Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
The regular season finale is here.
For the second consecutive year, LSU and Oklahoma will meet on Thanksgiving weekend. That reportedly changes next weekend when it looks like LSU and Arkansas will reunite on the season’s last date. The Tigers edged the Sooners last year, but that task will be tougher this time around. Brent Venables’s team is 9-2 and looking to sew up a College Football Playoff berth with a win over LSU.
The Sooners boast one of college football’s best defenses. The offense is solid if unspectacular.
The seats in Memorial Stadium will be full on Saturday afternoon. LSU will try to play spoiler.
A reminder that the smaller the ranking, the better the statistic.
Green: Top 25
Red: Bottom 50
OFFENSE
Scoring Offense: 72nd, 27.3 points per game
Total Offense: 94th, 350.1 yards per game
Yards per play: 93rd, 5.3 yards per play
Rushing Offense: 99th, 128.1 yards per game
Yards per carry: 101st, 3.8 yards per carry
Rushing Attempts per game: 89th, 34 attempts per game
Rushing Touchdowns: 71st, 17
Passing Offense: 75th, 221.9 yards per game
Passing Attempts: 55th, 31.9 attempts per game
Completion Percentage: 78th, 61.5%
Passing Touchdowns: 96th, 13
Interceptions Thrown: 42nd, 7
First Downs: 99th, 18.9 per game
Third Down Conversions: 74th, 39.7%
Fourth Down Conversion attempts: 128th, 12
Red Zone Touchdown Percentage: 18th, 71.9%
20-plus yard plays: 76th, 46
10-plus yard runs: 99th, 44
20-plus yard passes: 49th, 36
Sacks Allowed: 93rd, 2.1 per game
Tackles For Loss Allowed: 72nd, 5.5 per game
Time of Possession: 85th, 29:20:64 per game
That’s a lot of red, but it’s better than last year. Ben Arbuckle is calling the plays now, and John Mateer is taking the snaps. Those two were at Washington State last season while Oklahoma was flailing away on offense with Jackson Arnold under center most of the time. Mateer missed a couple of games with a hand injury and probably came back too quickly against Texas.
The Sooners are the only team in college football to get points on every red zone trip this year, and they do a good job of getting touchdowns down there. That’s the biggest strength of the unit that doesn’t have much else that pops on the stat sheet. Because of the strength of the defense, the offense isn’t asked to do too much.
DEFENSE
Scoring Defense: 6th, 14 points per game
Total Defense: 11th, 280.5 yards per game
Yards per Play Allowed: 6th, 4.3 yards per play
Run Defense: 3rd, 81.1 yards per game
Yards per Carry Allowed: 2nd, 2.4 yards per carry
Rushing Touchdowns Allowed: 7th, 6
Passing Defense: 40th, 199.4 yards per game
Completion Percentage Allowed: 34th, 58.8%
Yards per Passing Attempt Allowed: 24th, 6.2 yards per attempt
Interceptions: 63rd, 8
Passing Touchdowns Allowed: 6th, 8
Sacks: 1st, 3.7 per game
Tackles for Loss: 1st, 10 per game
Third Down Defense: 9th, 30.3%
Red Zone Touchdown Percentage Allowed: 6th, 40%
20-plus yard plays allowed: 38th, 40
10-plus yard runs allowed: 5th, 24
20-plus yard passes allowed: 4oth, 29
This is the best defense in the SEC, maybe the country.
Venables is a defensive guy, and his group is balling. The matchup at the line of scrimmage is gravely concerning for LSU. The Sooners lead the country in sacks and tackles for loss. That’s trouble against a patchwork LSU offensive line.
It’s a real stretch to call the pass defense the “weakness” of the unit, but it’s not statistically as brutal as the run defense. LSU will likely throw the ball a significant amount on Saturday.
Based on how LSU is playing, this matchup couldn’t be much worse. Points will be at a premium in Norman.
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