Oklahoma’s offense may have taken its first real step forward in the 27-24 upset of top-ranked Texas.
The Sooners still needed help from special teams and the defense to win at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, and the numbers from the full game are hardly flashy: 234 total yards. But the second half told a different story. After managing just 69 yards and no offensive points before halftime, Oklahoma came out and produced 169 yards and 13 offensive points against one of the nation’s best defenses.
That matters because the Sooners didn’t just stumble into it. They changed the shape of the game by doing the thing they’ve been reluctant to do all season: lean on the run and feature Lloyd Avant. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle doesn’t seem eager to become a ground-and-pound team, but Oklahoma’s best stretch came when it went against that instinct.
On the opening drive of the second half, Avant touched the ball on the first play with a short catch that gained eight yards. Two snaps later, he broke loose for a 42-yard run. That series ended in a field goal, and the game felt different from there.
The run game did more than move the chains. It forced Texas to respect it, which took some heat off John Mateer and made the quarterback’s job easier. When Mateer isn’t dancing, he’s solid.
Avant finished with 72 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, plus two receptions for eight yards. He didn’t suddenly become a different player.
He simply kept doing what he’s shown all year when Oklahoma gives him enough of a chance. The Colorado State transfer looked like a real weapon from the start of the season against UTEP, and that early impression looks a lot more legitimate now.
The usage numbers say plenty. Avant has 52 carries for 236 yards this season.
The rest of the team has 114 carries for 243 yards. Xavier Robinson is averaging 3.8 yards per carry.
Jonathan Hatton is at 2.9. Tory Blaylock is at 2.2.
Avant is averaging 4.5.
He’s the guy.
And the schedule seems to support the idea that Oklahoma’s offense could keep climbing. Here are the current national rankings in yards allowed per game for the defenses the Sooners have already faced, out of 138 FBS schools: UTEP 110, Michigan 3, New Mexico 10, Georgia 11 and Texas 13.
The defenses left on the schedule look a lot friendlier: Kentucky 100, Mississippi State 96, South Carolina 58, Florida 109, Ole Miss 108, Texas A&M 43 and Missouri 29.
There’s more good news for Oklahoma, too. The Sooners beat Texas without injured offensive linemen Michael Fasusi and Eddy Pierre-Louis. If both return, the line gets more talent and more depth, which should help Mateer feel more comfortable and cut down on mistakes.
This isn’t about Oklahoma suddenly looking like 2017 with Baker Mayfield. It is about a team that may finally understand its offensive identity, with Avant at the center of it. If that holds and the defense keeps playing at a high level, the Sooners still have a path to a memorable season.
In Other News...
Kentucky Has A Real Week 6 AP Poll Respect Case
The Week 6 Associated Press poll once again turned into a reminder that rankings are about more than just what happened on the field last Saturday. Texas fell from No. 1 to No. 7 after a close loss, while Kentucky stayed buried lower than several other SEC teams with similar records, and James Madison still could not crack the top 25 despite being unbeaten. For Oklahoma fans, the most glaring wrinkle was familiar in a different way: the Sooners remained unranked even after beating the No. 1 team.
The bigger issue is what the poll seems to reward, and what it seems willing to overlook. Preseason expectations and strength of schedule appear to matter as much as recent results, if not more, which is why some teams get the benefit of the doubt while others do not. For Oklahoma, that leaves a clear opening to keep stacking wins and force the voters to eventually catch up, even if the respect does not arrive as quickly as the on-field resume would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas First Mississippi State Meeting Just Got More Interesting
Oklahomas first trip to Mississippi State now has a set kickoff, with the SEC slotting the Oct. 24 meeting for 2:30 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium. It will be the Sooners first-ever game against the Bulldogs, adding a fresh crossover to a schedule that already has plenty of intrigue as both teams navigate the stretch run of the season.
The matchup carries an extra layer because Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby will see Oklahoma and Brent Venables for the first time since leaving his job as the Sooners offensive coordinator. With both programs coming off recent on-field ups and downs and more games looming before then, this one already has the feel of a late-October game that could mean more than just another SEC date on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Turned Red River Into An SEC Statement Fans Will Love
The Red River Rivalry already carries enough weight on its own, but Oklahoma turned this years meeting at the Cotton Bowl into the kind of result that can linger well beyond October. Peyton Bowen gave the Sooners a huge lift on defense with an interception returned for a touchdown, and Tate Sandell finished the job with a 47-yard walk-off field goal that sent Oklahoma home with a win over the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.
It was the sort of performance that gets noticed well beyond the rivalry itself, and both players were rewarded for it when the SEC handed out its weekly honors. Bowen was named the leagues defensive player of the week, while Sandell earned special teams recognition, a fitting nod for a game Oklahoma turned into a statement in front of a national audience. [Read more 🡒]