Oklahoma Offense Provides Sooners Exactly What Was Needed To Win

If you would have told me ahead of time that Saturday's game against the Air Force Falcons would come down to a 41-yard field goal then I would have been very nervous. Tell me that the kicker would be Jimmy Stevens and it would have straight up put me in panic mode. That's how the story unfolded though with Stevens being the unsung hero and his third quarter boot being the difference in a 27-24 win.

The problem in playing a team that runs the triple option as well as Air Force is that they'll move the ball, score points and eat up a lot of clock which prevents your offense from getting into a rhythm. The Air Force offense cranked out 450 yards and scored 24 points while chewing up over 34 minutes off the clock. Obviously that only left the Sooners with less that 26 minutes on offense to put up enough points to get the job done.

It may not have been pretty at times but it was mission accomplished for DeMarco Murray and company. Not counting the final drive (which ended with Landry Jones taking a knee) the Sooners had ten offensive possessions on Saturday and scored on 50% of them.

The Sooners were money on their first drive. They came out of the gate with a twelve play touchdown drive where DeMarco Murray had 30 rushing yards and Landry Jones was perfect on passes. It at least appeared at this point in the game that the Sooners would over power a smaller Air Force defense but the Falcons showed the resolve and toughness that would allow them to remain in the game all the way to the end.

The good news is that Oklahoma doubled their offensive possessions in the third quarter but the bad news is that they could only generate 3 points. It was good enough for a 10-3 halftime lead though.

Clearly the third quarter was Oklahoma's best offensive quarter and the difference maker in the game. The Sooners generated 17 points and 148 yards of offense to distance themselves from Air Force, making it possible for them to hold on for the win.

Only two possessions in the fourth quarter is a testament to what the Falcons were doing on offense and while the first possession may have stalled out at the Air Force 35 the second one sealed the game when Oklahoma picked up two key first downs while the Falcons were burning their timeouts.

Position Grades

What The Air Force Defense Did Right

• Pressured Landry Jones - The Falcons only recorded one sack but they regularly got into the backfield to pressure Jones and force early or errant throws.
• Locked up on Oklahoma's receivers - Proving that they're a better secondary than what the Sooners faced last week, Air Force often left Landry Jones without a target.
• Stood tall on third down - Oklahoma was only 7-15 on converting third downs.