NORMAN, Okla. (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 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:
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.
Time change
The game was moved up from 1:30 p.m. to 11 a.m. due to expected inclement weather.
The weather never got bad, but plans were changed. Stevens said he found out right before the team got on the plane that the game would be moved up. He said his team was prepared.
“I would say like that’s the one thing that probably helps us is that we do practice early in the morning,” he said. “The players are accustomed to getting up early and getting going. So I thought they responded really well.”
Another Moss
Montigo Moss, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Randy Moss, entered the game as Maine’s top receiver with 42 catches for 441 yards. He was held to 20 yards on two catches.
Joe Gillette led the Black Bears with three catches for 64 yards.
Up Next
Maine: Hosts Bryant on Saturday.
Oklahoma: Visits No. 25 Missouri on Saturday.
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