LINCOLN, Neb. – Landry Jones played like a freshman Saturday evening.
In the Sooners’ 10-3 loss, Jones looked uncomfortable in the pocket and threw ill-advised passes, resulting in five interceptions. He completed 26 of 58 passes for 245 yards with the five interceptions, and Saturday’s game was the first game where he did not throw a touchdown pass.
“You can’t have turnovers and expect to win the game like that,” Jones said. “Ideally, when you throw 58 passes, you’re going to want to complete more than I did and take care of the ball better than I did, too,”
The five interceptions were among the multiple factors that limited OU to just three points, the lowest point total during the Bob Stoops Era and the first time since 1998 that the Sooners’ offense did not score a touchdown in a game.
“Offensively, we moved the ball quite frequently, but then didn’t produce points,” head coach Bob Stoops said. “We didn’t execute well enough, or they executed better than we did in the red zone.”
Prior to the game, Jones had thrown a total of six interceptions, and in eight total games – six starts and two backup games – he has thrown 11 interceptions. The interception total is the most for a quarterback since quarterback Paul Thompson threw 11 interceptions during the 2006 season.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said this kind of game can be used as a learning experience.
“I don’t like something like this to happen, but I think he’s the type of kid who can grow and learn and keep moving in a good way,” Wilson said. “He’s going to need to.”
Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Broyles said despite Saturday’s performance, people should not stop supporting Jones because he is a young quarterback.
“I know you guys are going to jump on Landry for doing that,” Broyles said. “He’s a young quarterback, and he’s still learning it.”
Junior Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle and team co-captain, said he would advise Jones to keep a short memory because these kinds of games happen to everyone.
“People just have off games,” McCoy said. “We lost as a team, so don’t get down on yourself. Keep working hard, and put this one behind you.”
But this is a hard game for the Sooners to swallow, especially since the defense played well.
The defense gave up just 180 yards Saturday, the second time this season the defense has given up less than 200 yards in a game.
“Just got to look each other in the eye and say, ‘Man, we came up just a little short for you,’” Jones said. “You all played a great game.”
Jones will have a week to fix any mechanical and mental problems before Texas A&M rolls into Norman for a Big 12 South showdown.
“It’s just one of those things where I was just a little off tonight with my throws,” Jones said. “I wasn’t as accurate as I need to be.”
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leimapapa 2 years, 6 months ago
I can't believe how terrible this season has turned out. It's a shame what injuries can do to a team. If you had told me our current record at the start of thiis season, I wouldn't have believed you.