After Airing it Out to Set Up the Run, Oklahoma's Offensive Line Led the Sooners to Victory

Over the past few weeks, Oklahoma fans were introduced to the foreign concept of an offense struggling to score points. Drives consistently stalled, pre-snap penalties piled up and big plays were missed all over the field.

Saturday, though, there seemed to be a glimpse of normalcy.

Maybe it was Dillon Gabriel, or maybe it was Oklahoma’s fast start, but the Sooners simply looked different against Kansas. Especially on offense.

“Today as a football team, we complemented each other really pretty well for a good part of the game,” head coach Brent Venables said following the team’s first conference win. “Obviously, put ourselves in some tough positions as well. There's a lot that was excellent today, and there's plenty that we've got to continue to get better at. But really proud of our players, our staff.”

Complimentary football has been a common phrase amongst the coaches trying to help get the Sooners back on track. Saturday, the Sooners put that into practice by controlling the line of scrimmage.

“We really just focused on being physical," Anton Harrison said. "The communication wasn’t that good last week and we really focused on that this week. I’ve seen us as an offensive line grow every week."

Usually, Oklahoma’s scripted first drive features hard-nosed running and conservative play calling, but against Kansas, the Sooners aired it out early. The popular saying goes something like "establish the run to set up the pass," but behind the offensive line’s strongest performance of the year, Oklahoma aired it out to set up the run.

“You know, in the past, we’ve kind of opened the game up running the ball,” Oklahoma running back Eric Gray said after his career day. “Getting the defense on their heels with three straight passes, they’re like ‘OK, we’ve gotta back up.’ That definitely allowed me to get to the next level. I was expecting a safety all day, so I was prepared for it.”

The offensive line has, generally, been a bright spot for an Oklahoma team struggling to move the ball. Before Gabriel’s injury, though, one of the main issues seemed to be pre-snap penalties. The flags generated by the offensive line put the Sooners at a disadvantage early, often resulting in third-and-longs.

Saturday, the offensive line was simply dominant.

"There's fundamentals, there's a physical strain, you've got to move people to have them up the right way and gain leverage, pass-pro, all those things,” Venables said. “So they played really well today. That was a huge part of our offensive success obviously.”

As a team, the Sooners rushed for 298 yards and five touchdowns. Gray led both teams with 176 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while Jovantae Barnes chipped in 69 yards and two touchdowns. Gray averaged 8.8 yards per carry in arguably his best game at Oklahoma.

“Most definitely,” Gray said when asked if his offensive line was playing the best they’ve played. “When you can get your running backs to the safety, it’s on him to make them miss. That’s where the big touchdowns come."

It seemed like every snap, Oklahoma’s offensive line won the initial push off the line of scrimmage. Not only did the ground game take off, but the Jayhawks couldn’t sniff Gabriel in the backfield. As a team, Oklahoma gave up just one sack and a single quarterback hurry. It was the cleanest pocket of the season.

If Oklahoma plans to get things back in order this season, Saturday was a step in the right direction. Establishing the run and protecting the quarterback will go a long way toward salvaging what's left of the season. And in an unpredictable Big 12 Conference, the Sooners can find a few more wins on the schedule with this weekend's high-powered offense.

"There's no doubt about it — you have plenty to correct — which we do, but through victory," Venables said. "That's a big difference to me."

"Hopefully, this is the shot in the arm that we need, both confidence-wise and to get into a rhythm."