for a loss, one sack, one forced safety.
Robert Spears Jennings: Five tackles, four solo, one tackle for loss, one interception.
Deion Burks: Nine catches, 53 yards.
Jake Roberts: Three catches, 51 yards, one touchdown.
Other Stats
Offense: 19-32, 174 yards, 5.4 yards per pass, two touchdowns, one interception. 28 rushes, 78 yards, 2.8 yards per rush. 4-14 on third down, 0-0 on fourth down, 15 total first downs.
Defense: 4-15 on third down, 2-2 on fourth down, 9.3 yards per pass and 1.7 yards per run—18 first downs.
We have a gauntlet of a schedule ahead of us, and if we can't figure out our offensive woes, we are in for a long, bad year. I believe in Venables. I believe in Jackson Arnold. I believe in the whole team. It was an ugly win but a good win. Let's keep it going. Boomer Sooner!
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