Oklahoma offense melts down in 2nd half in 37-17 beatdown by LSU

Oklahoma finished out a disappointing 2024 campaign with a second-half offensive performance that rates among the worst of the season and a 37-17 loss to LSU that was even more pathetic than the final score indicated.

After coming up with a brilliant game plan in the Sooners upset win over Alabama a week earlier, the Sooners (6-6, 2-6) found the going much different on the road against the Bayou Bengals. Were it not for a scoop and score touchdown off of an LSU first-quarter fumble by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and a 50-yard aerial strike from Jackson Arnold to J.J. Hester that led to a second-quarter touchdown, Oklahoma might have been held to just three points in this game.

Oklahoma produced 149 of its total 277 yards of offense for the game in the first half. Discounting a 75-yard drive that ended at the LSU five-yard line on the Sooners' final possession of the game as time expired, OU gained a total of 53 yards in the first four of five second-half possessions and zero points. Arnold accounted for 185 of the Sooners' 277 total yards and was virtually all Oklahoma had to offer offensively on this chilly late fall evening in southeastern Louisiana on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River.

Once the Sooners fell behind by two scores early in the second half, they were forced to adjust their game plan and go the air more, and their just wasn't anything there, something that has crippled the OU offense all season as a result of season-long injuries to the Sooners' top four receivers.

Oklahoma had two chunk plays of 20 or more yards in the game (the 50-yard pass play to Hester and a 34-yard run by Sam Franklin on the Sooners final possession of the game. Meanwhile, LSU executed seven such plays, and that largely was the difference in the game.

The two teams went back and forth in the opening 30 minutes. LSU drew first blood, going 53 yards in seven plays on its second offensive possession to take an early 7-0 lead. Later in the first quarter OU's R Mason Thomas returned the Nussmeier fumble nine yards for a tying touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, following a 50-yard run by Tiger running back Caden Durham setting LSU up at the OU 11-yard line, Thomas sacked Nussmeier and the LSU quarterback went down hard on his throwing shoulder and had to be helped off the field. At that point, it appeared LSU might lose its starting quarterback for the remainder of the game, which would have changed things dramatically for the home team. The Tigers were unable to advance any further on that possession and settled for a 34-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead.

Oklahoma responded on its next possession with the 50-yard bomb to Hester and true freshman running back Xavier Robinson finished off the scoring drive three players later on a two-yard run to make it 14-10 in favor of the Sooners. The OU advantage lasted less than 10 seconds, however, as LSU's Aaron Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to erase the four-point Sooner lead and put the Tigers back up 17-14.

The Sooners tied things up at 17 on a 44-yard field goal by Zack Schmit with two minutes to go in the half. To the surprise of just about everyone, Nussmeier returned to the field on LSU final possession of the first half and shocked everyone even further when he launched a perfectly thrown pass to the end zone that was caught in the deep right corner by wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. for a 24-17 halftime advantage.

Whatever momentum Oklahoma had coming off the giant win over Alabama the week before was left in the locker room after halftime. The Sooners were unable to generate anything on offense over the second 30 minutes. As a result, OU was outscored 13-0 and outgained through the air, where LSU did most of its damage, by 175 yards (285 to 110).

The passing yardage was the second lowest of the season by Oklahoma. Sooner wide receivers had just eight total catches in the game, and six of those were by freshman walk-on Jacob Jordan, OU's third leading receiver this season in terms of total receptions.

With the regular season now an a merciful end, Oklahoma has two or three weeks absorb the entirety of a difficult season and get ready to play in a bowl game with an opportunity to end a year drenched in adversity with a winning record. The Sooners will find out their bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Ten numbers that sadly tell the story of this game for OU

1 -- One bright spot in this game was a season-low one penalty for five yards by the Sooners.

2 -- On a 2nd -and-6 possession in the third quarter and the ball on the LSU 36-yard line, offensive play caller Joe Jon Finley dialed up a trick-play double pass. TE Bauer Sharp took a pass in the flat from Jackson Arnold. The play called for Sharp passing the ball back to Arnold for a throw downfield, but Arnold was covered. Just before he was about to be tackled, Sharp made the poor decision to float the ball in the air while being pulled to the ground and in the direction of a covered receiver. The pass was easily intercepted at the LSU 26, ending an Oklahoma scoring opportunity. This was the second time in the last three games the Sooners have tried this same play. They ran it against Missouri and it resulted in a tackle for loss. It would have been better had that been the outcome again this time.

3 -- Just three of Jackson Arnold's 22 pass attempts were for longer than 10 yards.

4 -- Jackson Arnold was sacked four times in the game by the LSU defense. The Sooners ended the regular season with 46 sacks allowed, third worst among 133 FBS teams.

20 -- Yards rushing by OU true freshman Xavier Robinson after gaining 107 on the ground against Alabama the week before.

22 - Total passes attempted by Oklahoma, the third fewest this season. Jackson Arnold completed 14 of 22 for 110 yards, the lowest total of the season by OU.

100- Oklahoma special teams gave up a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter. That came on the ensuing kickoff after the Sooners had gone ahead 14-10 on a two-yard touchdown run by Xavier Robinson.

285 -- LSU's 285 passing yards, and by a quarterback with an injured throwing shoulder, were the most against the Oklahoma defense this season.

395 -- LSU amassed 395 yards of total offense, the third most given up by Oklahoma this season (482 to Auburn and 406 to Texas).

99, 364 -- Paid attendance at LSU's Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, the third largest crowd in Oklahoma football history.