OXFORD, Mississippi — Brent Venables' squad is faring pretty well for a 20-point underdog.
The Sooners lead Ole Miss 14-10 at halftime beyond a much-improved offense and a stout defense. Here's a look at what's happened so far.
The Sooners...have an offense?
There wasn't much reason for optimism about OU's offense coming into the game. The Sooners had averaged 12.1 offense points per game in their first SEC road contests. They had scored 12 total points in their last two games.
Oh, and the Sooners fired their offensive coordinator, giving Joe Jon Finley and Kevin Johns just six days to prepare for an Ole Miss defense that ranks second in scoring defense and fifth in rushing yards allowed.
The result? The Sooners put up their best half in an SEC game this season.
The Sooners immediately moved the ball on their first drive, taking a 10-play, 74-yard drive inside the Ole Miss two-yard line. The drive was fruitless after the Sooners failed to convert a fourth-and-1, but it was an incredibly encouraging start for an offense that had generated no momentum against Texas or South Carolina.
They immediately built on that drive. The Sooners marched on an eight-play, 60-yard drive that was capped off by an 11-yard touchdown from Jackson Arnold to Bauer Sharp.
But the best moment for the offense came late in the second quarter, when Arnold led the Sooners on a 13-play, 92-yard scoring drive. On the final play, Arnold escaped out of a surefire tackle, scrambled right and found Jacob Jordan for a nine-yard touchdown with six seconds left in the half.
The Sooners were on course for another scoring drive late in the second quarter after gaining 23 yards on three plays. But Arnold was hit from the blind side and fumbled after the left side of the offensive line collapsed, and the fumble was recovered by Ole Miss.
At the half, the Sooners have 235 total yards on five offensive possessions. The running game has been unexpectedly productive. OU has 125 rushing yards on 30 carries (4.2 yards per carry), with Arnold (44 yards) and Jovantae Barnes (50 yards) doing a lot of the heavy lifting. That's particularly impressive given that Ole Miss ranks first in the country in yards per carry (2.1), and OU has averaged just 1.97 yards per carry in conference play.
But the main thing that has stood out has been Arnold's poise and confident. He has been fantastic at standing in the pocket and delivering throws (110 passing yards, 10 of 13 attempts). But he's been even better at knowing when to step up and take off with his legs when needed.
It's only one half, but this OU offense looks much improved, well-organized and, above all else, functional. It is a FAR cry from the first seven games of the year.
(For reference, OU has yet to break 291 total yards in an SEC game this season. They are on pace for 470 total yards).
OU's defense settles in after a poor opening drive
It appeared the Sooners would be in for a long day.
The Rebels got the ball first and proceeded to carve up the Sooners' defense. Passing plays of 16 and 35 yards set the Rebels up in the red zone, and they capitalized with a nine-yard touchdown.
However, since then it's been a different story. The Rebels scored just three points and gained 115 yards on their four other drives of the half. The Sooners have stopped Ole Miss from scoring touchdowns twice inside the 20-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs and a field goal. That field goal came after Arnold's fumble, and the Sooners allowed just one first down on that drive.
At halftime, the Rebels have just 162 total yards and are averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. Jaxson Dart has completed just eight of 13 passes for 119 yards. Most importantly, there's been no explosiveness for Ole Miss' offense since that first drive — they've recorded just two plays of 17 yards or more since that drive.
On to the second half.
