Oklahoma fans had high hopes going into this season that the offensive problems would be fixed and this team would be a national title contender. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
Quarterback John Mateer has struggled early, and the offensive line has seemed to regress rather than have gotten better. Sooner fans' frustrations grew quickly, and evidently so did the coaching staff's. Leading up to Texas, Venables called out the offensive line’s performance, saying, “It’s been incredibly inconsistent and very disappointing.”
This came off as a challenge, not only for the players, but for offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. A significant challenge, considering Texas is fielding one of the best defenses in college football with an elite defensive line and projected first-round draft pick Colin Simmons. When Texas played Tennessee, Simmons had nine tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 5.5 tackles for loss. A monumental game for the defensive end.
The Oklahoma offensive line held Simmons to just four tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss. Bedenbaugh got his guys ready to shut down one of the most efficient pass rushers in the country, and they rose to the challenge.
Hopefully Sooners' OL performance vs. Texas was what's to come
The offensive line was not only good in pass protection, but it showed signs that fans had not seen since Week 1: Oklahoma was running the football on an elite defense.
Against Georgia, Oklahoma put up 65 yards of rushing. Lloyd Avant averaged 2.3 yards per carry. Abysmal, to say the least.
Against Texas, which some would argue has a better front seven, Oklahoma put up 83 yards of rushing, which doesn’t tell the true story. The two feature backs had a much better day. Avant had 72 yards on the ground, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and delivered a season-high run for 42 yards in a critical moment of the game. True freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr. looked dangerous and on the cusp of a big gain with his five carries.
This is not to say that the offensive line is by any means up to the standard of Oklahoma just yet. But for fans, it means a lot to see improvement, especially against their biggest rival. If Michael Fasusi can make his way back from injury and take over the left tackle position, this offensive line unit could build off of this performance and provide the building blocks this offense needs for the rest of the season.
Bedenbaugh still has a lot of work to do. Going forward, Oklahoma will not win games by rushing for less than 100 yards in a game. It was a great win for the Sooners, but they must improve.
The good news is the trend line is now moving in the right direction. The win against Texas has shown these players what they are capable of: moving first-round draft picks off the ball, creating holes that lead to huge runs, and giving their quarterback time in the pocket, allowing him to make throws down the field.
This offensive line has the physical talent to block the best players in the country. If they believe in themselves and are mentally locked in to the play calls, they will be the reason this season could turn around for the Oklahoma Sooners.
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