NORMAN — When it comes to Oklahoma's offense through two weeks, there hasn't been much to brag about.

But the biggest issue? Third-down efficiency.

Through two weeks, the Sooners rank 131st nationally in third-down efficiency, ahead of only Kent State and Jacksonville State. The Sooners converted on 1 of 12 attempts against Temple, failing on their first 11 third downs before finally converting on a eight-yard touchdown from Taylor Tatum late in the fourth quarter.

It wasn't much better in last Saturday's 16-12 win over Houston. The Sooners converted on just 4 of 14 attempts — they went 2 of 7 in both halves — and it was a big reason why the offense struggled. Their average time of possession was two minutes and four seconds, as Houston held possession for over 35 minutes.

Amid a litany of issues, co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell pinpointed improving on third down as the specific area that needs to be improved.

"You've got to be able to stay on the field, move the chains in order to have success," Littrell said. "You can move the ball, you can get in the rhythm, but if you're not consistent enough within a drive to continue to move the chains, then it's going to be hard."

Why are the Sooners struggling on third down? Diving into the numbers shows clear answers.

Before the offense could even get to third down against Houston, the Sooners weren't doing themselves any favors on early downs.

On first downs, the Sooners ran the ball 14 times and attempted 11 passes. They averaged just 2.8 rushing yards per carry on first downs. Through the air, they completed 8 of 11 passes for 68 yards (8.5 yards per attempt). As a whole, the Sooners averaged just 4.3 yards per play on first downs compared to 6.3 yards for Houston. The stats were only marginally better against Temple, averaging 5.3 yards per play on first downs. That means on second downs, the Sooners were facing an average down-and-distance of second-and-5.7.

On the second downs, the efficiency wasn't much better. The Sooners gained 32 rushing yards on nine attempts (3.5 yards per carry). Arnold completed just five of 10 passes for 58 yards on second down, and he was sacked twice on those downs.

Venables pointed to several things the Sooners need to correct in order to improve on third downs, including being better on first and second downs.

"Some of it's being better and more efficient on early downs so that you've got a better situation," Venables said when asked by OUInsider. "The best third down is the one that you don't have. And so we’re working on that piece too.”

The Sooners have struggled to stay ahead of the chains on early downs, and that has led to difficult situations on third down. Only two of the Sooners' 26 third-down attempts have had a down-and-distance of 4 yards or fewer.

Through two games, the Sooners are facing an average down and distance of third-and-8.6 on third downs. Even against Temple, when the Sooners averaged 5.3 yards per play on first downs, their average down-and-distance was third-and-8.4 yards.

The Sooners have attempted seven rushes on third down, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, per cfbstats. The Sooners have gained -4 yards on third-down attempts of six yards or fewer. The passing game hasn't been much better — OU's quarterbacks have completed 10 of 19 attempts on third downs, averaging 7.9 yards per completion.

Here's a look at the Sooners' third-down conversion success, depending on the down-and-distance:

Essentially, the Sooners are constantly in third and longs, which have been a death sentence for the offense.

“Third and longs are hard," Jackson Arnold said Saturday. "It’s really hard to convert. You’d love a 35% conversion rate on third-and-10 plus. But like I said early, it’s not putting ourselves in those situations, not having to worry about those situations. Tonight, getting in those third-and-10 pluses, it’s hard. It’s really hard on any offense to go out and convert those. But sometimes we have to go out and make plays and convert when we’re dealt bad hands.”

The Sooners' offense hasn't done anything particularly well. OU is averaging just 4.5 yards per carry, and that number dropped to 2.6 against Houston, their lowest number in a game since 2021. Arnold has thrown for just 314 passing yards through the first two games.

And the third-down stats show just how much the offense has struggled. Third-down efficiency is going to be one of the biggest areas to watch this weekend against Tulane (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN or ESPN2).

The offense is going to have to find more success on third downs against Tulane, a defense that surrendered conversions on just 2 of 10 attempts last week against Kansas State. The easiest, and most obvious answer, is to get into more third-and-manageable situations, and that has to start with the running game. That's where the Green Wave are susceptible — they gave up 215 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry last week against Kansas State.

More ball control is going to be imperative against Tulane, a team that held possession for over 33 minutes against Kansas State. The Sooners only averaged five plays per drive against Houston, and only four of their 11 drives lasted longer than 1:55 of game time. That'd be fine if they were scoring, but they came up empty on their final eight possessions of the game.

The Sooners are going to have to sustain drives and control the tempo against Tulane. That starts with being more efficient on third downs.

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