Here’s a crazy stat. Oklahoma’s 23 points against Nebraska on were the fewest points scored in a victory since since defeating TCU 20-17 in the 2013 season. It was the first time that the Sooners failed to reach the 27-point mark in a game since falling to Houston 33-23 to start the 2016 season. OU didn’t execute the perfect game plan against the Huskers on Saturday but what they did was good enough for a win.
The Sooners produced 408 total yards of offense on Saturday, resulting in 21 first downs and three touchdowns. OU averaged 5.9 yards per play against the Huskers which is a far cry from the 8.2 yards per play, and 10 touchdowns, the week before against Western Carolina, but then again the level of competition was greatly increased as well.
What Went Right
The Running Game – To be honest, I could have stood to see more of this. Eric Gray averaged 5.6 and 5.5 yards respectively. They combined for 29 rushing attempts with Gray getting 15 of them but it was Brooks who found the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Jadon Haselwood – Ten different players caught a pass from Spencer Rattler but for the second week in a row it was Haselwood who stood out among Oklahoma’s crop of pass catchers. Haselwood hauled in six passes (the next closest was 3) for 61 yards at an average of 10.2 yards per catch.
Spencer Rattler – Yes, I am aware of the criticism that is taking place in regards to the quarterback, and some of it is warranted, but we should also point out the positives. Oklahoma’s signal caller didn’t turn the ball over (yes, there were some close calls) for the second game in a row, he made plays with both his arm and legs, accounted for two touchdowns and completed 70% of his passes. That’s not a bad outing!
National Rankings
Oklahoma’s three touchdowns weren’t nearly enough to keep them ranked as the #2 scoring offense in the nation. With an average of 46.3 points scored per game, the Sooners are now ranked #6 nationally in scoring. The average rushing yards per game dropped just a bit from 196.5 a week ago to 195.7 this week. However, OU moved from the 44th rushing offense in the nation a week ago to 35th this week. Oklahoma’s passing attack dropped from being ranked 18th a week ago (330.5 YPG) to 25th this week (291.7 YPG).
Top Three Offensive Plays From Saturday
#3 – A little razzle dazzle.
#2 – Spencer Rattler to Jeremiah Hall for a 2-yard score.
#1 – Drake Stoops blows up Cam Taylor-Britt.
What did we get miss?
What Went Wrong
Offensive Line – Spencer Rattler wasn’t sacked on Saturday but it wasn’t because of the play of the offensive line. It was because Rattler has able to escape and evade defenders rushing in most of the afternoon. I still think the ceiling is sky high for Oklahoma’s guys up front but we have yet to see them function as a cohesive and well oiled machine. With conference play upon us, it’s time for that to happen.
Spencer Rattler – Here we go. I’m not jumping in on the heavy criticism here. I do think there were some mistakes made on Saturday that Rattler got away with. Most of it has to do with locking in pre-snap who he wants to throw the ball to and then not properly working through his progressions. At this point, I’m confident that it’ll get better.
Opportunity – In the season opener against Tulane Oklahoma had eight offensive possessions in the first half. Last week against Western Carolina they Sooners had the ball a total of fourteen different times, and that was in a game with a shortened fourth quarter. On Saturday the Sooners had a total of just nine offensive possessions for the entire game. That’s the fewest possessions in a game this season and one of the key factors in the stats being lower than any game this season.
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