There wasn’t a lot to like about Oklahoma’s performance in their 37-17 loss to the LSU Tigers. It was a letdown after what they did to the Alabama Crimson Tide the week before. It was an unfortunate way to end the season and now the Sooners will hope to find the answer at offensive coordinator and get some guys healthy ahead of the 2025 season.
As we await Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator decision and ahead of the opening of the early signing period and the transfer portal, here’s the final edition of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Oklahoma’s loss to LSU.
The Good: Defensive Line
The Oklahoma Sooners got their first score of the game when the defensive line created pressure, Gracen Halton forced a fumble, and then R Mason Thomas picked it up and ran into the end zone for the touchdown. The Sooners tied the game up at seven, and it looked like they would have a chance against the Tigers.
Later in the first half, Thomas registered his ninth sack of the season, when he cleanly beat the left tackle blasted Garrett Nussmeier and forced a fumble. LSU recovered the ball, and remarkably, Nussmeier returned to the game later in the second quarter and had a great game.
But the defensive line had a good game. Was it the best game they’ve had this season? No, but it was far from the biggest issue on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday night. The defensive front held LSU to 3.8 yards per carry and 110 rushing yards.
Brent Venables, Todd Bates, and Miguel Chavis have been working over the last few years to turn the Sooners defensive front into a unit that could create havoc in the SEC and they’re doing just that.
If the Sooners are able to talk Thomas into coming back for one more year that would be huge for a defense that will lose Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman, and Ethan Downs this offseason.