Hurts Puts On A Clinic, Leads Sooners To 49-31 Victory Over Houston
By: Tony Thomas
September 1, 2019
QB Jalen Hurts put his stamp on the Sooner offense, and the defense took steps in the right direction as Oklahoma beat the Houston Cougars 49-31 in Norman on Sunday.
It took the Sooners a little over 2 1/2 minutes to score the game’s first touchdown, after Houston inexplicably elected to kick to the Sooners after winning the pregame coin toss.
In the 1st quarter, Oklahoma’s defense held the Cougars to -1 yard total offense, and forced them to punt on their first four possessions. Houston gained just 34 yards on those possessions. The Cougars averaged less than 2 yards per play, while the Sooners averaged 11 yards per play. Oklahoma gained 8 first downs on their first 10 plays.
Houston did force Hurts to fumble in the 2nd quarter and the Cougars recovered, extending their streak of 18 consecutive games with a takeaway, dating back to last season.
At halftime, the Sooners had recorded 19 plays of 10+ yards, for a total of 370 yards of offense, versus 153 total yards for Houston.
But Houston head coach Dana Holgersen made adjustments at halftime, and the Cougars made the second half a little more competitive.
The Cougars offense, behind the running of QB D’eriq King and RB Mulbah Car, gained 255 yards in the second half, moving the ball on the Sooner defense. For the game, Houston gained 408 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per play and scored 21 second half points.
But the Cougars could not overcome the offensive display that Hurts put on. Hurts passed for 332 yards and 3 TD’s, and rushed for 176 yards and 3 TD’s. He accounted for 508 yards and 6 TD’s, both career highs.
But Hurts, selected as Team Captain by his teammates, was disappointed with the Sooners sloppy play and penalties. When asked about his record-setting performance during a sideline interview after the game, Hurts stated “we have to get better.” For a player, who had just turned in one of the all time great performances for a Sooner quarterback, to say he was disappointed about his teams sloppy play after an 18 point win tells you all you need to know about Jalen Hurts. He is a leader who puts his team first before himself. You couldn’t ask for anything more from your starting quarterback.
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