NORMAN — There was a moment of panic to start Saturday's game.

Just seven minutes into the contest, the Maine Black Bears led the Sooners 7-0. OU's offense gained just one first down before having to punt to start the game, and the Black Bears drove right down the field to take a lead.

It looked like disaster would strike, considering the Sooners were a 34.5-point favorite. The Sooners (4-4) simply need a win, regardless of opponent.

But they've rebounded, taking a 35-7 lead into halftime. Here's a look at what's happened so far.

Considering how bad the offense has been, today was always supposed to be a perfect opportunity for the Sooners to build some confidence heading into the final three games of the season.

The results? It’s been a little bit of everything for the Sooners.

It was an absolute disaster on the opening drive. The Sooners picked up just one first down and 12 total yards before they were forced to put. Maine then scored on an eight-play, 69-yard drive to briefly take a 7-0 lead.

Things just seemed dire. Then, Jovantae Barnes took a first-and-10 run up the middle for 74 yards down to the one-yard line and scored two plays later. That run gave Barnes his most rushing yards in a game since the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl. Right before halftime, Barnes added an eight-yard touchdown.

That's really been the theme for the Sooners so far today. It's been the Barnes show — he has 11 carries for 158 yards (14.4 yards per carry), making him the first OU player to rush for over 100 yards this season. It's also the most rushing yards Barnes has had in a game for his career.

It's a big reason why the Sooners have 236 rushing yards, their most in a game this season. They're on pace for 452 rushing yards.

Before today, the Sooners' biggest rushing output was 222 against Temple, and they had broken 130 just twice since then.

Barnes has helped overshadow some of the rough moments for Oklahoma's offense. In addition to that first-drive disaster, Sam Franklin also had a brutal fumble inside the 20-yard line in the second quarter after he fumbled a pitch from Jackson Arnold. But the Sooners have done just enough to give themselves a comfortable margin against Maine.

It took awhile for Arnold to find his footing through the air. But late in the second quarter, he reminded folks why he was such a highly-touted recruit.

Arnold danced in the pocket before he was flushed outside, eventually lobbing the ball down the field. He found JJ Hester in single coverage for a 90-yard touchdown.

In addition to it being the longest play from scrimmage this season, it's the Sooners' longest passing play since 1995.

In a game like this, the Sooners just needed to show some semblance of an explosive passing game. Even last week, when the offense looked better, the Sooners didn't have a passing play over 20 yards. Today, Arnold is averaging 18.4 yards per completion.

Hester (3 catches, 98 yards) and Jacob Jordan (3 catches, 36 yards) are leading the way at receiver. The Sooners have 402 total yards at halftime, their most in a game this season.

Maine's first drive was horrific for OU's defense, as the Black Bears drove eight plays and 64 yards to take a 7-0 lead. The Sooners looked out of sorts and completely disorganized, even committing a delay of game on a fourth down that gave the Black Bears a first-down.

Since then, OU's defense has been fine. The defensive line has overwhelmed Maine's offensive line, and the Black Bears have gained just 47 yards and three first downs since that opening drive. Maine quarterback Carter Peevy initially found

Notably, the Sooners went with Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson as the starting cornerbacks. Jayden Hardy has also seen significant snaps in the first half at the cheetah position.