FORT WORTH, Texas – Everything pointed to Oklahoma. The offense looked sharp as the Sooners took a 14-0 lead. The defense looked strong, holding Navy scoreless on its first three drives.

Instead, they fell apart, as the Sooners had done all season.

Navy scored 21 unanswered points and the Sooners’ late surge failed. The game and season ended with a 21-20 loss for the Sooners in the Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Here are a few takeaways from the win:

Brent Venables decided to roll the dice.

The Sooners did what they had to do. Trailing 21-14 with 1:47 remaining, the offense managed 65 yards in 13 plays. Michael Hawkins found Jake Roberts for a 10-yard drive, reducing the deficit to one point.

But instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, Venables opted to keep the offense on the court to score a two-point conversion and go for the win to avoid overtime.

However, Hawkins was sacked when the two-point conversion failed.

The Sooners failed to score on the ensuing onside kick and Navy was able to end the game.

The Sooners looked completely in sync on the first two drives.

The opening ball was methodical and efficient. What’s going on behind it Gavin Sawchuk And Michael Hawkinsthe Sooners marched 65 yards in nine plays to open the game. Sawchuk capped the drive with a 21-yard touchdown, his first score of the season.

The second drive was similar as the Sooners managed 85 yards in six plays. The crowning conclusion of the game was the highlight of the day for OU, as Michael Hawkins rolled to the left before climbing to the right and finding Zion Kearney for a 57-yard touchdown.

With 5:56 left in the first quarter, the Sooners led 14-0. That was the highlight of the day.

Things went downhill from there.

The offense seemed completely out of sync for the rest of the game. The first two drives of the second quarter both ended in turnovers on downs. One of these included a quad-gun deep in the naval area, but Xavier Robinson was attacked just before the goal.

The third drive ended with a three-pointer. The fourth drive ended near midfield after the Sooners had time management issues.

The second half was a complete collapse for OU’s offense. The Sooners gained just 160 total yards while averaging just 4.1 yards per play after halftime and scored just once on their final four possessions.

The results of the Sooners’ second-half drives: punt, fumble, missed field goal, punt, touchdown.

Michael Hawkins completed 28 of 43 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Ivan Carreon led the Sooners’ receivers with seven catches for 72 yards. Officially, the pass catchers were responsible for five drops.

Gavin Sawchuk led the running backs with 13 carries for 67 yards.

The Sooners’ defense was strong early, especially against the run. But the cracks in the foundation appeared early on.

On the Navy’s first voyage Blake Horvath completed a 32-yard pass to a wide-open receiver that, with a more accurate pass, likely would have ended in a touchdown. Navy narrowly missed several plays in the first half, but scored late in the second half on an 11-yard run by Alex Tecza.

Still, the Sooners held Navy to seven points and 121 total yards in the first half. That included just 66 rushing yards on 3.9 yards per carry.

Just like the offense, the defense also fell apart in the second half.

Late in the second half, with the midshipman trapped deep, Horvath maintained the run-pass option and brought the ball in from 95 yards for a score. Not only did it end in a 14-14 tie, it was also the second-longest run OU has ever given up in program history.

The Midshipman offense came into its own in the fourth quarter by controlling the tempo. They opened the fourth quarter with a 12-play drive that lasted over seven minutes of game time, which included a crucial fourth-and-3 deep in OU territory.

Horvath capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown, giving Navy a 21-14 lead with 4:34 to play. That was the decisive touchdown.

After halftime, the midshipman totaled 197 yards and two scores while averaging 6.8 yards per play.

The Sooners’ season ends with a record of 6-7. It’s the Sooners’ second losing season in three years.