Oklahoma's Offense Again Struggled to Sustain Drives in Win Over Missouri

The Sooners didn't give the ball away, but Ben Arbuckle's offense struggled to put down the Tigers with a banged-up running back unit.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer carries the ball in the Sooners' win over Missouri. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Nothing about Oklahoma’s offense has been flashy in SEC play, but the Sooners added another turnover-free game to beat Missouri. 

Brent Venables’ team, powered by defense and special teams, is just one win away from a return to the College Football Playoff. 

But to truly make noise in December, the offense must still improve. 

Entering Saturday’s 17-6 win over the Tigers, Oklahoma knew it was going to have to open the playbook up a bit more with running backs Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock hobbled. 

Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle tried to take shots downfield early, but it wasn’t until Isaiah Sategna’s 87-yard catch-and-run that the offense finally got anything going.

“It was an emphasis,” quarterback John Mateer said. “I wanted to throw the ball deep, and if I connect on at least one of them, I mean, it’s a different game.”

Mateer missed Deion Burks and Javonnie Gibson downfield, sailing the ball out of bounds twice when Oklahoma’s receivers could have drawn pass interference calls. 

Following the Sategna touchdown, however, Mateer and the offense were able to put together a gritty drive to score another touchdown thanks to the defense handing them great field position. 

It’s been a theme over the past three weeks. 

Though the overall product has left plenty to be desired, Mateer and Arbuckle have found ways to put points on the board — whether touchdowns or Tate Sandell field goals — when the defense hands them advantageous field position on a silver platter. 

Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell hit his 22nd-straight field goal for the Sooners against Missouri. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I think you play the game one play at a time and good things will happen like that,” Mateer said. “Momentum is a real thing and when you take a shot when they're down and you land it, it’s huge.”

Making those plays is what it takes to win the game, but the OU offense squandered many chances to put the contest away late in the third quarter. 

Oklahoma started the third quarter with a field goal to extend its lead to 17-6. On the next five Missouri drives, the defense forced four punts and picked off quarterback Beau Pribula once. 

Adding any more points, even a field goal, would have surely ended the contest, but the Sooners struggled to move the ball on the Tigers’ defense. 

Oklahoma finished with 276 total yards of offense, and OU converted just 6-of-16 attempts on third down. 

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“Looking back, it's really frustrating,” Arbuckle said of the inability to put away the game. “… We have to go out there and we have to do our job. And ultimately, that's sustaining drives, sustaining effort, sustaining physicality and keep the ball moving down the field. We have to do that. 

“… Those third-and-2's and third-and-1's and third-and-3's, they were really what slowed us down today, so we just have to do a better job of executing those and see the drive sustain a bit more.”

Venables’ defense has shown it can win massive games against playoff-caliber teams with an onslaught of turnovers. 

But if the Sooners want to truly challenge round after round in the CFP, the offense is going to have to find a way to sustain a handful of drives at the business end of the season. 

“I feel that the kids are attacking it every single day,” Arbuckle said. “I get to see them at practice. I get to see the progression that they’re making, and at the end of the day, our whole goal is to go win the football game, right? 

“… These kids are getting after it. So I do believe they’re getting better. I do believe that they’re attacking the work every single day. And I couldn’t be more proud of them. And again, figuring out a way to win.”