Maine Black Bears: By the Numbers

The Sooners will look to move one step closer to bowl eligibility on Saturday by hosting the Maine Black Bears.

BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-Imagn Content Services, LLC

Oklahoma’s final non-conference game of the 2024 regular season has already made some odd waves. 

Friday, OU announced that kickoff between the Sooners (4-4, 1-4 SEC) and the FCS’ Maine Black Bears (4-4) would be moved up to 11 a.m. from its originally scheduled time of 1:30 p.m. due to severe weather that will be moving into the region on Saturday night. 

The announcement was a slight tweak to the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron, and one that will be important to the hosts as the Sooners are still searching to get bowl eligible this November. 

Maine will be the eighth FCS team to ever trot out onto Owen Field before the Sooners dive back into the SEC slate with away trips to Missouri and LSU and a home tilt with Alabama still on the schedule over the final four weeks of the season. 

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Sitting at 4-4, Maine isn’t just FCS opposition but the Black Bears are a mediocre FCS team at that. 

But there is one area that the Black Bears excel — returning kickoffs. 

Return man Trevin Ewing is sixth in the FCS, averaging 28.4 yards per kickoff return. 

He already has a special teams touchdown to his name this year when he housed a 98-yard kickoff return against Monmouth. 

Defending kickoffs hasn’t really been an issue for Oklahoma this year, however. 

The Sooners rank 31st in the FBS, allowing just 17.29 yards per return. Kicker Zach Schmit doesn’t often allow opposing return men to have a chance anyway, as he’s booted 28 of OU’s 35 kickoffs this year for a touchback. 

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Oklahoma’s offensive line struggles in 2024 have been well documented. 

The Sooners were credited with giving up 10 sacks to Ole Miss last Saturday, a school record, which topped the program’s preview sack record of nine… which came the week prior against South Carolina. 

Taking on FCS competition should be a welcome reprieve for Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line, which is again struggling with injuries after left tackle Jacob Sexton left last week’s game in the second quarter. 

Maine ranks 27th in the FCS, averaging 2.5 sacks per game, but the Black Bears’ defensive line has been pretty unremarkable. 

They average 5.1 tackles per loss a contest, which is tied for 77th in the FCS. 

Defensive end Xavier Holmes has been the best defender this year for the Black Bears, as he is fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association with 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, but the 6-foot-3, 245-pound lineman will be a different animal than the edge rushers the Sooners have faced in the past three weeks after battling Texas, South Carolina and Ole Miss. 

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Maine boasts a balanced offense led by efficient quarterback Carter Peevy. 

Entering the weekend, Peevy ranks eighth in the FCS by completing 70 percent of his passes. 

He’s 32nd in passing yards with 1,591 yards, and has thrown 11 touchdowns compared to four interceptions. 

The Black Bears have added 11 rushing touchdowns on the year as well to keep pace with their passing offense. 

Oklahoma’s defense hasn’t forced a turnover in either of the last two games (though the Sooners did get one turnover against Ole Miss when wide receiver J.J. Hester punched the ball loose to wipe out Taylor Tatum’s fumble), but the Sooners hope to get back to their ball hawking ways against Maine on Saturday to capture momentum before headed to take on Missouri next weekend.