Five Takeaways From the Sooners’ Victory Over West Virginia

Offensive Line Is Still A Work In Progress

Oct 3, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Sterling Shepard (3) and Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Orlando Brown (78) celebrate after a touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

During the game, Baker Mayfield was flushed out of the pocket and running for his life before plays had a change to develop on numerous snaps. In fact, West Virginia sacked Mayfield four times (and added two quarterback hurries) as the Mountaineers went aggressively after the OU signal caller.

Clearly, the Oklahoman offensive line did not have its best day and must improve moving forward. The schedule won’t get any easier as Oklahoma enters the meat of the Big 12 schedule. For Lincoln Riley’s system to truly hum, the quarterback must be able to keep the chains moving with quick strikes to open receivers. But, that’s a tad difficult to do when defenders are constantly in the backfield looking for sacks.

Oklahoma’s running game was just OK as both Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine found the going tough and the running lanes scarce in the trenches. Perine finished the game with 66 yards on 16 carries (4.1 yards per carry), while Mixon finished at a 6 carries for 43 yards clip (the majority of which came on a 35-yard second quarter touchdown run). As Oklahoma progresses through its schedule, there may come a time when the running will need to step up and deliver a victory. It’s not quite there yet.

Next: The Defense Was Opportunistic