Sooner Football Takeaways: Kent State

Sooner Football is rolling on down the schedule after last week’s defeat of the UTEP Miners. This week they took on Kent State at home in Norman.

The first half of the game was a little concerning for Sooner fans everywhere. However, patience was a virtue for Oklahoma; getting the touchdown right before halftime certainly put the wind directly in the Sooners’ sails. Oklahoma finally broke through in the second half of the game and showed why they were the favorite to win the game.

Although the Sooners won 33-3, they did get off to a slow start, punting on their first four possessions. Dillon Gabriel looked a little lost in the first half of the game, but he completed 21 of 28 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns, and the running game netted 134 yards. Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops, and Marcus Major scored four touchdowns for the Sooners.

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UTEP Was Preseason; This is Week 1

If you are a Sooner fan watching this game, you probably wondered where the team from last week had gone. To use an NFL analogy, last week was a preseason game, but this is actually the first week for the Sooners. It was a test against a high-tempo team, just like the Sooners. So naturally, the defense for Kent State was used to playing against it, and the same would be said for the Sooners’ defense. The first points were not put up until almost halfway through the second quarter, and it was a field goal for Kent State. Luckily, the Sooners could gain that momentum in the third quarter and avoided falling victim to an upset.

Mims Has a Great Game

Saying that Mims had a great game against Kent State is really an understatement. It was the best game of his OU career, with seven catches for 163 yards and two touchdown catches of 36 and 58 yards. He also had a 41-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter. This is the fifth game he has had with two touchdowns, and the season is just getting started. Look for him to continue to have more games with a high number of catches for a large number of yards. He has been a difference maker before, and he will do it again this season.

Defense Looked Good

Danny Stutsman led the defense with 12 tackles, which was his first career double-digit tackle game. Justin Broiles and Billy Bowman each had 11 stops, and Bowman also had a fumble recovery. In addition, Justin Harrington got an interception, and David Ugwoegbu got the Sooners a safety by forcing Collin Schlee out of the end zone. While they were looking better than their teammates on offense, it still took them a while to settle down, but once they did, they looked good.

Fix It Before the Next Game

Whatever was going on with the Sooners’ offense, they need to figure it out and fix it before next week’s game at Nebraska. They will not be able to play against Nebraska and expect a good outcome, even though Nebraska is off to its own shaky start to the season. Once they get past next week’s game, it is all Big 12 from there, so the game against Nebraska will show how ready Oklahoma is for the rest of the season. While doing their job against Kent State, the defense can always use improvement.

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