Postgame Thoughts: Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14
Familiar issues dogged the Oklahoma Sooners in a 26-14 road loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. Who’s up for some postgame thoughts?
Even if you’re not, you’re about to get some. Based on one viewing of the game..
*The big story around Norman this week was the change at offensive coordinator. With the combo of Joe Jon Finley and Kevin Johns calling the shots, the team moved the ball better than it had in previous weeks.
In particular, the run game showed signs of life. OU ran the ball 40 times for 208 yards, excluding sacks. The Sooners made good use of quarterback Jackson Arnold’s legs, as he rushed for 100 yards on 14 attempts with sacks removed. Meanwhile, Jovantae Barnes and Taylor Tatum combined for 25 carries and 109 yards against one of the stingiest run defenses in the country.
*Even though Ole Miss had Arnold under duress for much of the game, he looked more comfortable than he did in other contests this year. It’s possible that playing on the road actually made for a good change of pace.
*The Sooners came out firing in the first half. Their six possessions in the first two quarters included touchdown drives of 60 and 92 yards, along with a 74-yard drive that ended on downs at Ole Miss’ two yard line. Culminating in a scrambling TD pass from Arnold to emerging receiver Jacob Jordan, the final possession prior to halftime was especially encouraging.
*On the other hand, fourteen points on 81 offensive plays doesn’t indicate a high level of offensive efficiency. The aforementioned turnover on downs just outside the Rebels end zone played a role in that. So did a putrid showing in the second half.
The fact that two OU possessions went three-and-out to start the third quarter suggested Ole Miss adjusted its defense effectively during the break. The Rebs punched their ensuing possessions into the end zone both times, so it was off to the races.
*A less optimistic take on OU’s offensive success in the first half: Finley and Johns added some wrinkles to the offensive scheme that gave their attack a temporary boost. Once the Ole Miss coaching staff saw what’s up, the Rebels adjusted in the second half and shut it down.
By and large, I’d argue that O showed some signs of growth, but it doesn’t seem as though we’re seeing room for much more.
*The offensive line remains the biggest governor on that side of the ball. Surrendering 19 sacks in two games is miserable.
However, some of the barbs coming the OL’s way after this performance seem gratuitous. Once the game flow called for OU to go pass-heavy to catch up in the second half, the Ole Miss pass rush could tee off. The final six sacks allowed by the Sooners came in obvious passing situations with Ole Miss leading 26-14 and less than six minutes remaining in the game. Keeping the QB protected on third-and-15 from the opponent’s 18 yard line and fourth-and-21 from the 24, for instance, isn’t easy.
The bottom line was the OL was overmatched versus the Rebels defensive line, which was just as true before the game as it was afterwards.
*Tight end Bauer Sharp had some decent moments, but his false start penalty on OU’s first drive of the third quarter felt like a back-breaker.
*Mixed bag for the OU defense. The Sooners fought hard on D in the first half, with Ole Miss getting its only TD of the half on a well-scripted opening drive. Importantly, the D stiffened up when a fumble by Arnold gave the Rebels advantageous field position in the second quarter.
*Ole Miss’ ability to mitigate the OU pass rush started to rear its head in the third and fourth quarters, however. QB Jaxson Dart got more comfortable in the pocket, which allowed him to exploit matchup advantages in the throwing game.
A lack of athleticism at cornerback has been the defense’s main vulnerability this season, and the Rebels attacked them with a receiving corps that didn’t have its top weapon in Tre Harris. Dart also found opportunities for chunk plays in the middle of the field. He dropped a handful of passes in over OU’s interior linebackers, who remain liabilities in coverage.
*Although the CBs take the brunt of the criticism of the secondary for good reason, OU’s safeties aren’t making many plays lately.
*Brent Venables’ indecisiveness about fourth-down decisions remains maddening. It cost OU a timeout in the second half for no reason whatsoever.
*Through eight games, OU has fumbled the ball 16 times. That puts the Sooners in the bottom five nationally.
OU has come out on the negative side of the turnover margin in its last three games. This team can’t win that way.
*Note that Ole Miss was favored by a TD in this matchup before the season, and the spread climbed to nearly 21 points by kickoff. Overall, this performance by the Sooners seemed in line with expectations, as opposed to some new level of futility. Things aren’t getting worse, in other words, but they don’t seem to be getting better.