LSU mauls out of sync Sooners 37-17
A failed trick play that saw a desperate tight end Bauer Sharp throw a sick duck pass turned LSU interception in the third quarter seemed emblematic of Oklahoma’s find-a-way-to-fail offense for 2024, ending the regular season in a 37-17 defeat that brought the Sooners’ first year foray into the SEC to a merciful end.
Just one week from the euphoria of trouncing then No. 7 Alabama, the Sooners never seemed in rhythm on offense and appeared unusually out of place on defense (at least in the secondary).
Now Oklahoma waits to learn what sub-tier bowl game to which they will be assigned. The benefit of this team bowling is the extra practice time that these Sooners need more than any of the previous 25 consecutive teams that have taken a bowl game field.
One big takeaway from this game was that the trouble of the offensive line is not over. The O-line allowed four sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Rarely in the second half of the game did QB Jackson Arnold have time to get back to the line of scrimmage, much less throw any pass that was meaningful.
Arnold was 14 of 21 for 110 yards. He had 75 yards rushing.
Dave: No fluke in Sooners’ beat down of ‘Bama
I think the best thing about Oklahoma’s stunning victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide, was the fact
there was nothing at all about it that could be called a “fluke”.
Oklahoma dominated Alabama all night.
And they did it once again with a patchwork offensive line and still missing their top five wide receivers.
They held the Tide out of the end zone for the first time since 2011. They rushed for 257 yards against
their vaunted defense. And they held Bama almost 200 yards below their average offensive production,
including only 70 yards of rushing on the night.
OU also racked up almost 400 yards offense to go along with 3 forced turnovers by our defense. It was a masterful game plan by the Sooners on both sides of the ball. Run the ball to win the time of possession game and contain Jalen Milroe.
The much-maligned Oklahoma offensive line blew the Tide off the field play after play. It was a sight to behold.
Jackson Arnold had his best game of the year and may have been the toughest player on the field. Time after time he held the ball and ran it into the heart of the defense. Always gaining at least three or four yards and several times getting much more. He ended the night as the leading overall rusher between both teams with 131 yards.