Observations on the loss to Oklahoma, 13-24
Oklahoma converted 4 red zone trips for 24 points; Michigan gained two red zones for 3 points. The Wolverine offense was gifted 2 turnovers, but could only muster 3 points. Oklahoma gained a quick lead on their first possession, and led the whole way; the Sooners dominated the game with a stout defense.
Offense was held to 288 net yards with 146 on the ground, and 12 first downs; Michigan was 3 of 15 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. They had 4 "3 and outs" in 12 possessions, and could only gain 4 first downs by rushing the ball. Bryce Underwood was 9 of 24 for 142 yards; he was flustered, and lost his poise while overthrowing and underthrowing many targets. Justice Haynes ran 19 times for 125 yards and a TD. Haynes and Underwood got into an argument on the sidelines, and both players and coaches had to intervene in the situation. Jordan Marshall ran 9 times for 28 yards. Donoven McCulley caught 3 passes for 91 yards. Channing Goodwin caught a 25 yarder. Semaj Morgan caught a 19 yarder. Zach Marshall caught a 12 yard pass. Offensive line couldn't handle the Sooner front nor their run blitzes; our best offensive linemen, Giovanni El-Hadi left the game with a bad ankle injury. Brent Venables is one of the finest defensive minds in the country, and he made our offense look non-existent. When the offense gained a two turnover advantage, they went "3 and out," and could only manage a field goal. Time of possession was dominated by Oklahoma with 4 and half minutes which led to running 18 more offensive plays.
The Sooners gained 408 net yards with 138 on the ground; they had 22 first downs, and were 10 of 18 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. John Mateer hit 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards and a TD with an interception; he also ran 19 times for 74 yards and 2 TDs. The Sooner running game had 9 of their 22 first downs by running the ball. Former Michigander, Deion Burks grabbed 7 catches for 101 yards and a TD; he is another of many examples of a local recruit that the coaches passed on, and is now a Division I star. Keontez Lewis had 3 catches for 36 yards. Jaren Kanak had 5 catches for 69 yards. Isaiah Satenga caught 4 passes for 44 yards. Jovontae Barnes ran 6 times for 24 yards, and had a 16 yard reception. The Sooners executed an 8:27 4th quarter drive that iced the game for them with a final red zone field goal; in the 4th quarter, they possessed the ball for 11:32 of the 15 minutes. Ernest Hausmann had 11 tackles for Michigan. Brandyn Hillman had 7 tackles. Defense got 2 sacks and 4 quarterback hits on Mateer, but our defensive backfield was shredded by Mateer and the Oklahoma game plan which targeted our weak safety play early in the game.
Special Teams gained a turnover that led to a field goal, and hit two of three field goals, but it was not a great night as we were forced into 6 punts in 12 possessions while the Sooners only punted 4 times. Oklahoma definitely won the battle of field position.
This team has a lot of work to do to get better. At present, losses to USC and Ohio State appear immiment, but we could also lose games to Nebraska and others. We will have to improve drastically to get an 8 or 9 win season. Neither our offensive nor defensive lines are championship caliber. Go Blue!
