Halftime Huddle: The Sooners trail LSU 24-17

BATON ROUGE, La. – It was a step forward and a step back for Oklahoma.

The Sooners trailed LSU 24-17 at halftime after some up-and-down momentum. The Sooners led 14-10 midway through the second quarter, then the score was 17-17 toward the end of the first half. However, a late LSU touchdown left the Sooners behind again at halftime.

Here’s a look at what’s happened so far:

If anyone has proven he’s not afraid of Death Valley at night, it’s him R Mason Thomas And Gracen Halton.

Halton was a menace on the interior defensive line, leading the Sooners in tackles (6) with a sack and a tackle for loss. He was also the catalyst for the Sooners’ biggest play.

With LSU stuck deep in its own territory, Halton swept past the LSU offensive line and struck Garrett Nussmeierwho fumbled around. The person there to pick it up? Thomas, who returned the ball from nine yards for a score. The game ended 7-7 towards the end of the first quarter.

That wasn’t the only big play for Thomas. The junior was a nightmare the entire first half and blasted the left side of the offensive line for a sack in the second quarter.

The hit also injured Nussmeier, who left the game and did not play the next series. Nussmeier didn’t return until late in the second quarter.

Thomas has two tackles, a TFL and a sack.

The Sooners’ offense seemed lost in the first quarter. They recorded just 24 yards and one first down on their first three drives and only owned the ball for 3:37 of game time in the first quarter.

Then suddenly Arnold found JJ Hester for a 50-yard bomb that opened the second quarter drive. Then Arnold ran a quarterback keeper down to the two-yard line and Xavier Robinson hit the ball for the score, capping a three-play, 75-yard drive.

That possession, which came in the 23rd minute of the game, gave the Sooners their first offensive points of the night.

Arnold, who didn’t record a single rushing attempt in the first quarter, kept going on the next drive. Arnold made gains of 12 and 10 yards respectively and found Jacob Jordan for a 17-yard completion that set up a 44-yard field.

While the offense found a rhythm in the second quarter, Robinson got off to a slow start, turning seven carries into 17 yards. Gavin Sawchuk (1 carry, -1 yard) is the only other running back to have played.

The Sooners finished the first half with 152 yards rushing. 133 of those yards came in the second quarter.

While Thomas and Halton had some game-changing plays, it was an inconsistent performance for OU’s defense.

Midway through the first quarter, the Tigers scored their first points of the game on seven plays and 53 yards. This drive was capped off by an 18-yard touchdown from Nussmeier Kyren Lacywhich was wide open. It seemed like the Sooners had a bust in coverage.

Shortly before half time Nussmeier found the ball Chris Hilton Jr. for a 40-yard touchdown down the left sideline. Eli Bowen was there in coverage, but Hilton Jr. made an excellent play in the air.

However, this was indicative of the explosive plays the Sooners have allowed. The Sooners have allowed five plays of 15 yards or more – including a 50-yard rush Caden Durham that set up a field goal, marking the first 50-yard rush allowed by OU’s defense this season. The Sooners came into the game ranked eighth nationally in rushes of 20 yards or more (6).

To top it off, the Sooners allowed a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter. It’s the first kickoff return for a touchdown the Sooners have allowed since 2021, and it came immediately after Robinson’s two-yard score that gave OU a 14-10 lead.

If the Sooners hope to win, they must first limit LSU’s explosive plays.