Oklahoma Football: 5 Biggest Early-Season Storylines for Sooners

For the fourth straight season, the Oklahoma Sooners have started out 2-0.

They’ve proven they can throttle an opponent, putting away Louisiana-Monroe 34-0 in Week 1. They’ve also proven they can win the defensive battles, grinding out a 16-7 victory over West Virginia on Saturday.

Regardless of the style of play, Oklahoma has given us much to talk about.

Here are the biggest storylines in Sooner Nation heading into Week 3.

Inability to Move the Chains

One of Oklahoma’s biggest downfalls early on has been its inability to move the chains.

Through two weeks, the team has run a total of 28 plays. Out of those plays, the Sooners have put together just five drives of 10 or more plays. Although each one of those drives ended up with points on the board, only one resulted in a touchdown.

On the other hand, Oklahoma has totaled 11 three-and-outs or worse.

Furthermore, the team is currently just 12-34 on third-down conversions. The Sooners rank 84th in the nation in that category.

Sure, the team has gotten away with it during the first two weeks of the season, but Oklahoma will be lucky to do the same against tougher opponents.

Jalen Saunders Is the Go-to-Guy at WR

With a first-year quarterback in Trevor Knight at the helm, having a talented receiver pays dividends. Jalen Saunders provides the Sooners with just that.

The senior’s numbers alone aren’t going to impress anybody—seven receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. However, Oklahoma only has 250 total passing yards thus far. That means Saunders has accounted for nearly 40 percent of the team’s receiving yards.

In fact, only one other receiver on the team has more than 50 receiving yards.

Once the Sooners’ passing attack starts to improve, don’t be surprised if you see Saunders’ numbers start to skyrocket.

The Run Game Is Carrying the Sooners

Oklahoma may not still be undefeated if it wasn’t for the outstanding play of the running game.

Thus far, the team has averaged 310.5 yards per game on the ground. That’s good enough to rank the Sooners No. 12 in the nation.

Brennan Clay has led the charge, racking up 213 yards on 30 carries (7.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Damien Williams (161 yards on 37 carries) and Trevor Knight (145 yards on 20 carries) are right behind him.

All three players have been able to keep opposing defenses on their heels. Each one offers a different style of running that has paid dividends for Oklahoma.

As long as the team keeps the ball on the ground, expect good things to follow.

This Defense Is for Real

After spending the past season as the laughing stock of the Big 12, the Sooners’ defensive unit is ready to have the last laugh.

Through the first two games, opposing offenses have been unable to get things going. Oklahoma has limited opponents to just 3.5 points per game—No. 4 in the nation.

The Sooners have been effective at both stopping the pass (173.3 yards per game allowed) and the run (103.5), ranking No. 35 and No. 27 in the country, respectively. The team has also allowed just 276.5 yards per game (No. 5 in the nation) while holding opposing quarterbacks to an efficiency rating of 82.6 (No. 12).

Sure, Oklahoma’s offense may struggle on third down. However, the team’s opponents have fared even worse, converting on just five of 29 third-down situations—the Sooners rank No. 5 in the category.

Points will certainly come at a premium against this unit.

The QB Situation Is a Mess

Oklahoma can’t expect to succeed this year if it doesn’t have an efficient quarterback.

After winning the preseason battle, Trevor Knight was given the green light to start at the position. However, the redshirt freshman’s performance thus far has been completely underwhelming.

Through the air, he’s just 21-of-48 (43.8 percent) for 205 yards and four touchdowns to three interceptions. While Knight rushed for 103 yards in his collegiate debut, he was held to just 42 in his second outing.

More importantly, Knight committed three turnovers Saturday against West Virginia—one fumble and back-to-back interceptions. The latter caused head coach Bob Stoops to remove him from the game in favor of Blake Bell.

Coming into the season, many thought Bell was a lock to win the position—he rushed for 24 touchdowns over his first two campaigns. However, the junior was completely outplayed in the preseason.

According to ESPN.com's Jake Trotter, Knight underwent an MRI on his knee Sunday morning. Although it doesn’t appear to be serious, it could mean Bell may get another shot at winning the position next weekend.

Needless to say, this is a situation that is still a problem for the Sooners.

All stats used in this article are courtesy of NCAA.com.

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