The Oklahoma Sooners dealt with a much different Houston Cougars team than the one that lost to UNLV last week.
Houston had a much better gameplan than last week to help support quarterback Donovan Smith. The Sooners were marred by miscommunication and inefficiency in the passing game, lack of a consistent run game. and an uncharacteristic lack of discipline. But they got enough breaks, and the defense made enough stops to come away with a 16-12 win over Houston.
The Oklahoma Sooners took advantage of a ball tipped by the Houston Cougars return man to get great field position after a rough first possession. On the very next play, Jackson Arnold found Brenen Thompson to put Oklahoma up 7-0.
Houston then went on a 12-play drive that spanned 8:25 but had to settle for a field goal on their second drive of the game.
On Oklahoma’s first drive of the second quarter, Jackson Arnold led the offense on an eight-play, 81-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to tight end Jake Roberts.
And that’s where the highlights ended for an offense that struggled to move the ball with much consistency in the second half. The Sooners only had 110 total yards and averaged just 2.1 yards per carry after halftime.
The defense had a communication breakdown on the first drive of the second half, which led to Houston’s lone touchdown and cut the lead to 14-12. But the Sooners defense came up with the stop on the two-point conversion.
Oklahoma had an opportunity to ice the game with a long drive, but after getting to midfield, Houston’s defense stymied Oklahoma on first and second down run plays, and then [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] was sacked on third down.
Luke Elzinga buried Houston at the five-yard line with a great punt and on Houston’s first play from scrimmage, defensive tackle Gracen Halton came up with the play of the game, burying Stacy Sneed at the goalline and earning the safety for the Sooners.
Oklahoma had visions of running out the clock, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on Joshua Bates gave Houston a little more time for one final desperation drive. Houston made a few plays, but the Sooners defense got one more stop in the game to close out the win and move to 2-0.
The Sooners offense struggled throughout, recording just 249 yards of total offense, including zero points in the second half.
Jackson Arnold finished the night 19 of 32 for 174 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 11 times for 28 yards.
[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] had nine receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.
But this was a game that was about the defense. Though Houston was able to move the ball at times, Oklahoma’s defense held the Cougars to just 12 points and just five yards per play. OU held Houston to just 4 of 15 on third down and 1.7 yards per carry.
[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] was an absolute monster for the defense, recording 15 total tackles, including 12 solo, and one for a loss. Robert Spears-Jennings came up big with five total tackles, a tackle for loss, and an interception in the second half that set up Oklahoma with great field position. Samuel Omosigho earned some extended playing time and came up with five total tackles and two tackles for loss.
Halton’s safety was the second tackle for loss he recorded in the game. [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] recorded two tackles and a sack.
The Oklahoma Sooners now hope to regroup and get ready for a Tulane team that took Kansas State to the brink of an upset on Saturday.
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