Oklahoma 17, Missouri 6: Takeaways from the win
NORMAN — For the third consecutive week, Oklahoma didn’t earn any awards for style points.
What the Sooners did do, however, was find another way to win a football game. The Sooners beat No. 22 Missouri, 17-6, on Saturday at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
It was a similar script for the Sooners, who overcame another sluggish offensive performance with great games from the defense and special teams. With the win, the Sooners improve to 9-2 and 5-2 in SEC play.
Most importantly, the Sooners are one win away from securing a berth in the College Football Playoff. Here are the takeaways from the win:
Sooners’ offense does just enough, but it wasn’t pretty
The offense couldn’t have scripted a worse start.
The Sooners had just 17 yards through their first three drives, which included just two first downs and two three-and-outs. John Mateer again looked tentative in the pocket, and the running game was non-existent.
But all it took was one play to give the Sooners control.
Facing third-and-7, Mateer found Isaiah Sategna for an 87-yard touchdown to give the Sooners a 7-3 lead. That play appeared to give the offense some life, as Mateer found Javonnie Gibson for an eight-yard touchdown right before halftime.
But after halftime, the Sooners’ offense reverted back to their struggles from the first quarter.
The Sooners scored just three points in the second half, which came on a 45-yard field goal from Tate Sandell to cap off the opening drive. After that, the Sooners tallied 104 yards the rest of the second half.
Outside of Sategna’s explosive play, the Sooners just couldn’t find any rhythm. With Xavier Robinson (12 carries, 42 yards) clearly banged up, the offense had just 20 rushing yards after halftime and 50 going into the fourth quarter, finishing with 104.
Not counting the Sategna play, Mateer had just 86 passing yards on 13 completions.
The Sooners finished with 276 yards, their third fewest in a game this season. John Mateer finished with 173 passing yards on 14/30 attempts, his third consecutive game with under 200 yards. However, he did add a team-high 58 rushing yards.
Ahmad Hardy can’t get going against OU’s defense
The Tigers were impressive on their opening drive. They went 59 yards on 14 plays as Hardy gashed through OU’s defense, and the Tigers kicked a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
After that, the Sooners didn’t allow the country’s leading rusher to get going. Hardy finished with 57 rushing yards on 17 attempts (3.4 yards per carry). After the first quarter, Hardy rushed for 12 yards on nine carries.
Unable to generate a consistent running game, the Tigers were forced to lean on Beau Pribula, who made his return from an ankle injury against Vanderbilt. Pribula racked up 231 yards but completed just 20/36 passes and threw two interceptions to Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson.
Bowen’s interception came late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Sooners also sacked Pribula four times.
It was another stellar day for the Sooners, who recorded two more takeaways and didn’t allow Missouri to score a touchdown.
Special teams again deliver for the Sooners
The Sooners’ winning recipe against Alabama and Tennessee was to lean on their elite defense and special teams. It was the same against the Tigers, as the Sooners generated more game-changing plays on special teams.
The first came midway through the second quarter, when Missouri opted to kick a field goal on fourth-and-3 from OU’s 10-yard line. Peyton Bowen blocked the kick, giving the Sooners two blocked field goals in the last two weeks.
Three plays later, Sategna scored to give OU the lead.
Place kicker Tate Sandell continues to deliver, making his lone field goal attempt from 45 yards to give him 22 consecutive makes. The offense kept Grayson Miller busy, as Miller averaged 45 yards per punt on nine attempts. Missouri’s average starting field position was their own 22-yard line.
With the offense again struggling, the Sooners needed special teams to have another mistake-free day. They got it.
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