Oklahoma Sooners have to fix a random issue that Ben Arbuckle created against the Michigan Wolverines before it’s too late
The Oklahoma Sooners have to fix the run game, and it won’t be easy. It’s up to Ben Arbuckle to get it right.
The Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Ann Arbor and got absolutely embarrassed. This was one of the worst games Oklahoma has played in some time, and the Sooners reverted to their old ways on offense. The frustrating part? The run game worked when they actually used it. They just stopped using it.
Travis Davidson tweeted out the rushing attempt distribution, broken down by position. Quarterback John Mateer and wide receiver Sategna combined for 16 rushing attempts. All other running backs had 13. Some of Mateer’s attempts were quarterback scrambles, and that’s just what he does. But some of those were designed runs, and that distribution is not acceptable when the ground game was producing.
John Williams also posted the numbers on social media: only five carries for running back Lloyd Avant, only seven carries for all running backs combined. Look at Avant’s line. He finished with five carries for 33 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. That is more than half a first down every time he touches the ball. Why did they stop going to him?
The drive-by-drive breakdown tells the whole story
This has nothing to do with rhythm or game flow. The drive-by-drive breakdown makes that clear. On the first drive, Avant had an 8-yard run on first down. No running back carries for the rest of the possession. On the second drive, Avant had a 6-yard run on first down. No Avant carries the rest of the possession.
On the third drive, Avant had two carries for 13 yards in the first four plays. No running back ran the rest of the drive. On the fourth drive, a three-and-out, the only play that gained yards was a running back run. On the fifth drive, they ran the ball once in eight plays. Avant gained six yards on that carry. Then halftime.
That first half is inexcusable. Oklahoma went into the transfer portal and got players like Avant. The Sooners added tight ends Rocky Beers and Hayden Hansen to fix the run game. And it’s fixed. The run game was working, and the coaching staff completely went away from it.
The game script didn’t force Oklahoma’s hand
The game script argument doesn’t hold up here, either. This was a tie game for most of the contest. Were the Sooners behind at points? Yes, but nothing so drastic that they needed to force the ball down the field. The situation called for balance, and the Sooners abandoned it.
Oklahoma has to fix whatever this issue is, or the Sooners probably won’t win another game given the schedule they face outside of New Mexico. The good news is the next game is the perfect opportunity to fix it. New Mexico is the opponent, and that’s the kind of game where you can re-establish your identity.
Now, the way the Sooners played against Michigan, they shouldn’t take anybody for granted. New Mexico just put up 70 points last week. That probably won’t happen to Oklahoma, but the Sooners need to hunker down and lock in. Why they went away from what worked against UTEP in the opener is a mystery.
This game isn’t entirely on Mateer. Was he bad? Yes. But this loss falls on offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. He has to get it fixed.
