Three Takeaways From No. 13 Oklahoma's Loss to No. 8 Ole Miss

For a brief moment, Oklahoma was in front. 

After trailing most of the game, running back Xavier Robinson got the Sooners back into Saturday’s matchup with No. 8 Ole Miss with a 65-yard touchdown rumble. 

OU even took a lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Lane Kiffin’s Rebels steadied and struck last. 

Trace Bruckler’s 8-yard touchdown catch put Mississippi back on top with 11:33 remaining on Saturday, and the Sooners couldn’t claw their way back a second time. 

No. 13-ranked Oklahoma fell 34-26 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The loss dropped Brent Venables’ team to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, putting OU’s College Football Playoff hopes in serious peril.

Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss to Ole Miss.

Fine Details Turn Into Big Mistakes 

The Sooners are going to want to have a few crucial mistakes back when they break down the film on Sunday. 

Isaiah Sategna’s fumble with seven minutes left turned a defensive stop by OU into an Ole Miss field goal that extended the lead back out to eight.

That play obviously was a backbreaker. 

Oklahoma’s struggles early in the second quarter also led to a critical mistake. 

With the game tied 10-10, OU again forced a punt. 

Sategna fell forward shortly after catching the punt to set the Sooners up on their own 13-yard line, but Jacobe Johnson was flagged for holding to back things up. 

Then an illegal formation penalty sent the Sooners in the wrong direction again. 

Starting at the 2-yard line, Tory Blaylock was unable to get out of the end zone, and the Rebels got out in front with a safety. 

Venables preaches that the SEC is a one-possession league, and special teams mistakes will always loom large in a close contest. 

Mateer Unable to Conjure Sooner Magic

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer got off to a fast start. 

He completed 10 of his first 11 passes, but he went cold after halftime. 

Mateer completed 6-of-18 second half passes, and he missed key throws. 

On OU’s penultimate drive, he overthrew tight end Jaren Kanak and receiver Javonnie Gibson on back-to-back throws to give Ole Miss the ball back up 34-26.

Oklahoma got the ball back with one minute remaining and no timeouts, but Mateer again missed. 

He overthrew Gibson on the first play of the series, missing a target that had plenty of room to run in front of him. 

Oklahoma was able to move the ball to midfield, but Mateer failed to connect on a Hail Mary on the final play of the game. 

Mateer also had Deion Burks open to convert a two-point attempt at the end of the third quarter, but he put the ball into the grass instead of giving his receiver a chance to make a play. 

Early Mateer was hot. He hit Sategna for 39 yards on his second pass of the game and later came back to find Sategna again for a 76-yard score, but Mateer was ultimately unable to match his counterpart, Trinidad Chambliss, in the biggest moments on Saturday. 

Xavier Robinson is Back

Midway through the third quarter, Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was lifeless. 

The Sooners fell behind 25-13 after an Ole Miss field goal capped off a frustrating drive. 

Twelve seconds later, the stadium was alive. 

Sophomore running back Xavier Robinson ran through an arm tackle up the middle, bounced the ball outside, and outran the Rebel defense 65 yards to paydirt. 

The one-play scoring drive cut the deficit back down to five points, and Oklahoma’s defense gave the ball right back after forcing a quick three-and-out. 

OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle kept the ball on the ground, and the Sooners marched 60 yards on seven plays to take a 26-25 lead before the game reached the fourth quarter. 

Robinson was responsible for 19 yards on that drive (and the Sooners got 15 freebies after a facemask penalty), and the bruiser plowed nine yards forward on a draw for the go-ahead touchdown. 

The Sooners ran for 16 yards in the first half, but Robinson totaled 84 yards by himself in the third quarter. 

Ultimately, the Rebels made more plays in the fourth quarter, but between Robinson’s re-emergence and the change at left guard to swap Eddy Pierre-Louis for Heath Ozaeta, the Sooners have at least found a rushing attack that can do enough to support the passing game.