A small lineup adjustment may have been enough to give Oklahoma’s offensive line a different look in the 27-24 win over Texas.
Freshman Noah Best made his fifth start of the season in the victory, but most of his work in September had come at right guard. Against the Longhorns, though, Best and Heath Ozaeta switched spots, with Best starting at left guard and the veteran interior lineman lining up on the right side.
The numbers won’t make anyone jump out of their seat. Oklahoma managed just 83 rushing yards on 31 carries, and the ground game still had a lot of rough edges. But the Sooners did show some signs of traction in the third quarter, the first real sign of life from the rushing attack.
That was enough to catch the attention of the coaching staff, especially after Ozaeta’s status was briefly uncertain when he had to be checked out by trainers during warm-ups.
“Noah Best got better as the game went along,” OU coach Brent Venables said on Tuesday. “And Heath Ozaeta, I know he was kind of a little bit banged up, but he did some great things.”
Best, who turned heads in spring football, kept pushing into the picture during fall camp and became a legitimate option for Bill Bedenbaugh. Since then, he has locked himself into an important role on the Sooners’ front.
“He's always available, never not practicing, and I think that's where you get better at football, in practice,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “Football's a developmental game, and Noah Best, from the moment he's gotten here to now, he just gets those reps. He gets to develop.”
Best said the rushing attack started to find its footing after halftime, and that kind of progress matters as Oklahoma tries to build on the momentum from beating Texas.
Ozaeta also remains a point of confidence for the staff. He was listed as questionable on the first SEC availability report of the week, but Arbuckle said there was never any real doubt about his ability to go against No. 15 Kentucky on Saturday.
“He was ready to roll on snap 1 (against Texas),” Arbuckle said. “That’s all I know.
He, shoot-you wouldn’t have been able to tell me one way or another that he was hurt. From play 1, he was ready to roll.
He played really tough and played physical, showed up every single play, and he’s been that way in practice too.
“He’s accepted the challenge of being a more physical, tougher player, and I thought that showed Saturday with his readiness to play, his willingness to play and how he played. Proud of Heath, and we’ve got to continue building off that and pushing on.”
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The latest jolt came in Texas loss to Oklahoma, where Manning threw two interceptions and struggled to settle in. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Smith, the Ohio State wide receiver, sits atop Kipers rankings, and Mannings absence from the group gives the debate around his draft stock a little more fuel heading into the next stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]