The Oklahoma Sooners have had a difficult introductory year in the SEC this season, with a 1-4 record and a plague of injuries.
The Sooners were one of many teams who joined in on the massive realignment of the college football conference. Oklahoma, along with Texas, joined the SEC in hopes of competing for the biggest trophy in all of college football. However, the storybook season has been nothing but a book the fans are ready to put down and forget about.
Oklahoma had two crucial fumbles against the Ole Miss Rebels that would prove to be costly as the Rebels walked away with the 26-14 win. The Sooners have flipped between quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr this season, but have found similar success with both. This time, Arnold had his number called and delivered the best he could with an extremely depleted offensive line.
The offensive line had been a question for the Sooners leading up to the game given the Rebels pass rush. However, even the Sooners fans did not expect the Rebels to record a dominant nine sacks as Ole Miss virtually lived in the backfield. Oklahoma struggled to keep Suntarine Perkins out of the backfield in particular, with Perkins recording three sacks and five tackles for loss.
Arnold recorded 182-yards passing, two touchdowns, and 39-yards rushing, which was decimated by the amount of lost yards in sacks. The quarterback looked solid at times but looked worried at others, which is understandable given the quality of play the line has delivered.
How Can the Oklahoma Sooners Save Their Inaugural SEC Season?
With a 1-4 conference record, the Oklahoma Sooners have a lot of work ahead of themselves in order to turn the 2024 season around.
The next game on the schedule for the Sooners comes against Maine, which is a much-needed reset for the team. The Sooners certainly need the reset following the three-game losing streak ahead of a tough stretch to finish the season.
Following the sure win over Maine, the Oklahoma Sooners must face Missouri (Away), Alabama (Home), and LSU (Away). The Sooners could potentially pull-off a win over Missouri given the close battle the Tigers have allowed this season. The other interesting game will come against Alabama, who notably looks like a much different team during the first season with coach Nick Saban.
In the game against LSU, the Sooners may very well face another big defeat in Baton Rouge against the Tigers. LSU has been a dominant team at times this season, and the Tigers are finally starting to get back to full strength following star players getting injured. The LSU Tigers could just be hitting their stride when the Oklahoma Sooners come into town to finish out the regular season.
For the Oklahoma Sooners, saving the season might be out of the cards due to who is left on the schedule. Rather, it may very well be damage management time for the staff as the Sooners cannot afford to have anymore ugly losses occur.
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