Game Primer: OU vs. Maine

Saturday, November 2

Norman

11 a.m.

University of Oklahoma

Maine

Tickets

NORMAN, OK - October 19, 2024 - Oklahoma Quarterback Jackson Arnold (#11) during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

October 31, 2024 | Football

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Oklahoma

Maine

Saturday, Nov. 2 / 11 a.m. CT / Owen Field

ESPN+ / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• In the first-ever meeting between the programs, Oklahoma (4-4, 1-4 SEC) plays host to FCS member Maine (4-4, 2-3 Colonial Athletic Association) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised by SEC Network+ and ESPN+ with Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore and Lauren Sisler announcing.

• Saturday will mark the latest in the calendar year for OU to play a regular season game against a non-conference opponent since hosting Tulsa on Nov. 3, 2001. The No. 3 Sooners won that contest 58-0.

• Oklahoma has won 48 straight games against non-conference opponents unranked in the AP poll. The Sooners' last loss against an unranked non-conference foe came at UCLA on Sept. 17, 2005 (41-24; OU was ranked No. 21). Their last such loss at home came two games earlier 17-10 to TCU on Sept. 3; OU was ranked No. 7). FCS teams are eligible to be ranked in the AP poll.

• The Sooners' current two-game home losing streak is just their second since the start of the 1999 season (also in 2014). The last time OU lost three straight home contests was in 1997.

• A winner of three of its last five games, Maine is coming off a 24-14 road loss to No. 15 Rhode Island on Saturday in a game that was tied in the fourth quarter. A week earlier, it posted a 35-7 home win over No. 5 Villanova en route to being named Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week. It was the Black Bears' highest-ranking victory since 2018. They scored the game's first 35 points, registered seven sacks, force four turnovers and held Villanova to 35 rushing yards (it averaged 205 per game entering the day).

• This week's AP poll is the just the third since the final version of the 2022 season in which OU is not ranked. The Sooners had been ranked in 23 straight polls prior to Oct. 23.

• The 2024 season marks the 130th in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference championships, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, and fourth with their 57 bowl appearances, 31 bowl wins (tied) and 417 NFL Draft picks.

• Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 704 wins (29 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).

NORMAN, OK - October 19, 2024 - Oklahoma Wide receiver Jacob Jordan (#88) during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

GAME CAPTAINS

• This week's OU game captains are redshirt sophomore linebacker Kip Lewis, junior linebacker Dasan McCullough, fifth-year tight end Jake Roberts, sixth-year offensive lineman Michael Tarquin, sixth-year defensive lineman Da'Jon Terry and junior wide receiver Brenen Thompson.

FOR THE FANS

• Approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game (11:15 a.m. this Saturday), OU players and coaches will arrive at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium via team buses and walk to their stadium entrance while being cheered by fans. This year's "Walk of Champions" path originates from the Jenkins Ave./Brooks St. intersection just northeast of the stadium (view map here). The team will be led by the Sooner Schooner and OU Spirit.

• Once again, "Party at the Palace, Presented by Allstate" will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for fans of all ages, this week running from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Highlights include sponsor giveaways, music, food trucks and other vendors, Devon Energy's innovative STEM program "SportsLabs" and more. Additionally, the Sooner Radio Network (flagship 107.7 The Franchise) originates the start of its pregame show live from Party at the Palace beginning three hours prior to kickoff.

• OU announced a significant expansion of its public tailgating options for its debut football season in the SEC. The university has established new public tailgating areas at prime locations, including Boyd Lawn, along Asp Ave. and near Oklahoma Memorial Union. More details are available here.

• A reminder that umbrellas are not permitted inside Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. For a full list of OU game day policies, procedures and additional fan information, click here.

KEY STORYLINES

• The Sooners are 11-3 against programs currently in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), but have played only seven such games since the start of the 1952 season. In those seven contests, the Sooners beat Indiana State 49-0 in 1999 (Bob Stoops' first game as OU head coach), Chattanooga 57-2 in 2008, Idaho State 64-0 in 2009, Florida A&M 69-13 in 2012, South Dakota 70-14 in 2019, Missouri State 48-0 in 2020 and Western Carolina 76-0 in 2021. That's a combined total of 433-29. OU is 3-2 against Drake (games played between 1920 and '26 when both teams were members of the Missouri Valley Conference) and 1-1 versus William & Mary (games played in 1942 and '51).

• Oklahoma's 329 total yards and 147 rushing yards in a 26-14 loss at No. 18/18 Ole Miss on Saturday were its highest totals since the third game of the season against Tulane. OU also tied a season high with 22 completions against the Rebels. The contest marked the first with co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley serving as offensive play-caller and with Kevin Johns as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

• Neither Oklahoma nor Maine has produced a 100-yard rusher or a 100-yard receiver in a game this season. The Sooners are averaging 293.3 yards of offense per game (116.5 rushing and 176.8 passing) while the Black Bears are averaging 316.8 yards of offense per contest (116.5 rushing and 200.3 passing).

• Junior running back Jovantae Barnes' two best rushing performances this season have come in the last two games. Barnes had 70 yards on 17 carries (4.1 average) two weeks ago against South Carolina and ran for 67 yards on 16 carries (4.2 average) on Saturday at Ole Miss.

• True freshman receiver Jacob Jordan, who saw limited action in the season-opening win over Temple (no catches), did not play in OU's next five games. Over the last two contests, he has totaled 12 receptions for 124 yards. He had six catches for 86 yards against South Carolina and six more grabs for 38 yards and his first career touchdown at Ole Miss.

• Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman ranks 11th in OU history with his 338 career tackles and needs 15 tackles to tie former defensive lineman Kevin Murphy (1981-85) for 10th.

• During the Brent Venables era (since the start of the 2022 season), Oklahoma's defense ranks second in the nation with its 43 interceptions (UNLV has 45). The Sooners have registered at least one interception in 11 of their last 14 games and in 27 of their last 34. Maine has thrown just four interceptions on its 216 pass attempts this season (one every 54 passes). The Black Bears rank sixth out of 123 FCS teams by completing 70% of their pass attempts.

• In the Sooners' four wins this season they have outscored opponents 56-6 off turnovers. In their four losses they have been outscored 41-0 off turnovers.

• Since the start of the 2023 campaign, OU is 12-0 when it wins the turnover battle (4-0 this year) and 2-6 when it loses it (0-4 this year). Maine has committed nine turnovers in its eight games and is +3 in turnover margin on the season.

• OU has featured a different starting offensive line in seven of its eight contests this season, and 10 Sooners have started at least one contest. Febechi Nwaiwu (right guard all eight games) and Jacob Sexton (four games at left tackle and four at left guard) have started all eight games. Other starters have been Michael Tarquin (three games at left tackle and four at right tackle), Branson Hickman (four games at center), Jake Taylor (four games at right tackle), Heath Ozaeta (three games at left guard), Troy Everett (started the last two games at center), Joshua Bates (two games at center), Logan Howland (two games at left tackle) and Geirean Hatchett (one game at left guard; out for the year).

100TH YEAR OF GAYLORD FAMILY – OKLAHOMA MEMORIAL STADIUM

• 2024 marks the 100th season of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. OU owns a sparkling 421-88-15 (.818) all-time record at the "Palace on the Prairie" and has faced 95 opponents there (Maine will mark the 96th foe).

• The first game played at the current stadium site, called Owen Field and named after former head coach and athletics director Bennie Owen (a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame), took place in 1923, before stadium construction got underway. On Oct. 17, 1925, the first contest was played in front of the new 16,000-seat west stands, a 7-0 victory over Drake in which Roy "Goat" Lamb scored the game's only touchdown on a 2-yard run in muddy conditions.

• Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, named in honor of university personnel who died in World War I, was erected at a cost of $293,000 and dedicated on Nov. 7, 1925. Almost since its inception, the stadium has been a work in progress, with countless expansions and improvements taking place. Prior to the 2002 season, the stadium was renamed "Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium" after a generous donation helped complete one of those expansions. Capacity peaked at 83,489 from 2016-18, but dropped to its current figure of 80,126 in 2019 after seat and aisle widening.

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS

• The Sooners are 143-15 (.905) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, giving them just one more home loss than conference titles during the period. It is the second-best home winning percentage in the country over the last 25-plus seasons (Boise State [.906] ranks first and Ohio State [.898] ranks third). OU has outscored its foes by an average of 43-18 in those games.

• Oklahoma has sold out 157 straight originally scheduled home contests dating back to the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first as head coach). Only Nebraska has a longer current streak.

R MASE IN YOUR FACE

• Junior defensive lineman R Mason Thomas is tied for 16th nationally and tied for fifth in the SEC with his 6.0 sacks, and all of them have come in the last six games (3.0 vs. Tulane, 0.5 vs. Tennessee, 2.0 at Auburn, 0.5 vs. South Carolina).

• Thomas has racked up 5.0 of his 6.0 sacks in the fourth quarter and with OU protecting leads. Against Tulane, his 3.0 sacks came in the span of two drives. In one series, Thomas recorded a sack on first down, a pass breakup on third down and another sack on fourth down. On one of his sacks he was credited with a forced fumble and recovery, and added a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry on the day. He was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.

• With OU leading 24-21 at Auburn and under four minutes to go, Thomas recorded a 6-yard sack on third down and a 13-yard sack the next play to give the ball to the Sooners on the Tigers' 25-yard line.

• Thomas became the first Sooner since defensive end Charles Tapper in 2015 to register at least 5.5 sacks over a three-game span (Tapper had 6.0).

• Thomas' lone six career starts have come this season (he did not start against Tennessee or Texas because of opponent offensive personnel; OU started five DBs in both). In his 19 games over the 2022 and '23 campaigns, he logged 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

MORE ON THE DEFENSE

• Oklahoma's defense made big strides in year two under Brent Venables in 2023, and many analysts predicted the improvement to continue this season. That includes Phil Steele, who this summer ranked OU's linebacker and defensive back units each as second best nationally and No. 1 in the SEC.

• The Sooners rank in the top 10 nationally in several defensive categories, including tackles for loss per game (sixth at 8.2), yards allowed per rush (sixth at 2.8) and sacks per game (seventh at 3.3). They also rank 16th in red zone defense (.739), 17th in turnovers gained (15) and 21st in rushing defense (106.0 ypg) and rushing touchdowns allowed (seven).

• AP and CBS Sports midseason first-team All-America linebacker and Butkus Award-hopeful Danny Stutsman ranks third in the SEC with his 8.9 tackles per game and has 6.5 TFLs and three QB hurries. The senior has led OU in tackles each of the last two seasons (125 in 2022, 104 in 2023) and has 338 career stops to rank 11th in Sooner history.

• Junior defensive linemen Gracen Halton and R Mason Thomas entered the season with a combined 8.0 career tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, but through eight games this season have teamed for 12.5 TFLs and 10.0 sacks. Halton was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after registering a career-high 2.0 TFLs (11-yard sack and a 5-yard safety) in a 16-12 win over Houston in week two. He has 5.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, a safety and two QB hurries. Thomas turned in a 3.0-sack effort vs. Tulane in which he also logged a forced fumble and recovery, a pass breakup and a QB hurry en route to being named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. In OU's win at Auburn, he registered sacks on back-to-back fourth-quarter plays with OU clinging to a 24-21 lead. Thomas has team highs of 7.5 TFLs, 6.0 sacks and seven QB hurries on the year. He ranks 16th nationally and fifth in the SEC with his 6.0 sacks, which are already more than any Sooner had last season.

• Sophomore linebacker Sammy Omosigho's first career starts came in the Auburn and Texas games, filling in for injured Kendel Dolby at OU's "Cheetah" position. Omosigho ranks sixth on the team with his 22 tackles, which are already 15 more than he had in his 10 games last season. He ranks fifth on the squad with 4.5 tackles for loss and has two QB hurries. Junior linebacker Jaren Kanak got the start at "Cheetah" two weeks ago vs. South Carolina (his first start of the season; three tackles), while junior linebacker Dasan McCullough got the start at the position on Saturday at Ole Miss (first start of the season; five tackles and a TFL).

• Oklahoma is tied for eighth nationally by allowing just 22 rushes of 10 or more yards and ranks 13th by allowing just five rushes of at least 20 yards (22-yarder by Auburn, three by Texas and one by South Carolina).

• OU has allowed only 17 touchdowns on its opponents' 101 possessions (one every six possessions). The defense has forced 44 punts and has recorded 13 takeaways, a safety and six turnovers on downs.

NORMAN, OK - October 19, 2024 - Oklahoma Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas (#32) and Oklahoma Defensive lineman Trace Ford (#30) during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

REVAMPED QB ROOM

• Oklahoma's quarterbacks room looks drastically different than it did last season, with only one returning signal-caller on this year's roster. The lone returning QB is sophomore Jackson Arnold, the 2022-23 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, who took over for two-year starter and unanimous 2023 first-team All-Big 12 honoree Dillon Gabriel. A graduate transfer, Gabriel, who is now at Oregon, entered the year ranked fourth in FBS history in career touchdowns accounted for (152), seventh in career passing yards (14,865) and eighth in career passing TDs (125).

• Arnold played in seven games as a true freshman last season, completing 44 of 69 passes for 563 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing 31 times for 116 yards and a score. He started in the Alamo Bowl against No. 14 Arizona and threw for 361 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also played the entire second half at BYU on Nov. 18, directing OU from a 17-17 halftime tie to a 31-24 win.

• Arnold, who started Oklahoma's first four games this season as well as this past Saturday's game at Ole Miss, has completed 101 of 169 pass attempts (60%) for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns versus three interceptions on the year. He has also rushed for 148 yards and has a team-high-tying two rushing TDs.

• Freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. entered the Tennessee game late in the first half, finished that contest and then played the entire Auburn and Texas contests. In the victory at Auburn, he became just the seventh OU quarterback to start at least one game as a true freshman, and first Sooner true freshman QB to win on the road in his first career start. In the next game, he became the first OU true freshman QB to start against Texas. Hawkins Jr. also started the South Carolina game before being replaced after the Sooners' third possession

• In his four SEC games, Hawkins Jr. is 43 for 68 through the air (63%) for 459 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. He has also rushed 47 times for 103 yards and a TD. He completed 11 of 18 pass attempts for 132 yards and a TD against Tennessee, and rushed 12 times for 22 yards with no turnovers. At Auburn, he was 10 of 15 passing for 161 yards and rushed 14 times for 69 yards, including a 48-yard TD. Versus Texas, he completed 19 of 30 passes for 148 yards and had 20 carries for 27 yards (lost 34 yards on sacks). And against South Carolina, he was 3 of 5 through the air for 18 yards (two interceptions) and lost a fumble.

• Hawkins Jr. was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN, On3 and Rivals and as the No. 3 dual-threat QB recruit in the country by Rivals and No. 7 by ESPN. His father, Michael, played cornerback for Oklahoma under Bob Stoops in 2002 before spending multiple years in the NFL.

MORE ON THE OFFENSE

• Junior running back Jovantae Barnes leads the team with his 374 rushing yards (averaging 3.6 yards per carry) and has two rushing touchdowns. He is coming off his two best performances of the year - a 70-yard rushing day vs. South Carolina and a 67-yard rushing effort at Ole Miss (also caught five passes for 57 yards, both career highs). Freshman Taylor Tatum, the consensus No. 1 running back nationally in the 2024 class, is averaging 5.8 yards on his 33 rushes (191 total yards) and has run for a pair of TDs and caught another. He missed the Auburn game due to injury.

• Redshirt sophomore running back Gavin Sawchuk started each of the first three games but has been held to 42 yards on 20 carries on the year. Sawchuk ran for over 100 yards in each of the last five games in 2023.

• OU's tight ends combined for 20 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games last season. This year, tight ends Bauer Sharp and Jake Roberts have already totaled 41 catches for 334 yards and three TDs. Sharp leads the squad with 32 catches and 242 receiving yards, and has two scores.

• Redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks leads the team with his 6.5 catches per game and three receiving touchdowns, which all came in the first half against Temple. In that game, Burks became the first Sooner to register three receiving TDs in his OU debut. Burks' 26 receptions are the most ever by a player in the first four games of his OU career. The Purdue transfer, who has missed the last four games due to injury, entered the season with seven career receiving TDs (all in 2023).

• Redshirt sophomore receiver Nic Anderson sustained an injury in August camp and has missed all but one game this season (he started vs. Tennessee but left the game in the first half and has not played since). Anderson earned 2023 freshman All-America honors from The Athletic after catching 38 passes for 798 yards and a team-high-tying 10 TDs. He averaged 21.0 yards per catch to rank fifth nationally.

• Senior receiver Andrel Anthony tore his ACL in last year's game against Texas (Oct. 5), returned to play limited snaps in this season's opener vs. Temple (one catch) but hasn't played since. Before last season's injury, Anthony led OU with 429 yards on 27 catches.

• Senior receiver Jalil Farooq was lost to injury in the first half of the season opener against Temple and is out indefinitely. Farooq entered the year with 86 career catches for 1,229 yards and seven TDs, and 32 rushes for 235 yards. OU is also without the services of junior receiver Jayden Gibson, who was lost for the year following an August injury. Gibson caught 14 passes for 375 yards (26.8 per reception) and five TDs last season (scored in each of the last three regular season games).

• OU's offensive linemen who have played this season have combined for just 45 career starts as Sooners. Eight of the 10 who have started at least one game this season had never started at OU prior to this year (Jacob Sexton had one career start and Troy Everett four as a Sooner).

A GLANCE AT SPECIAL TEAMS

• After winning the primary placekicking job, Florida State transfer Tyler Keltner went 3 for 3 on field goals and 6 for 6 on extra-point attempts against Temple in the opener to earn SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He is 7 for 9 and 12 for 13, respectively, on the year (missed the Auburn game after having his appendix removed, returned for the Texas game but did not play the last two outings). Keltner spent his first four seasons at East Tennessee State, where he was 56 for 74 on field goals (76%) and 131 of 131 on PATs, and three times earned All-Southern Conference honors.

• Redshirt senior Zach Schmit served as OU's placekicker the last two seasons and has made 30 of his 42 (71%) career field goal attempts and all 127 of his PAT tries. His streak of 127 made extra-points is the fourth-longest in program history. Schmit, who has handled kickoffs in all eight games this season, also handled field goals and extra points at Auburn, vs. South Carolina and at Ole Miss. He has made his lone three field goal attempts of the year (two in the win at Auburn and one vs. South Carolina).

• Keltner and Schmit have combined to go 10 of 12 on field goal attempts, as OU is tied for fourth in the SEC out of 16 teams with its 83% conversion rate.

• Super senior Luke Elzinga is off to a great eight-game start, ranking eighth nationally and fourth in the SEC with a 46.1-yard average on his 45 punts (16 of 50+ yards; long of 63; 17 inside the 20; 14 fair catches; just two touchbacks). His performance has helped OU to a No. 13 national ranking with its 43.0-yard net punting average. Elzinga has already been named to the Ray Guy Award's "Ray's 8" three times this season (following the Houston, Tennessee and Auburn contests).

• Sophomore Peyton Bowen ranks 25th nationally (third in SEC) by averaging 8.6 yards on his 17 punt returns.

"TAKEAWAYS, NO GIVEAWAYS"

• The Oklahoma coaching staff preaches "takeaways, no giveaways" with its players and the Sooners turned that message into reality through its first five games in 2024, as they were tied for third nationally with a +1.6 turnover margin per contest (13 takeaways, five giveaways) at the time.

• That trend has reversed itself the last three games, however, as OU has totaled eight turnovers (six fumbles and two interceptions) and gained just two (an interception against Texas and a fumble at Ole Miss). The Sooners were outscored 31-0 off turnovers in those outings.

• OU has recovered nine fumble fumbles so far this season, which is three more than it had all of 2023. The nine recoveries are tied for the second most nationally.

• Nine different Sooners have each registered one fumble recovery and five different players have each logged at least one interception. Billy Bowman Jr. has two interceptions and one fumble recovery, while Robert Spears-Jennings has one of each.

• OU is outscoring opponents 56-47 off turnovers through eight games.

• Last season, OU ranked second nationally with 26 takeaways (20 interceptions) and with 111 points off takeaways (ranked first with 8.5 points per game).

• Points off turnovers were a telling stat in 2023. In OU's 10 wins last season it outscored opponents 98-17 off turnovers. In its three losses it was outscored 44-13.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (703) than any other program (next most is 674 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 30).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (44), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• No program has more all-time 11-win seasons than Oklahoma's 27 (Alabama also has 27). And since the start of the 2000 season, OU and Ohio State have produced a nation-leading 18 seasons of at least 10 wins.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 12,947 points scored. Boise State (12,511) is second and Oregon (12,170) third.

• OU's 80 consensus All-Americans since 1950 lead the nation (Alabama ranks second with 77 and Ohio State third with 73). Since 2000, OU has produced 30 consensus All-Americans, second only to Alabama.

NORMAN, OK - October 19, 2024 - Sooner Schooner during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

EXTRA POINTS

• OU has won its last 88 games when holding opponents to 22 or fewer points. Its last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).

• Since the start of the 2012 season, OU is 90-7 when scoring at least 35 points and 79-4 when scoring at least 40.