For the third straight season, the Oklahoma Sooners will wake up Sunday morning with the taste of defeat. Oklahoma traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, on Saturday to take on Lane Kiffin’s 18th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. The Sooners struggled in the first half but ultimately lost 26-14.

The game got off to a rough start as the Rebels marched down the field in six plays and scored the game’s first touchdown on a nine-yard touchdown run by Henry Parrish Jr. It looked like Ole Miss was going to have its way with the Sooners, but Zac Alley’s unit made significant adjustments the rest of the half.

The Sooners used their first possession, aided by some key penalties against the Rebels, to advance to the Rebels’ two-yard line, where the Sooners were unable to score on fourth down and score. Jackson Arnold hit Brenen Thompson in the stomach while an Ole Miss defender was draping him and was unable to catch it.

The Oklahoma defense opted to force a punt on the Rebels’ next possession. For the first time since their trip to Auburn, the Sooners finally found pay dirt in the first half. Jackson Arnold threw a rainbow throw to tight end Bauer Sharp for an 11-yard score.

Oklahoma and Ole Miss traded punts before the Rebels scored a field goal in the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead.

Although Ole Miss forced a fumble to gain incredible field position, the Oklahoma defense stopped the Rebels on fourth down to get the ball back to their own eight-yard line.

Jackson Arnold and the OU offense, led by a great run by Jovantae Barnes and timely decision making by Arnold, pushed 92 yards downfield, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown toss to Jacob Jordan. Arnold made an incredible individual effort to evade pressure and roll over before throwing a dart to the walk-on receiver, scoring Jordan’s first career touchdown.

Oklahoma took a 14-10 lead into halftime, its first halftime lead in nearly two months.

Out of halftime, the Sooners were unable to get anything going on their first possession and Ole Miss responded with a touchdown to take a 16-14 lead.

Oklahoma’s offense stalled and the Rebels scored another touchdown on their second drive of the second half. That pretty much sealed the game. The Sooners tried to cut a 26-14 lead to a one-point game in the fourth quarter, but consecutive sacks just outside the red zone set Oklahoma back and forced them into an impossible four-down situation.

Jackson Arnold remained calm despite the constant pressure he faced en route to finishing 22 of 31 for 182 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was fired eight times. This comes a week after the Sooners’ offensive line gave up nine sacks last week. Barnes had 16 carries for 67 yards and added five catches for 57 yards, giving him his best game of the season.

Bauer Sharp led the team with eight catches, but struggled to secure the ball and was put in some bad positions by the offensive coordinator on failed tight end screens and a tight end pass.

Ultimately, this game came down to the offensive line’s inability to provide protection in the fourth quarter. The Sooners lost Jacob Sexton to injury and that wiped out any momentum the offensive line had generated through three quarters. Arnold was under siege and the offense allowed nine sacks for the second straight week.

Oklahoma will put its head down and get back to work looking for its fifth win this season when it hosts the Maine Black Bears next week.

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