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    • OU football falls to .500 mark as Ole Miss passes Sooners
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    OU football falls to .500 mark as Ole Miss passes Sooners

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    OXFORD, Miss. — OU’s offense finally showed some life, giving hope that all is not lost for the Sooners this season.

    But in the end it wasn’t enough as Ole Miss’ offense came alive in the second half while the Sooners faltered as OU fell to the Rebels 26-14 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.

    OU (4-4, 1-4 SEC) has lost three straight games for the second time in three seasons.

    The Sooners never lost three games in a row in either the Bob Stoops or Lincoln Riley eras.

    Here are five quick takeaways from the loss:

    OU Football vs. Ole Miss Summary: The Sooners fall to third in a row while the Rebels bounce back in the second half

    OU football offense disappears in third quarter

    After a strong first-half performance — more on that in a moment — things got bad for OU’s offense.

    The Sooners got the ball with the lead early in the second half, a chance to make it a two-score game and suck the life out of the Ole Miss crowd.

    Instead, OU gave the Rebels momentum.

    The Sooners took the lead with a three-and-out, with Bauer Sharp’s false start penalty before Luke Elzinga’s punt turning a third-and-manage into a third-and-long.

    After being outscored 235-162 by the Sooners in the first half, the Rebels dominated the third quarter.

    Ole Miss outscored the Sooners 201-23 in the third to take control.

    OU completed four passes in the third, but they resulted in a net loss of 5 yards.

    There are cracks in the Sooners’ defense

    OU’s defense didn’t get off to a great start.

    The Sooners struggled to contain Ole Miss receivers, including on a 35-yard pass to tight end DaeQuan Wright that set up the game’s first touchdown.

    OU struggled in several facets on the drive, missing tackles and allowing receivers free rein.

    After that, the defense settled in, at least for the rest of the first half.

    But in the second half, the offense didn’t do them any favors, but the defense couldn’t help either, as Jaxson Dart and Co. split up the Sooners’ secondary as there were several missed throws on OU’s corners, despite the Rebels having none Tre Harris, the country’s leading receiver.

    The defense again failed to force a loss of the ball.

    OU’s only forced turnover came courtesy of wide receiver JJ Hester, who released the ball and recovered it after running back Taylor Tatum fumbled in the first half.

    OU running game comes alive

    The Sooners’ chances of being productive on the ground didn’t seem good at all early in the game.

    OU ranked last in the FBS in rushing offense, averaging just 112.1 yards per game.

    The Rebels’ rushing defense was the best in the country, allowing just 66.7 yards per game.

    But with Jackson Arnold back behind center and Joe Jon Finley calling the shots for the first time, the offense – particularly the running game – showed momentum.

    Arnold helped keep the Rebels off balance with his feet while the Sooners spread the field to create running lanes for not only Arnold but also running back Jovantae Barnes.

    The Sooners rushed for 125 yards in the first half after running for just 142 yards total in the last two games – losses to Texas and South Carolina.

    OU showed the difference on offense on their first drive with a 10-play, 74-yard drive. But they escaped with nothing to show for themselves after they were stopped on fourth down at the Ole Miss 2 when Arnold’s pass to Brenen Thompson fell incomplete.

    But the Sooners tied the score on their next drive and then completed a 92-yard touchdown drive just before halftime to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room.

    OU finished with 147 yards rushing.

    Jacob Sexton injury update: OU Football OL heads to the medical tent against Mississippi

    The Sooners’ OL shuffle continues

    OU utilized its seventh different starting offensive line combination: Michael Tarquin moved to right tackle, Jacob Sexton moved to left tackle, Heath Ozaeta at left guard and Troy Everett at center fielder. Febechi Nwaiwu is the only Sooners offensive lineman to start in the same spot every game this season.

    Whether it was the combination of linemen, the changed offense under Joe Jon Finley, or something else, the line protected Arnold pretty well early on and helped open up holes for the running game.

    But when Sexton was sidelined with an injury early on, things got a bit tricky. Sexton was replaced by Logan Howland, who was struggling.

    Sexton returned for a few rides, but was injured again and had to give way to Howland again.

    Sexton emerged from the injury tent with an ice pack on his right knee.

    The protection broke down late when Arnold was stopped for a loss on three consecutive plays deep in Ole Miss territory, which led to a turnover on downs with 5:34 left and all but ended the Sooners’ chances of an upset.

    The Sooners had no other option at tackle because Jake Taylor — who had started at right tackle in each of the last three games — was missing late in the trip. Taylor was not listed in the SEC availability report leading up to the game, including the one released Saturday morning, although he did not travel with the team.

    OU has allowed a program-record nine sacks in each of its last two games.

    Jackson Arnold protects the ball – most of the time

    Arnold seemed to be back on track for the first time since September 21st when it came to his decision making.

    Arnold mostly avoided dangerous passes, although Ole Miss was able to stop a potential interception in the end zone early.

    Despite being sacked nine times, Arnold finished with 39 yards rushing and was 22 of 31 through the air for 182 yards and two touchdowns.

    Arnold lost a fumble late in the second quarter, although the Sooners’ defense made a fourth-down stop at the OU 5 to prevent the penalty from costing OU.

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    Madoc Meredith
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