Oklahoma Routs Maine 59-14 As Barnes Runs For 203 Yards, 3 TDs

Jackson Arnold passed for two touchdowns and ran for another and J.J. Hester had four catches for 112 yards and a score for the Sooners (5-4, 1-4 Southeastern Conference), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Oklahoma gained a season-high 665 yards, including 381 on the ground.

Saturday, November 2nd 2024, 2:41 pm

By: Associated Press

NORMAN, Okla. -

Jovantae Barnes ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and Oklahoma defeated Maine 59-14 on Saturday.

It was Oklahoma’s 49th straight win against an unranked non-conference opponent.

Carter Peevy passed for 123 yards and ran for 30 for Maine. The Sooners held the Black Bears to 251 total yards.

Maine (4-5, 2-3 Colonial Athletic Association), a Football Championship Subdivision program, fell to 4-27 all-time against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

Maine scored on its opening possession when Peevy connected with Cooper Heisey for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

Oklahoma immediately recovered. Barnes ripped off a 74-yard run on the first play of the ensuing possession, then he scored on a 2-yard run two plays later.

Oklahoma poured it on after that. Arnold completed a 90-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Hester that put the Sooners up 28-7 in the second quarter. It was the second-longest touchdown connection for the Sooners in Memorial Stadium history.

The Sooners gained 402 yards before the break — a season-high for an entire game — to take a 35-7 lead.

The Takeaway:

Maine: The Black Bears were scrappy but overmatched. They got off to a good start and were fundamentally sound, but Oklahoma was bigger, stronger and faster.

Oklahoma: The Sooners ironed out some of the kinks in their offense in the second game with Joe Jon Finley calling plays. Aside from a fumble in the second quarter and a few protection breakdowns, Oklahoma played the clean, effective game it was looking for.