Sooners lose SEC road game to Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Oklahoma led 14-10 at halftime, but fell to No. 18 Mississippi 26-14 Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Southeastern Conference contest marked the first game in Oklahoma history played in the state of Mississippi.
OXFORD, Miss. — Oklahoma led 14-10 at halftime, but fell to No. 18 Mississippi 26-14 Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Southeastern Conference contest marked the first game in Oklahoma history played in the state of Mississippi.
Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold finished 22-of-31 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with redshirt junior tight end Bauer Sharp on an 11-yard touchdown in the first quarter and evening the square at 7 with 2:18 left in the first frame. Sharp registered a career- and game-high eight receptions for a team-high 53 yards in the game.
After Ole Miss pulled ahead on a 35-yard field goal by Caden Davis in the second quarter, Arnold found freshman wide receiver Jacob Jordan for a nine-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining in the half, capping OU’s 13-play, 92-yard touchdown drive and giving OU the 14-10 edge at the break. It was OU’s longest drive of the season in terms of distance.
The Sooners (4-4 overall, 1-4 in SEC play) outgained the Rebels 235 to 162 in total yardage and converted 7-of-9 third-down attempts, and Arnold completed 10-of-13 passes for 110 yards and two TDs and rushed 13 times for 44 yards in the first half.
Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2) scored 16 unanswered points in the second half, including two touchdowns in the third quarter.
Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman recorded a team-high nine tackles, finishing with 1.5 tackles for a loss. Stutsman and redshirt sophomore linebacker Kobie McKinzie combined to stop Ole Miss for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, leading to OU’s touchdown drive to take the lead before halftime.
Senior defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. and redshirt sophomore linebacker Kip Lewis each tallied seven tackles. Junior linebacker Dasan McCullough made his first start of the season after missing the first five games with an injury, and finished with five tackles and his first tackle for a loss of the season.
Junior running back Jovantae Barnes led all rushers in the game with 67 yards on 16 carries and totaled 57 receiving yards on five catches.
The Sooners will step out of SEC action this week as they will welcome the Maine Black Bears to Owen Field for a 1:30 p.m. Saturday contest.
