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Oklahoma football fans thought their days of being worried about Big 12 teams like Houston were behind them once they left for the SEC this season. However, Saturday's game against Houston proved otherwise.
The No. 15 Sooners narrowly escaped with a 16-12 win over the Cougars at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Nearly 84,000 Sooners fans watched as their team flirted with an early-season upset, which would have been a tough pill to swallow given the challenging schedule ahead.
If there's one thing this year's Oklahoma team can boast about, it's their defense. The Sooners have allowed just 15 points in two games. Against Houston, they completely shut down the Cougars' rushing attack, holding them to just 58 yards and 1.7 yards per carry. The defense also forced three turnovers, recovering one fumble and intercepting a pass.
This defensive strength was not always the case for the Sooners when now third-year head coach Brent Venables arrived from Clemson. But it's unquestionably the backbone of this year's team, unlike the offense, which had its fair share of struggles against Houston in Week 2.
Oklahoma's offense still a work in progress with Jackson Arnold
The Sooners were outgained by the Cougars in total yardage on Saturday, with Houston racking up 318 yards to Oklahoma's 252, and averaging 9.3 yards per play to the Sooners' 5.4. Oklahoma's offense was disjointed and failed to pose a consistent threat all day.
But this is not entirely without reason or even surprise if you've followed Oklahoma football. Gone is last year’s veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who is now with the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. His replacement is highly-touted sophomore Jackson Arnold, who is a former five-star prospect out of Denton, Texas.
Arnold has shown a mixed bag of results so far. In last year’s Alamo Bowl against Arizona, he threw more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two) but managed 361 passing yards. In his first start of the season against Temple in Week 1, Arnold threw for just 141 yards but recorded four touchdowns without any turnovers. However, he was unable to keep a clean sheet against Houston.
While he didn't match his three-interception outing from the bowl game, Arnold did throw a pick on the Sooners' first drive of the second half.
Houston started the second half strong, scoring in just four plays to cut the lead to two points. On the ensuing drive, Arnold threw an interception at the Sooners’ 41-yard line after nine plays. Fortunately, the Sooners' defense forced a punt and avoided further damage.
However, Oklahoma’s offense struggled throughout, punting eight times. When they did score, it was often thanks to their defense putting them in good field position. A late safety by the defense also provided a crucial cushion. Arnold ended the day completing 19 of 32 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Oklahoma's offensive line still needs work
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It's rare for a team to lose all five starting offensive linemen, but that's the situation Venables and the Sooners faced heading into the 2024 season. Venables was left with the daunting task of replacing over 4,000 snaps worth of experience in a year when the team debuts in the SEC.
SEC play hasn’t even started yet, and the Sooners are already struggling upfront. While Arnold has had his own difficulties, he's also been sacked six times in two games. It’s not as if the offensive line lacks talent; they currently rank 45th with a pass-blocking grade of 75.6, according to Pro Football Focus. This suggests some of Arnold's struggles are also playing a role.
Where the line doesn’t excel is in run blocking, with an overall grade of 55.2, ranked 111th in the country. The Sooners may have been able to run all over Temple (220 yards on 36 carries), but they managed just 78 yards on 28 carries against Houston.
Oklahoma's schedule is about to get tougher
If the Sooners were looking to work out their issues in the first couple of weeks against non-conference opponents, that's fine, but they'll have little room for error with the rest of their schedule.
They'll face another non-conference opponent in Week 3, but it won't be an easy matchup. They'll take on Tulane, who just went toe-to-toe with Kansas State in Week 2. Then, a challenging SEC schedule begins: Tennessee at home, Auburn on the road, Texas in the Cotton Bowl, South Carolina back at home, and at Ole Miss, before their last non-conference game against Maine.
What's concerning is that most of these games will not only feature strong offenses but also defenses that could be just as stout. The Sooners need to figure their offense out and in a hurry.
