Halftime Huddle: Xavier Robinson, Jackson Arnold lead the offense

NORMAN – Oklahoma entered Saturday night as a two-touchdown underdog to No. 7 in Alabama.

So far, that hasn’t been the story for the Sooners.

Brent Venables‘ The squad leads Alabama 10-3 at halftime and has completely dominated the tempo of the game. It’s been an old-fashioned brawl at Owen Field so far, as the teams have combined for 45 rushing attempts and just 15 passing yards.

Right now, the Sooners are winning the game in every phase. Here’s what’s happened so far:

There wasn’t a ton of optimism for OU’s offense — which has been one of the worst in the FBS — against an Alabama defense that had given up just 20 points over its last three games.

But the Sooners’ low scoring output is not indicative of their lack of success. The offense has moved the ball well. Four of the Sooners’ five offensive drives ended inside the Alabama 25-yard line.

The problem is that they are gone plenty opportunities on the field.

On the Sooners’ second drive Taylor Tatum lost a fumble at the Alabama 21-yard line, marking the team’s 14th lost fumble of the season. On the third drive, OU used eight plays to gain 54 yards to Alabama’s 21-yard line. OU executed a double pass game to near perfection before Bauer Sharp dropped a would-be touchdown. Zach Schmidt missed the 38-yard field goal on the next attempt.

Despite this, the Sooners find themselves more than in the game with Alabama, and they have done so by controlling the tempo. Instead of forcing Jackson Arnold For a pocket passer, the Sooners have been full steam ahead running the ball. The offense has run the ball 29 times for 205 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and has had no trouble moving Alabama’s defensive line. Arnold has attempted just seven passes and completed five for 35 yards. Arnold has been the biggest part of the offense, carrying the ball 15 times for 95 yards.

As a result, the Sooners have nearly doubled Alabama in time of possession (17:42-12:18). That’s the biggest reason the Sooners have outgained Alabama 242-97 in total yards.

Red Alert – The Sooners have found their offense.

Jovantae Barnes was officially listed as a game-time decision 90 minutes before kickoff, and went through pregame warmups as if he wanted to play.

Instead it was Taylor Tatum to start the game by driving back. But Brent Venables delivered on his word that Robinson would be involved in the offense in some capacity. The true freshman got his first touch on the first play of the second drive.

The result? A 40-yard run down to the Alabama 35-yard line. After Tatum fumbled the ball three plays later, the Sooners largely turned the backfield responsibilities over to Robinson, with some cameos from Gavin Sawchuk and Sam Franklin.

That decision paid off. Robinson was arguably the lead back and eventually found his way to the end zone with an 18-yard run to end the first half.

Robinson enters halftime with eight carries for 88 yards and two receptions for 15 yards. He accounts for nearly half of OU’s passing output.

With Tatum’s fumbling issues re-emerging, and with Barnes seemingly unavailable, the Sooners will likely lean on the true freshman the rest of the way.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has simply been uncomfortable so far.

The Crimson Tide has tried to use Milroe as a runner, and the Sooners haven’t allowed any pulls. Milroe has amassed -2 ​​yards on nine carries, and that has shut down the Crimson Tide’s offense.

Alabama has scored just three points on five drives, and the lone points came on Tatum’s fumble. The Sooners have stifled the Alabama rushing attack, and Milroe has completed just two of seven passes for 62 yards. The Sooners already have five tackles for loss.

Simply put, OU’s offense has kept the ball away from Alabama and the Sooners’ defense has suffocated Alabama on their limited opportunities. Alabama has run just 23 plays compared to 37 for Oklahoma, and the Crimson Tide is averaging just 4.2 yards per carry.

Danny Stutsmanrightfully on Senior Night, leads the Sooners with three tackles.