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Oklahoma Sooners Dominate Maine In Final Non-Conference Contest

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Oklahoma Sooners Dominate Maine In Final Non-Conference Contest

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NORMAN (AP) — Jovantae Barnes ran for career highs of 203 yards and three touchdowns, and Oklahoma dominated Maine 59-14 on Saturday.

Barnes said the day was more about the Sooners ending their three-game losing streak and getting their offense going after struggling all season. Oklahoma

gained a season-high 665 yards, including 381 on the ground.

“It feels good, but I can’t celebrate so much,” he said. “I think it’s a good moment to build off of this as an offense, as a team, and go on to next week’s practice and just work. So, it was a good start to something.”

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.

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

“At the end of the day, we got what we wanted accomplished,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “We got a lot of young guys with some experience. Saw some improvement with guys up front just playing through the whistle, competing, playing with confidence.”

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 — the longest run of his career — 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.

Even with the blowout loss, Maine coach Jordan Stevens saw a silver lining in having the chance to play at Oklahoma.

“I mean, Oklahoma carries some weight to it,” he said. “That was the message before the game was being present. This is a one-time opportunity. We need to make sure you’re in the moment. Make sure your head and your feet are both here and just -- happy for the players that they got that experience.”

THE TAKEAWAY 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. UP NEXT Oklahoma: Visits No. 25 Missouri on Saturday.

Now that they’re back over .500, the Sooners will hit the road to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers in week eleven, as they jump back into SEC play. We already knew that contest would be a night game, but we now know the exact kickoff time and the channel the game will be on.

Oklahoma at Missouri will be played on SEC Network and will kick off at 6:45 p.m. CT. It’s the third game of the season for the Sooners on SEC Network, following Houston and South Carolina earlier in the season.

Perhaps more importantly, it’s the fourth primetime game this season, after they had just three in 2023. OU played Temple, Houston, and Tennessee under the lights and are 2-1 in primetime games this year.

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Oklahoma Sooners Dominate Maine In Final Non-Conference Contest