The first two drives of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl perfectly foreshadowed the remainder of the first half (and probably the rest of the game), and it was not good for Oklahoma.
The Sooners started with the ball, quarterback Jalen Hurts was sacked on the first play and the team ended up punting on 4th-and-16. And then it took LSU all of three plays to score the first of seven (7!!) first-half touchdowns.
Hurts and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a few fantastic moments, including connecting for a 51-yard play that put the Sooners on the three-yard line and set them up for their first score of the game. Hurts also ran for a two-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.
But for the most part, it was an ugly first half for Oklahoma, and things got out of hand quickly, as LSU jumped out to a 21-7 lead after 15 minutes and went into the locker room with a 49-14 lead.
The Sooners largely looked outmatched, particularly with their defense attempting to halt LSU’s top-ranked offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, who threw for all seven touchdowns and 403 yards in the first half alone. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught four of those touchdown passes and had 186 yards in the first half.
And even when their offensive line gave Hurts enough time to evaluate his options before scrambling, he couldn’t make a play, completing only 5-of-18 passes for 101 yards and one interception in the first 30 minutes. They were also the victim of a blatant missed pass interference call.
As expected, college football Twitter was not kind to Oklahoma, which is headed for its fourth loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals in five seasons. Despite the Sooners’ few moments of brilliance, fans brutally roasted them for this disastrous first-half outing.
