Oklahoma-Maine: LIVE in-game observations

NORMAN – Sooners on SI will provide real-time observations from Memorial Stadium during Saturday’s 10 game between Oklahoma and the Maine Black Bears. The newest posts are at the top. Keep your browser open and refresh regularly.

2:20 PM

The Sooners end their three-game losing streak with a 59-14 victory over Maine. OU is back above .500 at 5-4 with three top-25 opponents in a row after that. The Sooners travel to Missouri next week, followed by Alabama and at LSU.

-DG

1:58 p.m

And Robinson gets to end the drive with a touchdown.

Put the Sooners up 59-14 with 6:17 left.

– R.C

1:55 p.m

I like Xavier Robinson’s stiff arm.

Helped convert a check into a 46-yard piece play.

I like the energy of the freshman offense late against Maine’s backups.

– R.C

1:47 PM

Maine gets one touchdown back.

Carter Peevy hit Joe Gillette 47 yards on a really nice deep ball, and then Nick Laughlin carried the ball the remaining five yards to cut the lead to 52-14 with 9:38 left.

– R.C

1:35 PM

Smooth as you like by Sam Franklin.

A slick one-handed catch to put OU on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line.

Michael Hawkins Jr. didn’t have enough time to hit anyone for the touchdown, but Zach Schmit scored the 24-yard field goal to push the lead to 52-7 with 12:37 to go.

– R.C

1:19 PM

Good for Kaden Helms!

He’s been dealing with injuries for two years, but gets a tipped pass for his first career touchdown catch.

The 9-yard score extends OU’s lead to 49-7 with 6:20 left in the third quarter.

– R.C

1 p.m

Barnes’ excellent day continues.

He bounces it outside for a 19-yard touchdown rush, his third of the day.

Now up to 186 yards on 13 carries for the day, and OU leads 42-7 with 12:40 left in the third quarter.

– R.C

12:55 pm

Oklahoma’s defense got the message it wanted.

Robert Spears-Jennings forced and recovered the fumble on Maine’s opening drive to put the Sooners in great field position at the 38-yard line.

– R.C

12:31 pm

Halftime statistics:

12:28 pm

As for Jovantae Barnes building confidence with a strong performance against Ole Miss, mission accomplished.

He ends the first half with an 8-yard score that puts OU up 35-7 with 34 seconds left.

Barnes now has 158 yards and two scores on 11 carries, and is averaging 14.4 yards per carry (helped, of course, by his 74 yards rushing). The good things.

– R.C

12:22 pm

Danny Stutsman hits a sack just before the two-minute timeout.

Maine will fall on the other side. I’d like to see OU run the two-minute drill with all three timeouts.

– R.C

12:16 pm

How about a little improvisation from Jackson Arnold?

He was flushed from the pocket to his right and threw the ball as far as he could to JJ Hester.

Hester broke correctly on the ball and it ended up as a 90-yard touchdown connection.

Sooners get their 100-yard rusher (Barnes) and receiver (Hester) today.

All OU in the second quarter. The hosts are now up 28-7 with 3:16 to go until the break.

– R.C

12:04 pm

Yes, Jovantae Barnes is fine. He showed amazing patience to allow any blocking to develop, then exploded through the hole for a 21-yard run. Great outburst.

Two plays later, Jackson Arnolx holds the ball on the left sideline and the Sooners lead 21-7.

– JH

12:02 pm

David Stone gets some attention on this ride. He has the cast on his right wrist, so he can’t do much hand fighting there, and he still beat his man with pure speed despite not being able to strike.

I know it’s Maine, but it’s still pretty impressive.

Sooners get their point so the fumble doesn’t hurt OU.

– R.C

11:58 am

Maybe Barnes isn’t ready to go back in yet.

Sam Franklin got all the RB performance on that final drive, including the fumble on an option throw from Arnold.

Black bear ball.

This team can’t win big games with unforced errors. I have to clean that up.

– JH

11:58 am

Jackson Arnold avoided disaster. Troy Everett shot the ball over the quarterback as the offense looked toward the sideline. He was able to grab it quickly, get outside the tackle box and throw it away to save the distance.

On the next play he reached into the pocket and hit Jacob Jordan for 24 yards.

I really appreciated Arnold’s patience knowing he wouldn’t feel much pressure from Maine today.

And then… Sam Franklin can’t handle Arnold’s option pitch and he fumbles.

The Black Bears take over at their own 16 yard line.

– R.C

11:51 am

Oklahoma came very close to blocking that Maine punt.

Instead, OU will take over on its own after Peyton Bowen’s modest return.

It feels like the Sooners are now asserting themselves against much inferior competition. A shaky first drive from Oklahoma’s offensive line on the first drive tied the game. After all, it is the eighth different starting combination of the season.

– R.C

11:50 am

After Taylor Tatum capped that final drive with a touchdown to give OU a 14-7 lead, Jovantae Barnes is back in the fold and ready to get back into the game.

– JH

11:43 am

Easy if you like for the Sooners to start the second quarter.

Joe Jon Finley feeds Taylor Tatum, who punched it in from the 1-yard line to finish the drive and put OU on top 14-7 with 13:44 until halftime.

– R.C

11:39 am

First quarter statistics:

11:37 am

Fourth and third from the Maine 40 and Brent Venables goes for it. It works great when Jackson Arnold throws a quick pass to Jacob Jordan.

It makes you wonder why the offense isn’t run like this more often. He had one read and delivered it on time in a clean bag. Not that difficult.

– JH

11:22 am

Jovantae Barnes’ celebration had to be delayed twice after he was judged to be on the 1-yard line, but he set up a 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:07 left. the first quarter.

Much more like it.

– R.C

11:20 am

Review confirms, no TD. First and goal from the 1.

OU’s longest offensive play of the year, and Barnes’ career long for 74 yards.

– JH

11:19 am

And Jovantae Barnes turns the world on its axis again with a 75-yard touchdown run on the next play. It looks like he was on the 1-yard line, but we’re going to play again…

– JH

11:16 am

Oklahoma’s defense was hit with a delay of game on fourth-and-1 due to the snap, likely because the play call still hadn’t come in from the sideline.

Maine converted on third and seventh.

Dasan McCullough had to come in late for the touchdown.

Attention to detail, no power on the first drive to Oklahoma.

– R.C

11:13 am

Maine QB Carter Peevy just hit the OU defense for a 40-yard run on a very well blocked keeper down the right sideline. On the next play, Peevy throws three yards to Cooper Heisey for a touchdown and the Oklahoma Sooners trail an FCS team for the first time in school history.

This is almost unbelievable. Only: it isn’t.

– JH

11:09 am

Maine lines up to go for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 41, but the Sooner defense does them a favor with a delay of the game penalty – “using the clap signal” on a defender (Kip Lewis? ) that I’m just trying to get his coaches to send the defensive call.

That’s bad.

And that’s followed by a third-down conversion pass.

– JH

11:07 am

Oklahoma’s starters on defense:

Woullard-Williams-Jackson-Thomas

Washington-Stutsman-Lewis

E. Bowen – Bowman – Spears-Jennings – Johnson

– R.C

11:05 am

And the Sooner offense has begun. After a quick first down, Jackson Arnold can’t find anyone downfield on consecutive pass attempts and Luke Elzinga comes in to punt.

Please note that these early discs are generally script-based.

Wow.

– JH

11:03 am

Oklahoma’s starters on offense:

Howland – Ozaeta – Everett – Nwaiwu – Brown

Thompson-Scherp-Roberts-Hester

Arnold Barnes

– R.C

11:01 am

10:26 am

It’s very difficult to pick out all the jersey numbers from the press box on these ‘Unity’ alternates, but I have yet to see Deion Burks in warmups.

– R.C

10:24 am

OU’s offensive starting line per pre-game warm-up:

Howland – Ozaeta – Everett – Nwaiwu – Brown

– R.C

10:22 am

With more new faces on the offensive line, it could be a big day for Maine defensive end Xavier Holmes, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound junior from Maryland who leads the Black Bears with 5.5 quarterback sacks.

– JH

10:18 am

Jake Taylor is in street clothes, so OU will be without both Jakes today (as Jacob Sexton will miss significant time) along the offensive line.

Michael Tarquin is also out, he has a boot on his right foot. Is it time for Isaiah Autry-Dent?

– R.C

10:11 am

Here we go. I’ve been waiting for this Maine game. I mean it.

– JH