All Sooners

Offensive Inconsistencies Finally Cost Oklahoma in Lawrence

The No. 6-ranked Sooners failed to pick up a crucial first down late, allowing Kansas over two minutes to pull the upset in a chaotic Big 12 battle in Lawrence.

Ryan Chapman

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LAWRENCE, KS — Oklahoma almost got away with it.

Ethan Downs’ interception with 2:29 left looked to be the No. 6 Sooners’ lifeline against Kansas.

After an up-and-down offensive day, OU took over on the Jayhawks’ 38-yard line, up 33-32 and just needing to bleed the clock out.

Kansas had three timeouts, but surely Oklahoma’s offense, which had rushed for 269 yards, could close out the win? Right?

The Sooners rushed Jovantae Barnes twice and quarterback Dillon Gabriel once, gaining three yards and only winding the clock 23 seconds.

“We wanted to make sure they used all three (timeouts) but we were trying like heck to get a first down,” OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said after the game. “We felt like running the ball and having the ability to pin them there without any timeouts, making them go the length was the right thing to do. That’s why I ran it there on third down. Gotta execute better. Got a chance to win the game if we stay on the field and get one first down, but we don’t do it.”

Kansas took the ball and marched straight down the field, culminating in Devin Neal’s game-winning touchdown to help Kansas (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) pull the 38-33 upset over OU (7-1, 4-1) at Davin Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Lebby was without his best offensive weapon for the key series.

Running back Tawee Walker, who scored one touchdown and set a career-high with 146 yards on 26 carries, sustained a lower leg injury that held him out of the drive.

“It just felt like I couldn't make any cuts on it,” Walker said after the game, “so it was best to put somebody else in because I wasn't 100 percent.”

Instead, OU turned to sophomore Jovantae Barnes — who hadn't carried the football since the Week 3 trip to Tulsa — to ice the game.

Oklahoma had to punt the ball away, leaving Kansas 2:06 to engineer a game-winning drive.

FB - Jovantae Barnes, Kansas Jayhawks
Running back Jovantae Barnes was stopped on two carries in Oklahoma's late drive where the Sooners failed to close out the game against Kansas.  :: Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports

“You’d like to be better there,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “You’d like to chew up some clock, get a first down and it’s over. You know, we forced them to use their timeouts and could’ve been a little better on the 2-minute, and we’re not having this conversation either.

“Certainly, you look back at it after the fact, you don’t want to expose yourself to turning it over, but you’d like to get a first down there. That makes things a hell of a lot easier.”

Even in Oklahoma’s previous four Big 12 victories, there have been offensive lulls.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel started the game by throwing a pick-six on OU’s third offensive play, and then the Sooners’ second drive ended with Gabriel taking a fourth down sack.

But as the game wore on, Lebby’s offense appeared to find rhythm.

Walker got going after missing last week’s game against UCF due to an in-house suspension, and Oklahoma’s offensive line started to assert itself in the second quarter after starting left tackle Walter Rouse and left guard Savion Byrd were replaced by Jacob Sexton and Cayden Green.

Even the 58-minute weather delay in the second quarter didn’t slow OU down, as Walker and Gabriel both punched in touchdowns to put the Sooners up 21-14 after play resumed in the pouring rain.

Coming out hot after halftime was a different story.

Kansas forced back-to-back punts, and then wide receiver Jalil Farooq coughed up the football after playing a series out of the backfield.

FB - Jalil Farooq, Kansas Jayhawks
Wide receiver Jalil Farooq had a key fumble on Oklahoma's third offensive possession of the second half :: Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports

Rouse and Byrd returned to the lineup out of halftime, but the Sooners were unable to get anything going on those three drives despite Lebby calling nine run plays and throwing the ball three times.

“(We’re) just constantly trying to make sure we got the right guys on the field,” Lebby said of the musical chairs along the offensive line. “We’ll go watch the tape and look at it and decide how we need to adjust.”

The lull allowed the Jayhawks to pull back in front 26-21, setting up a back-and-forth final 16 minutes were the lead changed four times.

Entering the contest, Kansas was ranked No. 93-overall in rushing defense.

The Sooners took advantage in the first half, rushing for 170 yards, but Lebby’s unit was only able to run for 99 yards in the second half, unable to close out the game.

“Felt like we were trying to get in a little more rhythm while the weather was a little better,” Lebby said. “We were trying to throw it around at times. Still was very limited throwing the football. Felt like the right thing to do was trying to stay ahead of the sticks.

“Didn’t do it at times because of some missed throws, whatever it may be. Running the football, that wasn’t the issue. Had chances to go win the game in the three-minute, four-minute situation and don’t get it done.”

Averaging 4.9 yards per carry for the game is all well and good, but Oklahoma’s offensive inconsistencies popped up again late — when the Sooners needed just 10 yards to escape Lawrence with a win and remain unbeaten.

Instead, Lebby and the offense have another week where they’ll have to iron out the kinks before headed into a hornet’s nest in Stillwater for perhaps the last Bedlam game that will be played in a long time.

“(The playcalling was) not good enough,” Lebby said. “I mean, obviously. We’re standing here after getting beat. Not good enough.

“… We’ve gotta get in there and clean it up and get it corrected before we go to Stillwater next Saturday.”

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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