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BATON ROUGE, La. — OU had all the momentum just past the midpoint of the third quarter Saturday at LSU.
The Sooners had just reeled off a quick three-play, 75-yard scoring drive that featured a deep shot to J.J. Hester and a 28-yard run by Jackson Arnold.
Xavier Robinson’s short touchdown run put OU ahead for the first time in the game.
But then disaster struck.
Aaron Anderson returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the first kick return for a touchdown against the Sooners since Oklahoma State’s Brennan Presley in 2021.
“It was a big momentum shift for them,” Hester said.
The Sooners had given up just 10 kickoff returns for 163 total yards going into the game.
“I know we gave up 100-yard kickoff return tonight, but our special teams has been a real weapon for us,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “Field position has been excellent. We’ve improved probably 90-plus spots in every area of special teams.”
But after Anderson’s touchdown, the Sooners dropped to No. 121 of 133 nationally in kick-return defense.
The Sooners are No. 87 in kick returns, averaging 18.92 yards per carry, No. 28 in punt-return defense at 4.86 yards per return and No. 10 in net punting at 42.59.
Here’s a look at the rest of the OU stock report after the Sooners’ 37-17 loss to the Tigers:
More: Can Ben Arbuckle save OU football’s beleaguered offense? West Texas roots bode well
OU football stock report
Stock rising
Jackson Arnold, quarterback: Although OU’s offense was mostly stuck in low gear vs. LSU, Arnold was solid. He didn’t try to force things, made the right decisions on read-option plays for the most part and finished with 75 yards on 17 carries and completed 14 of 21 passes for 110 yards.
Gracen Halton, defensive tackle: Halton forced an early fumble and finished as the Sooners’ highest-graded player vs. LSU,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-football-stock-report-sooners-111518015.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-12-03 11:15:00
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