Position in the Spotlight: Painful start to season has Sooners’ offensive line focused on LSU | sport

Oklahoma’s offense had to overcome a lot to get the win over Alabama last Saturday.

For Febechi Nwaiwu, a season full of adversity is just proof that last week’s win doesn’t change everything. With the win, the Sooners qualified for the bowl and officially extended their season beyond this weekend.

It was also historic, both because of the way the Sooners dominated the Crimson Tide like no other team had in a long time, and because it was only the seventh meeting ever between the two powerhouses.

It also restored some much-needed pride in the Sooners’ program after a miserable start to their time in the Southeastern Conference.

“We still have the pain of the past. Of course you celebrate the win that night, but the next day we were in the meeting room getting ready for LSU,” Nwaiwu said. “You can move forward because you feel the pain of the past, and just because you get a win against a great Alabama team doesn’t mean the job is done. There is still a lot to do and improve.”

Nwaiwu is the only player to start all 11 games for the Sooners this season. Last week he was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.

The Sooners rushed for 257 yards, the most against an Alabama team in 26 games.

Oklahoma’s rushing attack averaged just 112.1 yards per game in the first seven games, but averaged 226.8 yards per game in the last four games. The Sooners also allowed just four sacks after giving up 38 in the first eight games (4.8 per game).

“I think we continued to improve every game and stay on top of things,” Nwaiwu said. “As we said at the beginning of the season, we knew it would take a lot of work to get us to feel like an elite offense. I still don’t think we’re there yet. I still think there are a lot of things we can work on, but of course Saturday felt great. It was a good step forward, but it’s not done yet.”

What’s most impressive is that they were able to run the ball consistently with different defenders. Jovantae Barnes was having his best season of the season before being sidelined with an injury against Maine.

Taylor Tatum has put up a lot of points this season, but has fumbled four times and lost three times. True freshman Xavier Robinson looked very impressive with nine carries for 56 yards against Missouri and 18 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama.

The Sooners’ top three rushers in carries this season (Barnes, Tatum and Robinson) are each averaging over 4.7 yards per carry this season.

“It’s great to see him have success,” OU head coach Brent Venables said of Robinson. “And, Taylor, if he takes care of the ball, that can be one heck of a tandem. And then Jovantae comes back, and now Gavin (Sawchuck) comes back healthy without his hamstring, that can be a heck of a challenge and we’ve known that all year and that’s what we’re hoping for. But we have to take care of the ball, we know that, but we’re just getting a little bit better and it’s been great.”

Last month, Oklahoma’s offense ranked 10th nationally in rushing attempts per game. During that time, they also ranked 16th nationally in rushing yards per carry (5.51) and seventh in rushing yards per game (253.3).

The Sooners have worked to establish the run and prevent the offense from getting into third-and-long situations, which led to sacks and turnovers earlier in the season.

“We have a huge game coming up,” Spencer Brown said. “So we can’t stay stuck in the past. But we can enjoy the moment and give him the confidence to go out on Saturday and put in another performance like this.”