It hasn't been the best five-game stretch for Oklahoma's offense.

Statistically, the Sooners' offense has been bad through five weeks. They're averaging 28.6 points per game, which ranks 73rd nationally, and that number drops to 23 without counting the season opener against Temple. There just hasn't been much explosiveness to the offense, as the Sooners rank 114th nationally in yards per play (4.5). Other areas have shown OU's inefficiency, including third downs (122nd nationally) and a ton of other stats that we'll breakdown later. Throw in injuries at wide receiver and offensive line, and this just hasn't been the season the Sooners were hoping for.

It's been tough sledding. But they've still won four of five games, and with the Sooners entering their bye weekend, it's an opportunity to self-scout and find areas to improve before a difficult schedule to end the year.

Let's review what the Sooners have shown so far through five games:

Most of the blame for OU's offensive struggles have focused on the offensive line.

It hasn't been good by any stretch. The offensive line is giving up 2.8 sacks and 6.4 tackles for loss per game, which ranks 111th and 99th nationally. They rank 83rd in pass blocking and 115th in run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. The Sooners rank 103rd in rushing offense and 93rd in yards per carry (3.7).

It just hasn't been good. But maybe there's room for optimism?

Branson Hickman was injured after 10 snaps against Temple. Jake Taylor missed the Temple game, returned against Houston and then was reinjured, which caused him to miss the next two weeks. Geirrean Hatchett is out for the year. The Sooners have given opportunities to several players like Heath Ozaeta, Logan Howland and Joshua Bates. Jacob Sexton has played 144 snaps at left tackle and 180 snaps at left guard as the Sooners have shuffled players in and out of the lineup.

But the Auburn game was the first real chance to see the preferred starting five of Sexton, Hickman, Febechi Nwaiwu, Michael Tarquin and Taylor. It wasn't perfect, but the offense had their highest PFF grade and highest pass rush grade of the season. Now they get the bye week to continue to heal up and build cohesion.

It's unlikely that the offensive line is going to completely turn around over the second half of the season. But there's optimism that things could be better.

GRADE: D+ (and also incomplete)

OU's wide receivers were seen as one of the deepest position groups in the country before the season began. Then, everyone got injured.

Jayden Gibson — who was almost certainly going to be an every-game starter — suffered a season-ending injury in fall camp. Jalil Farooq was injured in the first quarter against Temple and hasn't returned. Deion Burks excelled and then missed the Auburn game. Andrel Anthony and Nic Anderson have combined to play 14 snaps this year, and there's no telling if they'll return this year.

Basically, the Sooners' top-five receivers have all missed time.

The passing game has suffered as a result. The Sooners rank 107th in yards per attempt (6.0) and 114th in yards per completion (9.9). Burks leads the team in receptions (26), yards (201) and touchdowns (3). The rest of the team has combined for 59 receptions, 645 yards and five touchdowns. The three freshmen — Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney and Ivan Carreon — have combined for 252 snaps, and Ragins is eighth on the team in snaps (164). Jaquaize Pettaway and JJ Hester have had moments, but there hasn't been anyone truly step up outside of Burks.

It's probably unfair to judge this unit too harshly. Most of the guys that are logging heavy snaps likely wouldn't be playing much if everyone was healthy. The most accurate grade is probably "incomplete," but all we can do is judge the production.

GRADE: D

This group hasn't turned out as expected, at all.

Gavin Sawchuk started the first three games but has essentially dropped to third on the depth chart. He logged nine snaps against Tennessee and then only had one carry in Taylor Tatum's absence, but it was called back due to a penalty. He's averaging 1.8 yards per carry and has carried the ball 18 times.

Jovantae Barnes looks noticeably improved from last season and has operated as the clear lead back. There's no doubt that he runs hard and with physicality, but the efficiency hasn't been there. He's averaging just 3.5 yards per carry and 2.86 yards after contact. Though he does have six receptions, which is tied for the fourth most on the team, and did catch a pivotal touchdown against Auburn.

By both the numbers and the eye-test, true freshman Taylor Tatum has been the most productive running back. He leads the running backs in yards per carry (6.4), yards after contact (3.6) and breakaway percentage (46%). He's the highest-graded running back on the team (65.9). He was clearly in line for more snaps and was the co-starter at running back before he was injured against Tennessee. He's been the most explosive and most elusive player maker in the backfield.

Kalib Hicks, who was a standout in the spring, hasn't logged a carry. Sam Franklin is out of the rotation.

The most noticeable disconnect on offense has been at running back. The offensive line has struggled, but when they've made running lanes, the running backs have struggled to see them. The play calling from Seth Littrell hasn't always seemed in-sync with the strengths of the running backs.

It's gotta get better.

GRADE: D+

It's really difficult to evaluate the tight ends.

Here are the positives. Bauer Sharp has been a genuine factor in the passing game, something the Sooners didn't have last season. He's second on the team in receptions (18) and yards (159), and he had two big plays against Auburn that were called back due to penalties. Jake Taylor had two big catches against Houston, including a touchdown that was shockingly pivotal in a four-point win.

Austin Stogner had 17 receptions for 149 yards, if that says anything about the lack of production.

But the blocking and penalties have been an issue. Sharp has a run-blocking grade of 46.2. Roberts committed two costly penalties against Auburn. One of them removed a first-down run from Sawchuk, and the other removed a 40-plus yard reception by Sharp. It wasn't exactly the best call by the referee, but Sharp had an illegal procedure penalty that wiped away a Barnes touchdown and forced the Sooners to kick a field goal. Kade McIntyre and Kaden Helms just haven't been factors on offense.

Overall, Sharp and Taylor have had moments in the passing game, but the room overall has simply been disappointing to this point.

GRADE: D+

It's almost necessary to have two grades for this.

Let's get the context out of the way. Yes, the injuries at wide receiver and offensive line have been significant and detrimental to the success of the offense. It's been more than fair to question the play calling of Seth Littrell. This was an incredibly difficult situation for Jackson Arnold to succeed in.

But the results were just bad.

On the season, Arnold ranks 98th in passing efficiency and 116th in passing yards per game (134.5 yards per game). He completed just 12 of 36 passing attempts with a target depth of 10 yards or more. And his contributions to the running game (34.5 yards per game, 3.4 yards per carry) just weren't enough to offset the struggles. Add in the turnovers and missed throws, and there just wasn't a lot of good.

The offense had no explosiveness and was just inefficient.

Now it's important to note that Michael Hawkins obviously hasn't fixed everything. In six quarters with Hawkins as the starter, the offense has scored 32 points and gained 431 total yards. But he's already flashed his creativeness and explosiveness behind center. His 48-yard touchdown run is the team's longest run of the season. His 60-yard completion to JJ Hester in the fourth quarter is the offense's longest play from scrimmage. Plus, his two-point conversion has obviously galvanized the team.

The numbers haven't been staggering. But he had 230 total yards against Auburn, has a higher QB efficiency than Arnold and hasn't turned the ball over in six quarters against SEC opponents. And he walked in as a true freshman and did just enough to lead OU to a win in its first SEC road game. He's earned the right to be the starter moving forward.

GRADE: C-