Oklahoma rush over Maine, RB Barnes has career best 203 yards
A career 203-yard day for running back Jovantae Barnes led Oklahoma to a 59-14 walloping of the Maine Black Bears to snap a three-game losing streak — a much needed easy day for the Sooners (5-4, 1-4 SEC), who moved a game closer to bowl eligibility with the win.
The non-conference matchup allowed Oklahoma to improve its rushing game, something plagued by injuries and poor performances along the offensive line much of this season.
“It feels good, but I can’t celebrate so much,” Barnes said. “I think it’s a good moment to build off of this as an offense, as a team, and go on to next week’s practice and just work. So it was a good start to something.”
Meanwhile, QB Jackson Arnold had a good day, especially finding WR J.J. Hester. Hester caught three passes in the first half, including a career-high 98-yard touchdown, his first since transferring to OU in 2022. He finished the game with four catches for 112 yards.
The Arnold to Hester pass, catch and TD was the longest by an OU player at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and tied the second-longest TD reception in school history. It was also the longest pass play in any game since 1995, a remarkable stat, given the Sooner’s history of explosive offensive plays since then.
The Sooners’ 664 total yards was the most since 2022 against Texas Tech.
Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables praised the team’s performance after the game, particularly the offensive linemen and running backs.
“Good game. At the end of the day we got what we wanted accomplished. Got a lot of young guys experience, saw some improvement with guys up front. Playing through the whistle. Competing with confidence,” Venables said.
Jackson Arnold finished the day completing 15 of 21 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 45 yards and another score.
The Sooners played without offensive linemen Michael Tarquin and Jacob Sexton due to injuries. Oklahoma started a redshirt freshman, Logan Howland at tackle. This was the eighth different starting combination this season at O-line.
Meanwhile, Venables said Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks were were hopeful for a return soon. He said they would be a huge help in putting pressure on defenses.
The Sooners are one game away from bowl eligibility. They must win one of the daunting contests ahead — at Missouri next week, at home against Alabama, or on the road at LSU — in order to continue their 25-year streak of bowl appearances.
Photo credit: Paxson Haws/Norman Transcript
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