At the beginning of Oklahoma’s season, a non-conference game against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team presented itself as an easy win.
However, 10 weeks into the 2024 season, OU’s (5-4, 1-4 SEC) 59-14 victory over Maine (4-5, 2-3 CAA) has served as a lifeline.
Heading into the game against the Black Bears and coming off a three-game losing streak, Oklahoma was still in search of two wins to become bowl-eligible. Now, with just three games left against No. 25 Missouri, No. 14 Alabama and No. 16 LSU, the 45-point win on Saturday means that unranked Oklahoma just needs to steal one win.
“This is what we wanted to see today, and the (win) today was a byproduct of the last three weeks,” OU head coach Brent Venables said after the game on Saturday. “We have been talking about seeing improvements in spots where in the first part of the season we weren’t as good.”
Oklahoma’s offense thrived in places it had not in previous weeks on Saturday, averaging season-bests of 8.5 yards per play, 7.3 yards per rush, 15.8 yards per completion and 10.9 yards per pass attempt.
Although things looked better, as the running game broke through for 381 yards and sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold found success in the pocket, Maine — who does not play in the same division as OU — does not compare to a usual Southeastern Conference team.
Heading into the matchup, the Black Bears averaged 24.1 points and 316.8 total yards on offense in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Sooners’ upcoming opponents average at least 27.75 points, with Alabama and LSU tallying well over 30, and at least 400 yards of offense per outing.
In comparison, Oklahoma sits second to last in the SEC in points per game averaging 21.13 and last in total yards with 293.25.
Despite the discrepancy between Maine and OU’s conference opponents, due to not only statistical differences but also the level of competition, coaches like Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley are hanging on to the Sooners’ success on Saturday.
“This is just about getting a little better in everything that you do,” Finley said postgame. “We ran the ball very well today and you have to be able to do that in this conference. That is going to help you do everything else better…We just have to continue to find ways to run the ball because when you do that, you are going to have a chance to win.”
Offensively, OU not only found success in the run game, but Arnold also looked comfortable in the pocket during his second start since being benched against No. 7 Tennessee on Sept. 21. After getting pulled in the third quarter due to OU’s large lead, Arnold finished the game 15 of 21 for 224 yards and two touchdowns and also had 45 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Oklahoma’s 665 total yards was a season-best, surpassing the previous record of 378 yards that it set during its season opener against Temple.
“Today was an opportunity to do the basics at a high level,” Venables said. “We are certainly far from perfect, but I thought our guys did the basics well.”
The offense appears to be adjusting to Finley’s scheme well, finishing during big play opportunities and making obvious adjustments in-game, but the defense has shown signs of struggle recently. The unit has not been able to force turnovers and has let opponents score quickly.
Although OU’s defense forced its first turnover since senior defensive back Billy Bowman’s takeaway against Texas, it still let Maine score twice, with one of the touchdowns occurring during the Black Bears’ first offensive drive of the game.
“We did some undisciplined things early in the game,” Venables said. “We didn’t have edges to our defense several times and it was some undisciplined defense.”
However, playing an SEC schedule means that obstacles are certain, and times of momentary struggle, like what OU has faced in recent games, provide the defense with opportunities to improve.
“I think you are always going to face adversity at some point during a game,” defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “Just the ability to respond to something, that is not new, but it is nice to see always. The reality is we will face adversity again in the games remaining in the season, and we will be able to respond the right way to that.”
Injuries, quarterback battles and coaching changes have proven to be the biggest obstacles for Oklahoma this season. But during the postgame press conference, Venables provided updates on senior wide receiver Jalil Farooq, who broke his foot early in the season, and redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks.
Burks and Farooq were “out running around” at the end of last week, giving a peek into a possible return before the end of the year.
For OU, getting players back and posting a 45-point win against Maine is a step in the right direction as it begins its last stretch of the regular season, and with Saturday’s win keeping the bowl dreams alive, the next three games will serve as a chance to redeem itself after a difficult start.
“This is all about the next game and the next opportunity to improve,” Venables said.
This story was edited by Daniel Homrok.
