Oklahoma-Maine Video Review: The Sooners Needed a Shot of Confidence, and They Got It

The opponent wasn't a true test for what improvements the Sooners may or may not have made, but OU can go into the final quarter of the season feeling better about its progress.

Oklahoma Sooners running back Jovantae Barnes. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma started slow but finished strong against Maine.

In the end, against an overmatched FCS opponent, it was all the Sooners could do.

Improvement was the name of this game, not necessarily a big win on the scoreboard. But OU’s 59-14 victory touched off a raucous locker room celebration that, frankly, is something that has been missing for too much of this season.

OU improved to 5-4 overall, and this week the Sooners resume Southeastern Conference play with a 1-4 league record.

Beat Missouri in Columbia on Saturday, and the Sooners are heading to a bowl game for the 25th year in a row. Lose to the Tigers, however, and daunting dates loom following another bye week: No. 11 Alabama in Norman on Nov. 23, and at No. 14 LSU on Nov. 30.

Jovantae Barnes ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns, J.J. Hester had a 90-yard TD catch and Jackson Arnold threw for 224 yards and two scores as OU rolled. But there's a lot of work ahead.

Here is Sooners On SI’s rewatch of the OU-Maine game:

FIRST QUARTER

After OU starts off fine with a 7-yard run by Jackson Arnold and a 5-yard run by Jovantae Barnes, they both get stuffed for no gain on the next two plays. Arnold scrambles out of the pocket behind Spencer Brown (making his first OU start) on third-and-10 but can’t find anyone open so he throws it out of bounds.

The OU defense, with Jacobe Johnson making his first career start at corner, looks out of sorts early. On third-and-9, Carter Peevy finds Montigo Moss for 8 yards, and then on fourth-and-1, Kip Lewis seems to be calling for the defensive coaches to signal in the call — he’s almost jumping up and down and clapping his hands as Maine has broken the huddle and is lined up over the football, and several defenders are also looking to the OU sideline — but the call is late, and then officials flag Lewis for simulating the snap count and assess OU a 5-yard penalty. Peevy hits Cooper Heisey for 8 yards to convert a third-and-7, and then on second-and-10, Peevy reads Trace Ford crashing in and keeps on a read-option. Lewis gets blocked and Peevy sprints down the sideline for a 40-yard run. Then on first and goal, Peevy zips a quick out to Heisey for a 3-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Maine lead. It’s the first time in eight meetings with an FCS-level opponent that the Sooners have trailed, and it’s not engendering any confidence from the 50,000 or so fans who showed up for kickoff.

On first down after a touchback, Jovantae Barnes cuts inside a pulling insert block from Bauer Sharp and a pull from left guard Febechi Nwaiwu, then jukes a man to the outside and sprints up the Maine sideline. It’s originally ruled a 75-yard touchdown run — OU’s longest play of the year and Barnes’ career-long — but replay shows Devin Vaught trips him up inside the 5 and Barnes’ knee is down before the ball crosses the goal line. On the next play Barnes pounds between blocks from Troy Everett and Heath Ozaeta for the tying touchdown. 

From the Maine 28, Peevy gets the Black Bears started again with a 10-yard completion to Molayo Irefin, but Eli Bowen drops Brian Santana Fis for a gain of 2, and then Da’Jon Terry defeats his block and hits Peevy for a loss of 1. On third-and-9, Peevy scrambles for 7 yards and Jaydan Hardy gets him out of bounds to force a punt.

Barnes gets 4 and Arnold throws to J.J. Hester for 3, and on third-and-3, Arnold swings a perfect throw out to Barnes in stride on the right side and Barnes reaches up for the catch, breaks a tackle and dives ahead for 19 yards. This time it’s Taylor Tatum who follows the pulling blocks of Nwaiwu and Sharp, who, instead of the jump cut to the outside that Barnes used, squeezes into two defenders for a gain of 6. Arnold executes an RPO, faking to Tatum and keeping for a short throw to Hester out to the right for 5 yards and another first down. Arnold hooks up with Hester for 4 yards and then overthrows him out of bounds deep down the right sideline. On third-and-6, Taylor pushes ahead for 3. Then on fourth-and-3, Venables elects to go for it, and Arnold confidently throws a quick slant to Jacob Jordan on the left side for a 6-yard gain. Arnold zips a quick out to Brenen Thompson on the left sideline for 6 yards, and Tatum finishes the quarter with a 2-yard surge.

SECOND QUARTER

Tatum opens the quarter with one of his best runs of the year, bouncing out of traffic to the right side, cutting up between blocks by Hester and Thompson and then plowing through a tackler for 5 more yards on his way to a 17-yard gain. The Sooners try Tatum behind Brown on back-to-back plays, and he pushes ahead for 6 yards to the 1 on the second one. Then on third-and-goal, Tatum follows zone blocking and cuts behind Logan Howland’s edge block for the touchdown. Zach Schmit’s extra point put the Sooners up 14-7.

Schmit’s kickoff is returned by Trevin Ewing, but Jaydan Hardy cuts him down at the 13. OU’s defensive front forms a wall on first down as Jaharie Martin smashes into it for 2 yards, but Peevy throws to Mason Gilbert for 14 yards. After Jayden Jackson and R Mason Thomas bring down Martin for 1 yard, Peevy escapes a corner blitz by Eli Bowen, but Peevy’s desperate throw to Heisey is caught while he’s on the ground and is a loss of 6. Peevy scrambles out and throws it away on third down, forcing a punt.

Peyton Bowen’s return goes for 9 yards, but Arnold’s throw to Thompson over the middle is broken up by Vaught. Sam Franklin comes in at running back and immediately picks up 5 yards. On third-and-5, Arnold drops back to pass but deftly steps up in the pocket and scrambles away for 12 yards. After an Arnold incompletion, he finds Jordan on an intermedia over route and Jordan picks up 24 yards to the OU 19. Ozaeta is flagged for holding, and on first-and-20, Arnold keeps on a read option up the middle for an 11-yard pickup. But on second-and-9, Arnold’s speed-option pitchout to Franklin is fumbled — Franklin appears to be looking up at the defense instead of at the football — and Jayden Curry recovers for Maine.

Peevy is pressured by Thomas to Eli Mahan, but Robert Spears-Jennings breaks up the pass. Peevy keeps on a read option to the right, but Eli Bowen comes up and cuts him down for a loss of 2. Peevy’s third-down throw to Moss is incomplete and forces another punt.

On first down, Arnold hands to Barnes, who follows pulling blocks from Brown and Nwaiwu, hesitates to let them in front, then bursts through a big hole down the left sideline for a gain of 29. On first-and-goal from the 8, Barnes gains 7 yards by smashing into the pile and driving it ahead to the 1-yard line. Arnold fakes a handoff to Barnes up the middle, then keeps untouched around the left side for a walk-in touchdown and a 21-7 lead. 

Kani Walker steps up to break up Peevy’s second-down throw, but on third-and-5, Peevy finds Moss on the Maine sideline in front of Walker and Billy Bowman for 12 yards. Walker breaks up another Peevy throw on first down, and after Tavion Banks gets 3 yards on a run up the middle, Kobie McKinzie chases Banks down and shoves hm out of bounds short of the sticks and forcing another punt.

The ball settles at the OU 10-yard line, and on first down, Arnold can’t connect with Tatum. But on second-and-10, Arnold has nobody open, so he breaks out of the pocket and scrambles right. Hester, who had run a 7-yard dig route on the right sideline, sees Arnold in trouble and spins away on a scramble drill. Arnold keeps his eyes downfield and sees Hester behind his defender, then on the run uncorks a perfect spiral 45 yards downfield, where Hester bobbles the ball, brings it in and outruns Alhaji Kamara for a 90-yard touchdown. It’s the Sooners’ new longest play of the year and is OU’s longest pass play since 1995, making the score 28-7.

Eweing picks up 7 yards before Bowman brings him down, but the Bears false start on second-and-3. After Peevy’s throw to Irefin is broken up by Eli Bowen, Peevy is sacked by Danny Stutsman for a loss of 4 — Stutsman’s first sack of the season.

Bowen returns the punt 8 yards, and on first down, Arnold’s deep ball over the middle to Thompson is overthrown. Barnes picks up 7 on a tough run up the middle, then cuts behind good block by Everett, Ozaeta and Howland for 15 yards. Arnold’s RPO with Barnes is pulled and thrown out to the right to Jordan in the slot for 7 yards, and Barnes smashes ahead for 7 more to pick up the first down. From the 15 and now inside a minute with all three timeouts, Arnold delivers a quick out to Sharp on the right sideline. Arnold then briefly fakes as if he’s setting up to throw, then flips an option pitch to Barnes, who follows blocks from Thompson and Jordan and outraces the defense to the pylon with 34 seconds left to give the Sooners a 35-7 halftime lead.

THIRD QUARTER

After Martin gains 5 yards on first down to open the second half, he breaks out of the backfield down the OU sideline for a gain of 8, but Spears-Jennings comes in from behind and punches the football out — then recovers it himself. 

Barnes takes a handoff left, cuts outside the cornerback, then cuts back up inside again for a 9-yard gain. Sharp chip-blocks the edge defender and runs a quick out to the right and brings in a throw from Arnold for a 7-yard gain. On first-and-10 from the 22, Arnold steps up and throws a check down to Ivan Carreon, who pushes forward for 3 yards. On second-and-7 from the 19, Barnes outruns three defenders to the edge, then cuts up and outruns the linebacker to the left sideline, then follows good blocking by Carreon into the end zone for his third score of the day and a 42-7 OU lead. 

Peevy steps up out of trouble and throws a ball high to Moss, who tries to make a one-handed catch on the sideline, but the play is broken up by Bowman. Peevy’s second-down hitch screen pass to Ewing is broken up by Eli Bowen — nearly deflected into a turnover — and on third down, Santana-Fis only gets 1 yard on a draw before Stutsman brings him down.

Barnes’ 8-yard run is wiped out by freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis’ personal foul, and Arnold keeps for 4 yards on second-and-17. After an OU timeout, Arnold has a clean pocket and throws a high ball to Thompson on a corner route to the left side. Thompson makes a leaping catch and lands just inbounds for a 19-yard gain. Barnes and Arnold combine to pick up 6 yards on three straight running plays, and on fourth-and-4, Arnold slips a quick slant to Hester on the right side, and Hester breaks a tackle to pick up 14 yards. After Barnes gets 1, Arnold swings a pass out to Franklin on the left side for 6 yards, and on third-and-3, Franklin slashes off the right side for 6 more. Arnold keeps to the left side for 9 yards behind blocks from Thompson and Kaden Helms, who’s playing for just the fourth time this season. Helms’ patience pays off of the next play as Arnold finds him out of the backfield over the middle, and Helms reaches up to catch a deflected pass for his first catch of the second, the second of his career and his first career touchdown, giving OU a 49-7 lead. 

Ford stops Banks for 2 yards on first down, and Dasan McCullough brings down Nick Laughlin on a 3-yard pass completion. Then on third-and-5, Peevy is sacked by a crimson swarm, led by 5-star freshman David Stone, who gets Peevy for his first career sack.

Peyton Bowen finally pops one on a punt return, juking defender and breaking tackles on a 46-yard runback, but Owen Heinecke is flagged for holding. Michael Hawkins steps in at quarterback, and after Barnes gains 4, Hawkins throws a quick RPO toss to Zion Kearney for 5 yards. Tatum follows man blocking through a big hole for 9 yards, and Hawkins RPOs to throw again, but this time keeps and scrambles for 10 yards. Tatum gets taken down for a loss of 2, but on second-and-12, Hawkins executes a read option and darts through the Maine defense for a gain of 20. After Hawkins is stuffed for no gain,, Franklin finishes the quarter with an 8-yard run to the left side.

FOURTH QUARTER

Franklin gets 2 on third-and-2, but Helms is flagged for holding on Hawkins’ 4-yard run. On first-and-goal from the 18, Franklin gets 3, and then Hawkins dumps a short throw to Franklin for 9. Hawkins’ third-down throw to Ivan Carreon is incomplete, and Schmit comes on for a 24-yard field goal to put the Sooners up 52-7.

Venables was frustrated on the Bears’ opening drive, and he feels it again as Maine starts out with a third-and-10 after a nice pass breakup by Hardy and a big tackle for no gain on a running play by Michael Boganowski. But then Peevy connects with Gillette for 12 yards in front of Jacobe Johnson. After a Maine timeout, Ewing gets 11 yards off the left side, and then Peevy drops a perfect throw deep over the middle to Gillette for a 47-yard gain to the OU 5. From there, Laughlin runs it in for a touchdown to cut OU’s lead to 52-14.

Xavier Robinson is now at running back, and he slashes through the defense for 9 yards on third-and-8. After Robinson carries again for 4 yards, Hawkins fakes a handoff to him, then after Robinson slips out of the backfield to the left, he catches a swing pass from Hawkins, takes a hit from a Maine defender on the sideline and stays inbounds, follows Carreon’s block and gets 46 yards to the 14-yard line. Robinson runs over a defender again to the 9, smashes over a linebacker again to the 4, then does it a fourth time for a 4-yard touchdown run that puts the Sooners up 59-14.

Even though the OU defense now consists strict of reserves and freshmen, there is more frustration ahead for Venables as Maine and backup quarterback Anthony Harris converts third-and-10, fourth-and-7 and fourth-and-8 on a 17-play, 67-yard drive that takes the final 6:17 off the clock. But after the Black Bears reach first-and-goal at the OU 8, Jeremiah Newcombe turns in a terrific pass deflection on the goal line, and Harris’ final throw to Ewing falls incomplete as the clock expires.