Better days appear likely for Oklahoma's offense after upset win over Texas

Better days appear likely for Oklahoma's offense after upset win over Texas

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Better days appear likely for Oklahoma's offense after upset win over Texas

Better days appear likely for Oklahoma's offense after upset win over Texas originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Oklahoma's struggling offense might have found something.

Sure, the Sooners only gained 234 yards against Texas and needed special teams and defensive touchdowns to pull out the shocking 27-24 shocking win over the top-ranked Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

But with the offense showing promise in the second half and the Sooners facing lesser defenses going forward, it makes sense to expect better days in the future for offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's often-criticized unit.

Oklahoma gained just 69 yards in the first half against Texas and scored no offensive points. In the second half, the Sooners gained 169 yards and scored 13 offensive points against one of the nation's best defenses.

Gurus can be stubborn sometimes, and it doesn't appear Arbuckle really wants to ground and pound. But the Sooners won, in part, because he went against his nature. The Sooners ran for 82 yards on 18 carries after the break and threw just 13 times.

The Sooners did two critical things after halftime that they have been hesitant to do — they committed to the run and got the ball to running back Lloyd Avant, who for my money is right up there with Isaiah Sategna as the team's most dangerous weapon.

On Oklahoma's first possession of the second half, the Sooners featured Avant on the first play, a short pass that netted eight yards. Two plays later, Avant popped a 42-yard run. That drive produced a field goal, and the game suddenly seemed different.

The threat of the run game slowed Texas' vaunted pass rush, which automatically made John Mateer a better quarterback. When Mateer isn't dancing, he's solid.

Avant finished with 72 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and two catches for eight yards. The funny thing is, he didn't really get much better. He did what he's done all season when given the chance. When the Colorado State transfer passed the eye test on the first three carries of the season against UTEP, that was no mirage. 

Avant has 52 carries for 236 yards this season. The rest of the team has 114 carries for 243 yards. Avant averages 4.5 yards per carry. Xavier Robinson averages 3.8. Jonathan Hatton averages 2.9. Tory Blaylock averages 2.2. 

Avant is the guy. Now that the Sooners have begrudgingly figured that out, they will be better off.

It gets better for Sooners fans.

Here are the current national rankings in yards allowed per game of the defenses Oklahoma has faced so far this season (out of 138 FBS schools):

UTEP 110
Michigan 3
New Mexico 10
Georgia 11
Texas 13

Here are the current national rankings of the defenses Oklahoma will play the rest of the season.

Kentucky 100
Mississippi State 96
South Carolina 58
Florida 109
Ole Miss 108
Texas A&M 43
Missouri 29

There's more. The Sooners won on Saturday without injured offensive linemen Michael Fasusi and Eddy Pierre-Louis. If those guys come back, suddenly the line has more talent and depth available. That means a more comfortable Mateer who makes fewer mistakes.

MORE: Why writing off Oklahoma and coach Brent Venables might be a bad idea

It's not going to look like 2017 Oklahoma with Baker Mayfield, but the Sooners look primed to make a leap offensively in the coming weeks. They seem to have realized who they are, and they appear to be committed to Avant. They have momentum. And if those things continue and the defense continues to shine, Sooners still have a chance to have a memorable season.

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