Postgame Thoughts: Missouri 30, Oklahoma 23
A bizarre game on Saturday against the Missouri Tigers ended in a 30-23 loss for the Oklahoma Sooners, putting OU’s hopes of even qualifying for a bowl game on life support.
Let me offer up some observations based on my live viewing of the matchup.
*Point blank: The quarterback position was an abject disaster for OU.
When ESPN announcer Tom Hart said a punter and a running back made the two best throws of the game for the Sooners, he wasn’t that far off. Jackson Arnold completed 15 of his 24 pass attempts in the game for a paltry total of 74 yards. He did not throw an interception, which might be the best thing that can be said about his performance.
Unfortunately, Arnold did account for three of OU’s six fumbles in the game. Two of those three fumbles were lost to Mizzou, including the one that gave the Tigers a game-winning scoop-and-score. His loose play underscored a general lack of poise behind center throughout the game.
None of his performance was good, but Arnold’s decisions on OU’s final drive of the game – with two timeouts still in the Sooners’ pocket – were nothing short of horrible. To wit, he threw a short out route to Bauer Sharp on the penultimate play of the contest that left OU about 70 yards away from Missouri’s end zone.
I mentioned in my column this week that Arnold had three games to make the case that he is the quarterback of the future in Norman. Brent Venables may choose to ride with him at QB the rest of the way, but the OU coaching staff will be looking for a transfer in December.
*Arnold’s play contributed heavily to the Sooners ending up on the wrong side of the ledger in this game, but he wasn’t the only one. Peyton Bowen’s muffed punt and Deion Burks’ fumble in the second half gave Mizzou great field position on two occasions for drives that yielded a total of 10 points for OU’s opponent.
And in what has become a theme this season, the Tigers seemed to pick on veteran defensive back Woodi Washington. Notably, they had success targeting him in key situations.
*OU’s much-maligned offensive line actually had one of its better games. With no passing game to speak of, the Sooners averaged 4.5 yards per rush, excluding sacks. The OL played without its most reliable contributor this season, Michael Tarquin, too.
*You can explain away many of this team’s shortcomings with a look at the injured list. However, the players who aren’t on the field have nothing to do with lax ball security. Moreover, injuries don’t explain boneheaded coaching moves like getting a delay of game penalty inside the red zone after a big play on offense or subbing new personnel into the game deep in the play clock.
We passed the point long ago where Venables’ lack of experience as a head coach earned him any grace for mindless errors.
*Even though the OU defense came up small late in the game, that side of the ball played well enough to win. The Sooners could have defended the cutback lanes better on a handful of Mizzou running plays, but you can’t complain about allowing 3.3 yards per rush.
Bottom line: The Tigers scored four touchdowns in the game. One came on a defensive score, while another was on a 30-yard scoring drive set up by an OU fumble.
*OU’s kicking game was outstanding. Little victories.
*Mizzou offensive coordinator Kirby Moore assembled a solid game plan around the limits of backup QB Drew Pyne in the last two weeks. Seems as though there’s a lesson there for Venables.
Frankly, this game didn’t change my opinion on the best plan for the Sooners in the short term. Venables needs to hire a star offensive coordinator as soon as the season ends and proceed accordingly.