Oklahoma football wins big against Maine

It was a dreary day in Norman as the Oklahoma Sooners took on the FCS's Maine Black Bears. Although Maine scored first, the Oklahoma Sooners ultimately took care of the win, claiming a 59-14 win.

The Sooners started the running game early with Jovantae Barnes, who had a 73-yard run before being tackled just short of the end zone. Two plays later, Barnes scored the equalizer, making the game 7-0.

Oklahoma then extended the lead on a one-yard run by Taylor Tatum. The score capped a 15-play, 84-yard touchdown drive. Oklahoma converted two third downs and a fourth down on the drive to score points and take the lead.

After the Sooners allowed their first touchdown drive, the defense calmed down, took control and forced punt after punt.

An Oklahoma fumble ended the Sooners' opportunity to extend their lead. Sam Franklin couldn't handle Jackson Arnold's option pitch. But OU's defense forced a three-and-out and after a short punt, the Sooners got the ball back into Black Bears territory.

Barnes made another big run to get the Sooners inside the 10, and Jackson Arnold finished the game with a one-yard touchdown to make it 21-7.

Maine picked up a couple first downs on its next drive, but had to throw it back to the Sooners, pinning OU at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Arnold hit JJ Hester for a 90-yard touchdown as the OU quarterback scrambled to his left.

Another three-pointer gave the Sooners the ball with just under two minutes to play. Oklahoma was riding on the legs of Jovantae Barnes, who was having a great day. Barnes carried the ball four times for 37 yards and his second touchdown of the day gave Oklahoma a 35-7 lead before halftime.

It was more of the same after halftime, as the Sooners forced a fumble on Maine's first drive and then responded with another touchdown from Barnes, his third of the game.

The Sooners scored on every drive of the second half. Tight end Kaden Helms scored his first career touchdown on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Arnold.

Xavier Robinson also scored his first career touchdown on the Sooners' final drive of the game. OU brought Robinson into the game strongly, giving him the ball seven times during the eight-play drive. Robinson accounted for 75 yards, including a 46-yard reception from quarterback Michael Hawkins, Jr.

In the win, Arnold was 15 of 21 (71%) through the air for 224 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he ran nine times for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Barnes had a career day with 203 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. He only had one reception, but it went for 19 yards. He had another great game for the Sooners, showing speed and volatility as the Sooners' top scorer.

Thanks to his 90-yard touchdown, Hester caught four passes for 112 yards.

The Sooners ran for 338 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry in the game. They were 10 of 14 on third down and 2 of 2 on fourth down, gaining 665 yards of total offense.

Defensively, Danny Stutsman led the way with six total tackles and one sack. Defensive tackles Davon Sears and David Stone also recorded sacks in the win as the Sooners' defense allowed just 251 yards.

Oklahoma's defense allowed more points than one would expect. Aside from a big play on Maine's second-to-last drive, the Sooners played solid football and played with several young defenders throughout the contest.

It was a strong performance from the Sooners, who did what they needed to do on both ends to bring the score to 5-4 on the season. Now Oklahoma looks to build on that with a road trip against Missouri before ending the season with matchups against Alabama and LSU to end the season after the bye.

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