Humbled In Houston: Sooners Drop Season Opener To Cougars

For only the third time in the Bob Stoops era, Oklahoma dropped their opening game of the season as the No. 15 Houston Cougars upset the No. 3 Sooners 33-23 on Saturday inside of NRG Stadium.

Related: Sooners Face Gauntlet Schedule To Open Season

Despite coming in as double digit underdogs, the Cougars were able to hit the Sooners in the mouth early in the game and hold on for a lopsided win over the reigning Big 12 Champions.

Greg Ward Jr. led the fierce Houston attack from the quarterback position, where he threw for 321 yards and two scores while keeping the OU defense off balance throughout the game with his ability to run the ball.

Ward Jr. may be the driving force behind the win, but plenty of other factors helped determine the outcome of the game.

With the Cougars leading 19-17 early in the third quarter, Coach Stoops opted to have his kicker Austin Seibert attempt a career long 53-yard field goal that would’ve given the Sooners the lead. That decision backfired, because Seibert’s kick came up short, and Houston defensive back Brandon Wilson was able to catch the ball in the very back of the endzone and scamper 100 plus yards for an incredible but unexpected touchdown.

It was a tragic mistake by the Sooners, but things only got worse on the next offensive possession.

OU quarterback Baker Mayfield was able to extend a second down play with his feet by scrambling and connecting with receiver Jarvis Baxter for what appeared to be a long gain, but as Baxter was falling to the ground, the ball was stripped from his hands by a Houston defender. The bobbled ball turned out to be one of the more controversial moments of the game, seeing the instant replay made it appear like Baxter’s knee was down before the ball popped loose, but the referees decided there wasn’t inconclusive evidence to overturn the original ruling on the field.

With a nine-point lead in their back pockets, the Cougars drove down the field on a mission and went up 33-17 after Houston tight end Tyler McCloskey hauled in a two-yard touchdown pass from Ward Jr. At first it looked like the Sooners would limit the Cougars to a field goal on the drive, but OU cornerback Dakota Austin was flagged for pass interference on third down and the Cougars went on to score on the next play.

Oklahoma still had an entire quarter and change to overcome the 16-point deficit, but the offense seemed discombobulated a bit. The offensive line failed to pick up key blocks while Mayfield overthrew his intended receiver on multiple occasions.

The Sooners’ offensive woes late in the game were a complete turnaround from the first half. Oklahoma scored on its first possession of the game on a Joe Mixon 32-yard rushing touchdown, then a 60-yard reception by Mixon on the next series led to an OU field goal.

While the offense was thriving early in the game, the Sooners’ defense struggled to get the Cougars’ offense off the field. Houston scored on every possession in the first half (four FG’s, one TD) as Ward Jr. took advantage of Austin’s lack of experience at cornerback.

Just when the Sooners thought they’d get a stop, Ward Jr. would make something out of nothing as the Cougars converted 6-of-9 third down opportunities in the first half.

Mayfield finished the game with 323 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 24-of-33 pass attempts, but his receivers struggled to get open downfield while his offensive line failed to adequately protect.

Despite plenty of hype coming into the game, running backs Samje Perine and Mixon were held to a combined 76 rushing yards in only 12 carries, but Perine was limited with a shoulder injury after taking a hard hit in the first half.

Dede Westbrook was a force from the receiver position with eight catches for 70 yards while Andrews added 94 receiving yards and two scores, but no one else emerged on the outside as a viable threat.

Defensively the Sooners played better in the second half, but will have to fix issues in the secondary as well as developing a consistent pass rush. OU’s only forced turnover came late in fourth quarter when a comeback seemed highly unlikely.

The Sooners will attempt to right the ship next Saturday when they host Louisiana Monroe at 6 p.m.