The Oklahoma Sooners and LSU Tigers met in Baton Rouge for a Thanksgiving throwdown. It’s been another chaotic weekend for college football, but for Oklahoma fans, there was only one game that mattered. In a holiday brawl like this, only one was going to walk away the victor.
Oklahoma Sooners End Season With Loss Against LSU
No Early Advantages For Oklahoma Sooners or LSU
Head Coach Brian Kelly was embraced tonight with a cacophony of boos from the LSU faithful. From wasting timeouts due to miscommunication and the general season overall, it’s no surprise. That translated to the field. Garrett Nussmeier and the Tigers spent the first several minutes tentatively dancing around the Oklahoma Sooners.
Just like two boxers circling each other in the ring, the Sooners and LSU were testing the waters. Neither was willing to risk it early on in this game. A few slow, experimental jabs ultimately didn’t mean much. The Sooners’ defense could pressure Nussmeier into incompletions. Likewise, the LSU defense held Jackson Arnold and the Sooners offense down tight.
When the Sooners bit on a blitz, Nussmeier shot it out to Kyren Lacy for an early LSU touchdown. The Oklahoma defense wasted no time in firing back. Gracen Halton slamming into Nussmeier on the next drive sent the ball out of his hands. R Mason Thomas quickly scooped it up and ran it in for a touchdown to even the game. At 7-7, neither team could claim the momentum.
Oklahoma’s Second Quarter Frenzy
Black Friday may be over, but Arnold and the Sooners were still fighting hard. After slamming Nussmeier to the ground, things were looking up for Oklahoma. As the LSU staff were removing Nussmeier’s pads and taking him to the back, the Sooners defense was seizing the moment.
While backup quarterback AJ Swann attempted to get something going for the Tigers, the Sooners defense kept up the pressure. Three straight incompletions later LSU had to settle for a field goal. With momentum now on their side, Arnold and the Sooners offense set their sights on the end zone.
Arnold is not a passing quarterback. So when he laid in a deep pass to J.J. Hester for a fifty-yard gain, you can bet that the entire stadium stood up in amazement. A 28-yard breakaway run for the sophomore quarterback kept the momentum swinging in Oklahoma’s favor. Xavier Robinson, the breakout star of the Alabama game, punched it in for the touchdown. Unfortunately, that 14-10 lead would be very brief.
LSU’s Dominant Second Half
While Nussmeier was warming up, LSU’s Aaron Anderson caught the Oklahoma kickoff and began sprinting down the field. 99 yards later LSU took back the lead. The last time a team got the better of the Sooners’ kickoff team was Oklahoma State during the 2021 Bedlam game when Brennan Presley ran 100 yards for the return touchdown.
After that moment, the Oklahoma offense didn’t collapse- but it certainly stopped making an impact. Just like at Vanderbilt, LSU began containing Arnold’s scrambles. Even Robinson had nowhere to go as the Tigers’ defense halted him at the line time and time again. The second half was, quite frankly, over the moment LSU began to adapt.
Nauseous from the pain of his shoulder injury, Nussmeier was still able to slice up the Sooners’ defense throughout the second half. On the other side, the LSU defense kept Arnold contained and the passing opportunities to a minimum. To borrow a phrase from the Oklahoma legend Jim “J.R.” Ross, the Sooners’ second-half effort was bowling shoe ugly.
By The Numbers
The Oklahoma Sooners are leaving Baton Rouge with 277 total offensive yards and 29 minutes of possession time. Arnold finishes his final regular season game with 14 of 21 passes completed and 110 total yards of offense. Robinson’s running abilities were cut short by a groin injury that will likely keep him out until next year.
LSU ends their season with 395 total offensive yards against the Sooners. Nussmeier, though injured, completed 22 of 31 passes and attained 3 touchdowns and 277 total yards of offense for LSU.
What’s Next for the Oklahoma Sooners?
While other teams are heading for a conference championship, the Sooners are quietly ending their season. The Stoops legacy is officially over at both Oklahoma and Kentucky this year- and that means it’s time to look to the future. Head Coach Brent Venables and the Sooners are narrowing in on an offensive coordinator, but they still have a bowl game to play.
Most teams tend to blow off bowl games. This year, however, the Sooners need to go all out and win. No matter who the opponent is it would be an extra win that’s badly needed for both the team and the fanbase.
Ultimately, Oklahoma’s first SEC season hasn’t lived up to expectations. This loss to LSU is the best encapsulation of everything that went wrong this year. Be sure to check back in with Last Word On Sports next week as we dive in and explore the ups and downs of the Oklahoma Sooners’ tumultuous first SEC season.
