Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks vs Oklahoma Sooners Match Player Stats On Sep 10, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 10, 2016

NORMAN, Okla.--A week after virtually abandoning the run in a loss to Houston, No. 14 Oklahoma kept the ball on the ground plenty in a 59-17 blowout win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

They also threw the ball plenty, bouncing back with a big win in their home opener at the newly renovated Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in front of 87,037.

The Sooners' two top running backs -- Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon -- combined for 175 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and Perine added 38 yards receiving.

Both running backs, like Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield, played just one half as Oklahoma led 42-0 at the break.

Mayfield threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns while not being sacked.

After halftime, he was replaced by true freshman Austin Kendall, the only other eligible scholarship quarterback on Oklahoma's roster.

The Warhawks took advantage of the Sooners' lineup turnover in the second half, scoring long touchdowns on each of their first two drives after halftime.

But that wasn't anywhere near enough to dig the Warhawks out of the hole they were in after two quarters.

Mixon had 14 carries for 125 yards. Perine, limited by a shoulder injury against Houston, looked plenty healthy against ULM. The junior ran for 58 yards and two touchdowns.

The Sooners didn't score in the second half until Kendall's touchdown pass to A.D. Miller with less than 10 minutes remaining.

ULM quarterback Garrett Smith threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns, all but 83 of those yards in the second half.

Warhawks receiver R.J. Turner had seven catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Oklahoma primarily used Joe Mixon on the ground early.

Mixon carried the ball five times for 39 yards on the Sooners' first two drives.

But it was Sooners' quarterback Baker Mayfield who finished off those drives by finding his receivers in wide-open space.

On the game's first drive, he hit Mark Andrews for a 39-yard touchdown pass.

It was Andrews' third touchdown catch of the season after turning nine of his 17 receptions a year ago into touchdowns.

On its third drive, the Sooners reversed things, moving the ball downfield through the air - primarily on a 21-yard reception by Andrews -and then finishing it off on the ground with three consecutive Perine runs.

By the end of the first quarter, Perine and Mixon had more carries combined (15) than they had in the entire game against Houston a week earlier.

Oklahoma's first-half onslaught continued on the first play of the second quarter when Jarvis Baxter corralled a nearly errant pitch on a reverse and took it around the right side for a 40-yard touchdown run that put Oklahoma ahead 28-0.

By the time the second quarter was over, the Sooners led 42-0 and had 459 yards of total offense against just 145 for Louisiana-Monroe.

Notes: Dru Samia started the RG for the Sooners after starting at RT in the opener against Houston. Bobby Evans made his first career start, at RT. ... ULM RB Tyler Cain, who is listed as the starter for the Warhawks despite not being cleared by the NCAA, did not make the trip to Norman. ... Oklahoma DEs Matt Dimon and Austin Roberts, listed at one and two on the depth chart, were both suspended for the game for unspecified violations of team rules. ... Three Sooners' defensive starters--DE D.J. Ward, OLB Kapri Doucet and CB Parrish Cobb--made their first career starts. ... Oklahoma hosts Ohio State next Saturday. ... ULM opens Sun Belt play at Georgia Southern.