Halftime Huddle: OU leads Missouri, 14-6
NORMAN — Things looked very dire for Oklahoma on Saturday morning.
Missouri led 3-0 after the first quarter as OU’s offense sputtered to start the game. The defense struggled to contain Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, and the Sooners had just two first downs on their first three drives.
But the Sooners head into halftime with a 14-6 lead, thanks to a dominant end to the second quarter. The Sooners are just two quarters away from their ninth win of the season.
Here’s a look at the highlights and notes from the first half:
The Box Score
The Highlights
The play: Gracen Halton gets a tackle for loss on third-and-13.
The play: Peyton Bowen blocks Missouri’s 35-yard field goal attempt.
The play: John Mateer finds Isaiah Sategna for an 87-yard touchdown. It’s the Sooners’ longest offensive play of the season.
The play: Mateer finds Javonnie Gibson for an eight-yard touchdown before halftime.
The Stat to Know
17
That’s the number of total yards OU had through its first three drives. The Sooners ended the half with 138, with 119 coming on the last two drives of the half.
Key Players, Offense
John Mateer: 8/17 passing, 124 yards, 2 TD
Isaiah Sategna: 2 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
Javonnie Gibson: 1 reception, 8 yards, 1 TD
Key Players, Defense
Kip Lewis: 6 tackles
Owen Heinecke: 6 tackles, 1 TFL
Damonic Williams: 1 TFL, 1 sack
Taylor Wein: 1 sack
Notes
— There’s no other place to start except with the offense. The Sooners had -7 total yards and two three-and-outs through their first two drives.
Then, the Sooners finally broke through. Mateer found Sategna open on a crossing route, and Sategna did the rest.
That play did enough to give the Sooners a lead and give the offense an explosive play it desperately needed. It also broke the game open, as Mateer found Javonnie Gibson for an eight-yard touchdown before halftime.
— An underrated sequence: Prior to Sategna’s touchdown, Missouri lined up to go for it on fourth-and-3 from OU’s 17-yard line. Then Brent Venables called a timeout, and Missouri opted to kick the field goal.
Bowen blocked the kick. Three plays later, the Sooners scored.
— The Sooners have just 14 rushing yards on seven carries. Xavier Robinson has two carries. The running game has largely been non-existent.
— Missouri’s opening drive was methodical and time-consuming. Led by Ahmad Hardy, the Tigers went on a 14-play, 59-yard drive that took up more than eight minutes. The drive was derailed by a holding penalty that forced Missouri to kick a field goal.
OU’s defense appeared to tighten up after that drive. The Tigers gained just 68 yards and scored zero points over their next four possessions as the Sooners took a 14-3 lead. The Tigers did march on a nine-play, 77-yard drive to end the half, but the Sooners did enough to force a field goal inside the five-yard line.
The Tigers head into halftime with 179 yards.
— The Tigers held possession for nearly 22 minutes compared to 8:27 for the Sooners.
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