Oklahoma is making a midseason offensive reset.
Ben Arbuckle has been fired as the Sooners’ offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Monday, just two days after Oklahoma’s attack bogged down again in a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina. Per SoonerScoop, tight ends coach Jason Witten will take over playcalling duties.
The move comes with the unranked Sooners sitting at 4-4 and heading into Week 10 ranked 111th nationally in total offense and 108th in scoring. Against the Gamecocks, OU managed only 118 yards and three points through three quarters before the offense finally found some life.
Arbuckle arrived in Norman after the 2024 season, replacing Seth Littrell, and was set to earn $1.5 million per year on a contract that ran through the end of the 2027 season. The former Washington State offensive coordinator had been in charge of the Sooners’ offense for two seasons.
After Saturday’s loss, Brent Venables wasn’t ready to discuss any staff changes.
"Yeah, I'm not talking about anything like that," Venables said.
Arbuckle, though, put the blame on himself.
"I own it. I'm not mad at any of those players," Arbuckle said. "If I'm frustrated at anybody it's with myself because I didn't have them ready to come out and play their A-game.”
The problems have piled up in multiple places. Oklahoma has dealt with injuries, shaky quarterback play and a roster that has the Sooners ranked 13th out of 16 SEC teams in yards per game.
The offensive line, which brought back five players who started games for Oklahoma last season, has been hit hard by injuries. The running game has fallen to 119th nationally.
Quarterback play has been the biggest issue. Fifth-year player John Mateer, whom Arbuckle brought with him from Washington State, has not delivered the kind of production Oklahoma expected.
He struggled in Saturday’s loss, missing open receivers and finishing 26 of 43 for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Mateer is 65th nationally with a 139.7 passer rating.
“Tentative,” Arbuckle said Saturday when asked about Mateer’s performance. “He's the main one I was talking about right there.
Just not pulling the trigger on some things. Maybe getting a little too greedy on some things.”
Witten now gets the headset for the final four games, starting with Saturday’s trip to Florida. The Sooners and Gators are set for a 6:45 p.m.
CT kickoff on SEC Network. The 44-year-old former NFL star joined Oklahoma’s staff this offseason as tight ends coach.
Under Arbuckle, Oklahoma’s offense posted these 2025 numbers through eight games: 354.3 yards per game, 26.2 points per game, 235.8 passing yards per game and 118.5 rushing yards per game.
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Oklahomas offense has spent much of this season looking like a unit still searching for its footing, and the latest loss to South Carolina only sharpened the concern. The Sooners have struggled to find any real consistency under Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, with quarterback John Mateer unable to provide the kind of steady production the staff needs as the SEC grind has exposed the groups shortcomings.
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The loss to South Carolina was bad enough on its own, but it also sharpened the conversation around an Oklahoma offense that has struggled to keep pace with the rest of the teams season. Ben Arbuckles unit has ranked poorly nationally, and with the Sooners College Football Playoff hopes effectively gone, every uneven stretch on that side of the ball is going to be viewed through a harsher lens than it was a month ago.
Brent Venables has not confirmed any staff changes, but the speculation is now part of the backdrop as Oklahoma tries to figure out what comes next. There was at least one bright spot in the setback, with junior wide receiver Ivan Carreon turning in a career day and scoring twice, yet even that kind of production was swallowed up by a game that exposed how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]