The Road Warrior Report - Houston Review - September 2, 2019

NORMAN – The Jalen Hurts era, short though it is guaranteed to be, got off to a rousing start Saturday night in Norman, as Hurts broke the school record for total offense in a debut game, and had the second-most rushing yards ever by an Oklahoma QB in the Sooners’ 49-31 win over Houston. Overall, Hurts accounted for 508 yards of offense by himself, including 332 yards on 20 of 23 passing for three TDs and 176 yards rushing on 16 carries for three more TDs.



Trey Sermon added 96 yards rushing on 11 carries. Charleston Rambo led OU with 105 yards and a TD on three catches. Freshman five-star Jaden Haselwood had a pair of catches for 46 yards, while CeeDee Lamb had two catches for 46 yards and a TD.

The Sooner defense, meanwhile, while far from perfect, showed a level of competency not seen around these parts in some time. Gone were the receivers running wide open all night, the lack of pressure, the gashes in the run game. Well, at least until late in the game when the lack of depth and something of a loss of interest reared its head.

Houston won the toss and took the ball, and promptly went three and out, helped along by a third down sack of D’Eriq King by Kenneth Murray and John Michael Terry. After Houston punted the Sooners back to their own 39, the Sooners went to work.

Sermon started it off with a 31-yard run, followed by a Hurts to Rambo connection for 14 yards and a first down at the Cougar 14. On the next play, Hurts found Jeremiah Hall for the TD, and it was 7-0 with 12:21 to go in the first quarter.

After another three and out, OU took over on its own 34 after a 27-yard punt return by Lamb. Hurts ran for 10 on first down, and a personal foul on Houston tacked on another 15 yards and moved it to the Houston 40. Another 10-yard Hurts run made it first down at the 30, but a holding penalty on the next play stalled the drive. Calum Sutherland tried a 49-yard field goal but missed it wide right.

Houston picked up their initial first down of the game on the next possession, on a 25-yard scramble by King. Sacks on consecutive plays by Neville Gallimore and Ronnie Perkins, the latter resulting in a fumble that Houston recovered, stopped the Cougars, and a punt gave OU the ball on their own 11.

Sermon ran for 10 yards, then 11, and Hurts hit Nick Basquine for 14 yards, followed by a completion to Hall for 12, and the Sooners were at the Houston 39 without having gone to second down. After Sermon lost four yards, Hurts hit A.D. Miller for 15, then Brayden Willis for 14 to give the Sooners first down at the Houston 14. On the next play, Hurts called his own number around the right side, and it looked like he had scored, but he was ruled out at the one on replay. Two plays later, on the second play of the second quarter, Hurts took it in from the one and it was 14-0 Sooners with 14:10 to play in the first half.

Houston again went three and out, and the Sooners took over on their own 23 after the punt. After Kennedy Brooks was held to no gain, Hurts ran for five yards, then hit Grant Calcaterra for six and a first down. He then hit Jaden Haselwood for four yards and 14 more to Calcaterra. Two plays later, Hurts stepped up in the pocket and found a streaking Lamb way behind the defense for a 45-yard TD. It was 21-0 Sooners with 8:09 to play in the first half.

The Cougars then mounted their first scoring drive of the evening, going 81 yards in six plays, capped by King’s 23-yard connection with Kyle Porter for the TD. That made the score 21-7 wit 4:58 to play in the half.

The Sooners used a 43-yard run by Hurts to move into Cougar territory on the next possession. However, three plays later, Hurts fumbled at the end of a 15-yard run on third and 11, and Houston took over. That led to a Houston field goal that made it 21-10 with only 26 seconds to play in the first half.

The Sooners had a chance to score before the half, though. Sermon ran for 19 yards, then caught a pass for 20 more to the Houston 34. Hurts ran for 15 to the 19 and got a time out with one second on the clock. However, Sutherland was wide right again from 36 yards and the score remained 21-10 at the half.

The Sooners came out fast in the second half. Taking over at the 25, passes for five to Sermon and 9 to Basquine moved the ball to the 39. After a five-yard run by Hurts and an incomplete pass, Hurts found Charleston Rambo coming across the middle. Rambo split the defense and blazed for a 56-yard TD to make it 28-10 with 12:38 to play in the third quarter.

Houston picked up a first down on a silly personal foul penalty on the next possession but couldn’t move after that. The Cougar punt was downed at the Sooner 17. From there, Brooks carried around the right side for 40 yards, then a penalty for blocking out of bounds on the next play left them facing first and 17. Hurts hit Mykel Jones for 5 yards, then hit Haselwood in the middle of the field. Haselwood made a great move and took it to the left sideline and was brought down at the Houston three-yard-line. Hurts carried it in from there and it was 35-10 with 7:47 to play in the third quarter.

Houston answered with a 12-play, 87-yard TD drive that made it 35-17 with 3:03 to go in the third quarter. OU answered with a six-play, 79-yard TD drive highlighted by a 33-yard connection from Hurts to Rambo and a 24-yard Hurts run down to the Houston one-yard line. That score made it 42-17 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was garbage time, with the Cougars adding another TD before the Sooner reserves closed out the scoring with a 21-yard Rhamondre Stevenson TD run that forged the final score of 49-31.

The Sooners return to action Saturday night against FCS foe South Dakota on pay-per-view. That one should provide plenty of playing time for backups and freshmen before the trip to Southern California to take on UCLA the following week.