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OXFORD, Miss. — OU’s offense is a mess.
“We’ve been an abomination on offense this year,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said Tuesday.
Well, it won’t be easy to get things heading in the right direction Saturday when the Sooners take on No. 18 Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi (11 a.m., ESPN).
The Sooners will debut a new offensive playcaller, in tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley, and Kevin Johns will coach the quarterbacks after Seth Littrell’s firing the day after OU’s 35-9 loss to South Carolina last week.
The matchups show a difficult time for the Sooners offensively, but the defense might be able to have success against the Rebels’ offense.
Here’s a deep look at the matchups in the game between the Sooners (4-3, 1-3 SEC) and Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2):
More: OU football coach Brent Venables best not miss on next offensive coordinator | Mussatto
When OU runs the ball: Ole Miss’ run defense very stout
It’s no secret the Sooners have struggled to run the ball effectively this season.
They did get a bit of a glimmer of hope last week when Jovantae Barnes ran for 70 yards on 17 carries — the best performance by an OU running back this season.
But while Barnes has 307 rushing yards this season, no other OU player has more than Taylor Tatum’s 149.
The Sooners have failed to reach 100 yards rushing four times in their seven games and have rushed for more than 200 yards just once — in the season opener. OU is No. 114 of 133 FBS teams, averaging 112.1 yards per game on the ground.
To say the Rebels have been stingy against the run is an understatement.
Ole Miss leads FBS in rushing defense, allowing just 66.6 yards per game.
Only South Carolina has rushed for more than 100 yards on the Rebels.
Defensive tackle JJ Pegues has been Ole Miss’ best run defender, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/edge-ou-football-vs-ole-203617700.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-10-25 20:36:17
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