Oklahoma football: It’s just one game, but one with a message for OU opponents

Season-opening wins have come to be expected by Oklahoma football fans. After all, the opening game of the season typically is not against an opponent believed to pose a serious challenge.

And except in very rare circumstances is generally a home game before a passionate Oklahoma crowd that can barely hold its enthusiasm for the new season to get underway. To put it mildly, the odds are heavily stacked against the visiting team before it even takes the field.

After a dominating 73-0 shutout performance against seriously outmanned Arkansas State on Saturday before a 147th consecutive sellout crowd at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the Sooners are 100-23-6 all-time in season openers and 82-15-4 when playing the first game of the season at home.

Although Oklahoma’s victory margin in season openers has been by 30 and 40 points on many occasions, the Sooners’ win on Saturday was more special than most. As much as anything, it was a statement win and a message to all that this OU team is not the same group you saw last season.

Team 129 is deeper at virtually every position — the competitive depth that Brent Venables has been talking about during the offseason and into fall training camp — and this group, especially on defense, appears to be a much tighter knit group.

Oklahoma scored more points (73) than Arkansas State had rushing yards (48) and held the Red Wolves to just 2.1 yards per offensive play. I can’t recall the last time an OU football team put together a complementary game on both offense and defense that was that striking.

Here are some more compelling numbers that help tell the story of OU’s 2023 season opener:

1:45 — Average time of the Arkansas offensive possessions on Saturday.

5 — Five different Sooner running backs rushed for 193 yards in Saturday’s win.

11 — Eleven different OU receivers caught at least one pass on Saturday.

26 — The closest Arkansas State got to the Oklahoma end zone the entire game.

39 — Number of first-year Sooners who saw action against Arkansas State.

44 — Number of players who saw action for Oklahoma on defense in Saturday’s blowout win.

73 — The 73-point victory margin was Oklahoma’s largest in a season opener in 106 years.

90.9 — Completion percentage by Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold combined (30 0f 33), a new program record for a minimum of 15 completions.

333— Arkansas State’s yardage on seven punts, 125 yards more than the Red Wolves’ 208 yards of offense.

437 — Oklahoma’s yards of offense in the first half on Saturday, second most in a season opener in school history.

2015 — The last time Oklahoma shut out an FBS opponent (Kansas State 55-0).

83,221 — Attendance on Saturday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, the 147th consecutive sellout.