Oklahoma hangs onto 16-12 win over Houston
A stellar defense overcame an anemic offense to enable the Oklahoma Sooners to survive a 16-12 nail biter over the Houston Cougars in a contest that had the 83,653 faithful in Norman ever more fearful of the murderer’s row schedule that lay ahead in the SEC.
It was the lowest point total for Oklahoma since its 17-10 loss to TCU in 2005.
As the giant Oklahoma flag became tangled up when pulled across the Owen Field turf during the pre-game show, we should have known this was an omen of a bad night coming.
The offense under newbie QB Jackson Arnold (19 of 32 for 174 yards, 1 interception and 2 touchdowns) struggled, losing the total yardage statistic to the Cougars (249 yards versus UH’s 318), converting only four of 14 third down conversions and punting an uncharacteristic eight times.
Dropped passes, overthrown balls, ineffective run blocking and inopportune penalties (including an unsportsmanlike penalty on a lineman that kept the Sooners from almost running out the clock to end the game) was the story of the night for the offense.
Defensively, the Sooners had a fourth quarter interception (by Robert Spears-Jennings) and a safety (by defensive tackle Gracen Halton, with 1:42 left in the game), which gave fans their only chance to take a breath. Unfortunately, the offense failed to capitalize on those opportunities (Tyler Keltner missing a 45-yard field goal) and allowed Houston a fighting chance to be a mere field goal away from winning the game in the waning minutes.
In fact, this game was exactly what we feared might happen when everyone was talking about these Sooners pre-season: What could happen if an inexperienced quarterback was bootstrapped by a weak offensive line?
Arnold not playing well enough to overcome teammates’ mistakes
Well, now we know what could happen. A mediocre bottom feeding Big 12 team like Houston can be a hair away from upsetting the No. 16 (until the new poll comes out, anyway) in the country.
It was especially problematic because both offensive lineman Branson Hickman and Geirean Hatchett, who were starters last week, were out this week with injuries. Joshua Bates made his first career start at center and Jake Taylor made his first career start at right tackle. Taylor was injured in the second quarter and the Sooners coaching staff started playing musical chairs with lineman the rest of the way.
Bad offensive line or not (although we know it was), Arnold didn’t step up when needed in this game. Neither did the OU receiving corps (one hampered by injuries to Nic Anderson and Jalil Farooq). Not getting basic first downs when especially needed, such as happened in this game, will be a failure attributed to Arnold, whether one could legitimately blame the offensive line’s play or not.
Arnold completed only 1 of 6 passes thrown for more than 20 yards. He was 3 of 7 for mid-range passes.
Deion Burks grabbed nine catches for 59 yards, but drops by other receivers stifled drives.
The jumbotron video of the demolition of the 1970s-era press box became more symbolic of a crashing Sooner offense than its intended look back at the evolution of Memorial Stadium expansion over its 100-year history.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell took the blame.
“It starts with me. And I promise you this: I’ll work hard to correct it,” he said after the game.
But, as much as fans will rightfully grumble this week — some questioning whether sophomore Arnold is the right man for the job, considering he has failed to live up to his five-star billing — this Sooners defense, led by the best linebacker in the SEC, Danny Stutsman, is the real deal.
Without it, Oklahoma would be 1-1 on the season.
Stutsman had an astonishing 15 tackles, 12 of them solo.
Houston QB completed 24 of his 28 passes, but managed only one touchdown. The Houston offense was held to only 58 yards rushing. That was key late in the game as it made the Cougars one-dimensional offensively, enabling the Sooners defense to concentrate on holding off any late game threat.
We all remember being anxious during the Lincoln Riley administration, wondering each Saturday if the Sooners could score on every possession — required because the OU defense was non-existent. Every game was a scoring fest.
Now we are seeing the flip side of that coin.
But before we dare flirt with any nostalgic pining for those offensive-only days, let’s be thankful that Oklahoma is indeed a defensive team. It has to be.
NEXT: Oklahoma vs. Tulane, September 14 2:30 pm ESPN/ESPN2
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