3 Sooners Takeaways: Emerging Stars And Areas For Improvement In Loss To Ole Miss

I never thought I would see the day when Sooner fans are finding moral victories in losses, but I get it. The Sooners finally showed some flashes on offense, and they did so against a fantastic Ole Miss defense. Here is what I noticed while watching the 26-14 loss from the sidelines in Oxford:

New QB Coach Kevin Johns is Already Making His Presence Felt

Okay, I know Kevin Johns had only been the quarterbacks coach for a week when the game kicked off, but his impact is already apparent. Every time there was a break in the game, be it a timeout or a shaken-up player, Jackson Arnold would go straight to Johns on the sideline. The two would talk through what they were each seeing from the defense, the upcoming plays, and the specific game situation. It was fascinating to see how Johns had the same mannerisms and approach with Arnold during a long drive with multiple first-down throws as he did during a drive filled with sacks or missed opportunities. It is a small sample size, but Johns strikes me as a coach who is even-keeled throughout the game. That isn’t necessarily great for every position coach, but you better believe quarterbacks benefit from having that kind of stability to lean on through the highs and lows of the game. And you have to admit—Saturday was the most comfortable Arnold has looked all season. He also completed 71% of his passes, a new career high, beating his previous mark of 68% against a weak Temple team.

Seth Littrell was the designated QB coach for the first half of the season, and he wasn’t even on the sidelines during games (he called them from the booth). When you have a young quarterback trying to grow within an offense that has struggled, having a guy like Johns by their side is invaluable.

The Offensive Line Showed Flashes But Has Miles to Go

I will give credit where credit is due: The OU offense was able to establish the run early against Ole Miss, a team that has been stout up front all season. In fact, if you take away the 60 yards the Sooners lost to sacks, the run game went over 200 yards Saturday. The downside is there was a significant drop-off upfront in the second half. Arnold was sacked six times in the second half alone, and the O-line gave up nine sacks on the day for the second week in a row. The big issue right now is that when the Sooners get into obvious passing situations—whether falling out of schedule or needing chunk plays on second or third down—the defenses have been able to pin their ears back and dominate the line of scrimmage. OU is 133rd in the country, or dead last, in sacks given up this year with 39.

Brent Venables said after the game, “First half really good, second half not so good. We were down by two scores, so some of it is that... They did a good job of closing some windows and playing a little tighter.” He added, “We have to help. At times we did, but you can’t do that the whole game. We have to be better there; [9 sacks] is terrible. We know that.”

For three years, the discussion about getting “SEC ready” has revolved around the line of scrimmage. The Sooners beefed up their defensive front seven to meet the challenges of the conference but have come up woefully short on the offensive side of the line. Until something major changes there, OU will continue to struggle to put points on the board.

Jovantae Barnes is Heating Up

While the quarterback run game continues to be the area in which OU finds its most success on the ground, running back Jovantae Barnes seems to be getting better each week. Three of his best games have come in the last four weeks as he has emerged as the go-to back, averaging over four yards per carry. Barnes is running downhill, falling forward, and getting better at sticking his foot in the ground and getting vertical in the run game. He has also proven to be an asset in the passing game. He had a season-high 57 receiving yards against Ole Miss and 21 yards through the air against South Carolina. He had just 26 receiving yards in the first six games combined. Oklahoma clearly sees that Barnes can be a key piece in offensive success, and the Sooners are dedicating more plays to putting the ball in his hands.

Venables said, “More of the same of what we have seen from him the last couple of games. Just running with purpose, physical, run through trash, and he has gained rhythm each game... he is doing things that you need to be able to do as an offense when you are playing good people.”

I asked Barnes if he could feel momentum building, and he said, “For sure. I feel like we are all building momentum. As an offense, as a whole, we are all getting better.”

If Barnes can continue to bring a spark to the run game, it will make it harder for defenses to focus on QB pressure, taking a lot of heat off the offensive line in the passing game.