The Oklahoma Sooners got a major wake-up call against the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday. The Sooners were coming off a disappointing performance against the Michigan Wolverines, but one bad game isn't something to worry about.
The concern is when that one bad performance turns into two. It becomes even more disappointing when it is against an inferior opponent. The Sooners were held to just 299 yards of offense and had 1.9 yards per carry against the New Mexico Lobos. This follows a game in which they had 289 yards of total offense and 10 points against Michigan.
Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle revealed the most frustrating part of the offensive struggles.
"At times it was really dirty and really sloppy," Arbuckle said. "I can tell you that I'm
going to go watch the film, and there's going to be things that we can be a little bit cleaner on. We can be a little bit faster, a little bit more physical. That's going to be the frustrating thing."
That assessment fits what Oklahoma has put on the field. The Sooners gained just 61 yards on 32 attempts, while quarterback John Mateer threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns but also had two interceptions. Oklahoma averaged 5.2 yards per play overall, but too many stalled possessions kept the offense from creating separation against the Lobos.
The bigger issue is that Oklahoma has now gone through two consecutive games in which the offense failed to establish itself consistently. The Sooners showed considerably more production in the season opener, including 170 rushing yards, but that success hasn't carried over against Michigan and New Mexico.
They'll need to figure out those problems before it's too late.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Ben Arbuckle reveals most frustrating parts of the Sooners' struggles
