Oklahoma comes into its matchup with No. 15 Kentucky carrying momentum from beating Texas, but the bigger question is whether that performance becomes a springboard or just a good memory.
The Sooners are nearly a touchdown favorite, and the roster is more talented than Kentucky’s. That edge, though, only matters if Oklahoma shows up with the same focus it had in Dallas and not the kind of letdown that comes from getting too attached to one result.
The path for OU starts on offense, where staying ahead of the chains has to be the priority. Ben Arbuckle’s unit needs those routine first-down gains - three or four yards at a time - so the playbook doesn’t shrink and the offense doesn’t become easy to read.
If the Sooners can do that, they keep more answers available. If they can force Kentucky backward on first down, Brent Venables can start turning up the pressure against a Wildcats offense that has protected the ball well and likes to be aggressive on third and fourth down.
Even after the win over Texas, there’s no pretending the Sooners’ offense has arrived. They did enough in the second half to sustain drives, and that mattered.
Lloyd Avant scored OU’s lone offensive touchdown, while Tate Sandell got three field-goal tries and made two of them. That kind of production may be enough against some opponents, but Oklahoma can’t assume Kentucky will suddenly hand over easy drives.
The smarter goal is getting Sandell into position often enough to bank points, especially with the Lou Groza Award winner in the lineup.
There is, though, a clear ceiling-raising moment available. Oklahoma’s offense showed enough against Texas to believe it can build on an inspired running game from Lloyd Avant, solid blocking up front and the big throws that helped set up John Mateer’s game-winning field goal.
What would really change the feel of this team is a fast start. If the Sooners can score on the opening drive, they give the home crowd a lift and put themselves in position to answer right away if Kentucky strikes back.
That kind of response would say a lot more than last week’s celebration ever could.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Heads Into Kentucky With A New Offensive Line Worry
Oklahomas offensive line is again trending toward a reshuffle as the Sooners prepare for Kentucky, with three starters listed as doubtful and their availability looking unlikely. Michael Fasusi, Eddy Pierre-Louis and Heath Ozaeta are all on that side of the injury report, a familiar and frustrating development for a group that has spent much of the season trying to piece itself together while the offense has searched for consistency.
If those absences hold, Peyton Joseph would be in line for his first career start at right guard, slotting into a front that would also include Ryan Fodje, Noah Best, Jake Maikkula and E'Marion Harris. For Oklahoma, the bigger issue is less about one game than the cumulative effect of constant line turnover, which has made it difficult to build rhythm up front and now leaves the Sooners facing another test of depth at a crucial spot. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Kentucky Availability Report Brings New Concern Before SEC Opener
Oklahomas first SEC home game of the season already has a different feel to it after the latest availability report brought a mix of encouraging and worrying news. Parker Livingstone and Eli Bowen were ruled out, while Michael Fasusi was downgraded to doubtful, giving the Sooners a little less certainty as they prepare for a conference opener that will ask plenty of their depth.
There was some relief on the other side of the report, with Tory Blaylock and Jack Van Dorselaer both upgraded and no longer listed among the question marks. Even so, the shifting availability picture adds another layer of intrigue to a matchup that is already carrying early-season SEC stakes, and Kentuckys decision to name Nic Anderson and Jovantae Barnes as captains only adds to the sense that familiar faces will be in the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
These Overlooked Sooners Could Decide Oklahomas Edge Against Kentucky
Sullivans return against Texas gave Oklahoma another piece to work with on defense, even if his role was limited to 13 snaps after the injury layoff. The Sooners are expecting him to factor in again as they try to shore up an edge group that has to hold up against Kentuckys offense, while the offense has been getting a different kind of lift from Jonathan Hatton at running back. Hatton started there and showed enough promise alongside Lloyd Avant to give Oklahoma some options as it keeps searching for reliable depth.
Isaiah Sategna has been the steady receiving presence so far, leading the Sooners in catches and yards, but this matchup could come down to the fronts on both sides of the ball. Adepoju Adebawore and Jayden Jackson have already been central defensive pieces through five games, and Oklahoma is leaning on Adebawore in particular to help contain Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey and squeeze the Wildcats' run game. For a defense still sorting out roles, those lesser-sung snaps could end up mattering just as much as the headline names. [Read more 🡒]