NORMAN — The good vibes lasted all of seven days.
Oklahoma had a chance to pull off another late ranked victory, but Kentucky had other ideas.
The Sooners got the ball back down 14-13 with 2:43 remaining and three timeouts — an eternity compared to the 19 seconds they needed to upend Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
But John Mateer was unable to play hero.
On third-and-8 from the Oklahoma 32, Mateer was unable to see the entire field.
His pass to Manny Choice was undercut by Kentucky’s Jordan Castell, who returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.
Mateer was then unable to dig the Sooners out of the eight-point hole.
The Wildcats’ wild ride under first-year head coach Will Stein continued with a 21-13 win over Brent Venables’ squad.
Oklahoma fell to 3-3 on the year and 1-2 in SEC play with the loss, while Kentucky improved to 6-1 overall with the win at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Here are three takeaways from the OU’s loss.
Cute Proves Costly
Though the Sooners moved the ball in the first half, a pair of decisions saw OU come away with fewer points than it should have — something that came back to bite it late.
Oklahoma’s first drive stalled out due to a flea-flicker that never came together.
John Mateer moved the chains on the first three third downs of the game, but Ben Arbuckle dialed up the trick play on first down, torpedoing the drive. Tate Sandell settled for a field goal, and while there was no guarantee that the drive would have ended in a touchdown, the failed bit of razzle dazzle helped Kentucky apply the brakes.
But the biggest blunder came in the second quarter.
Facing a fourth-and-2 from the Kentucky 10, Venables sent out his field goal unit.
Special teams coordinator Doug Deakin must have found something he liked on film, because he installed a fake field goal, but the execution left much to be desired.
Holder and OU punter Jacob Ulrich sprinted toward the line before pulling up for a jump pass to try and hit tight end Hayden Hansen.
The pass was inaccurate, leading to an interception in the end zone that gave the Wildcats better field position than if the Sooners had merely failed to convert on fourth down.
The decision cost the Sooners a crucial three points that hung over the proceedings for the rest of the evening.
Offense Unable to Build on Early Rhythm
After taking on a handful of elite defenses, the offense ran much better in the first half.
The Sooners threw for 191 yards before halftime, including a 70-yard first-half showing from sophomore Manny Choice.
Despite the heavy workload, Mateer took care of the ball early.
The interception he did eventually throw wasn’t necessarily his fault.
Mateer’s arm got hit as the offensive line allowed pressure from the right side, causing a severe underthrow that Ty Bryant camped out under and returned to midfield.
Kentucky scored on the ensuing drive, and though the defense was able to hold up, OU’s warts popped back up as it struggled to move the ball late.
A frustrating second half then turned disastrous with the pick-six.
The game fittingly ended with a third Mateer interception on second-and-10 with 21 seconds remaining.
Oklahoma’s offensive line woes were made worse in the third quarter — something that contributed to the second-half downturn.
Left tackle Ryan Fodje appeared to suffer a lower-leg injury, and while he tried to stay in the game, he was clearly struggling.
His struggles led to Peyton Joseph, who was thrust into the starting lineup at right guard in place of injured Heath Ozaeta, sliding over to take Fodje’s spot.
The Sooners need to get healthy up front quickly with six conference games remaining.
Defensive Depth is Almost the Difference
One of Venables’ consistent messages throughout the offseason was that the season was going to be defined by how quickly the Sooners’ second-string players could come along.
If defensive end Jake Kreul’s growth is any indication, that process is speeding along.
The freshman closed the first quarter by sacking Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey to put the Wildcats in a third-and-13 — a spot they did not convert.
He then dropped Minchey for an 8-yard sack late in the third quarter to force another punt.
Kreul earned plenty of playing time opposite Taylor Wein, and he wasn’t the only member of Venables’ second wave to play well Saturday night.
But he saved his best for last.
Kentucky was on the march late in the fourth quarter trying to extend its 14-13 lead, and Stein decided to go for fourth-and-3 from the OU 6.
Minchey stood no chance.
Kreul smoked the Wildcat quarterback to give the ball back to the offense with 6:04 remaining.
Elsewhere, defensive back Trystan Haynes made his second start in place of the injured Eli Bowen, where he performed admirably, and the defensive line was able to rotate all night and mostly bottle up Kentucky’s potent offense.
There appears to be little drop-off on that side of the ball after putting a handful of key players in the NFL, as the development path on that side of the ball continues to chug along at Oklahoma.
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