Ben Arbuckle had a front-row seat to a formula that might be worth stealing.
While Oklahoma had the weekend off, the Sooners’ offensive coordinator could have been watching Josh Heupel work through a mess at Tennessee and make the kind of adjustment that changes a game. Against Auburn on Saturday, the Volunteers sputtered early, coughed it up on consecutive possessions and stared at a 7-3 halftime hole. Heupel responded by pulling his quarterback and leaning hard into the run game, and Tennessee came out with a 24-14 win to move to 4-1.
That kind of pivot may be exactly what Arbuckle needs to consider if Oklahoma’s offense keeps stumbling the way it has around John Mateer.
Tennessee’s first half against Auburn was ugly in every direction. The Vols opened with four straight punts, then finally scraped together a field goal in the second quarter for a 3-0 lead.
Auburn then put the ball on the ground, giving Tennessee a chance with favorable field position, only for running back Daune Morris to fumble it right back. On the next series, Faizon Brandon threw an interception after completing just three of his eight passes for zero yards.
Brandon had been installed as QB1 as a freshman after arriving as the consensus top quarterback in the 2026 class, but that interception may have been his final snap as Tennessee’s starter this season. Heupel turned to sophomore George MacIntyre, and while MacIntyre wasn’t dazzling, he steadied things. He finished 8-of-10 for 86 yards and gave the offense enough competence to keep moving.
The real engine, though, was DeSean Bishop. Tennessee rode him for 34 carries, 220 yards, a 6.5 average and three touchdowns.
Heupel didn’t ask for fireworks from the passing game once things got shaky. He trusted the defense and let the ground game do the heavy lifting.
That’s the part Oklahoma should pay attention to.
The Sooners still have to figure out whether they even have a running back who can seize control of a game. But they already know the bigger problem: Mateer can’t be the centerpiece of a successful offense. If Oklahoma gets into trouble again against Texas on Saturday because of Mateer’s mistakes, Arbuckle may have to think about making the same kind of quarterback switch Heupel made.
That doesn’t mean the move would be simple. Whitt Newbauer or freshman Bowe Bentley can’t just be dropped in without consequence. A change like that would reveal what Oklahoma has behind Mateer, and it would also force the Sooners to identify a back they can actually ride - someone who can at least give them more than what they’re getting now behind a porous offensive line.
There’s also the reality of the opponent. Facing the No. 1 team in the country in a rivalry game is not the cleanest spot to test an inexperienced quarterback. Still, if Mateer keeps making mistakes and the offense keeps wasting chances, the Sooners may be left with a simple question: what exactly are they saving?
Brent Venables’ defense is good enough to keep Oklahoma in games. The problem has been the offense blowing those chances away. Heupel showed a path out of that trap against Auburn, and it might be the closest thing Arbuckle has to a blueprint right now.
In Other News...
Oklahomas Early Losses Are Raising An Even Bigger 2026 Fear
The early part of Oklahomas 2026 season already looked shaky, and it has only gotten harder to frame those losses in a flattering way. The Sooners lone notable win was a shutout of UTEP, but that result has lost some shine as the Miners have continued to struggle and have been beaten by wide margins on average.
More troubling for Oklahoma is what the rest of the schedule is saying about those defeats to Michigan, Georgia and New Mexico. As those teams have shown their own flaws since facing the Sooners, the concern around Norman is not just about a rough start, but about what those games might be revealing about Oklahomas level of competitiveness this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Biggest Red River Problem Could Decide Everything
When Oklahoma heads into the Red River showdown with Texas, the rushing battle looms as one of the clearest indicators of which side will control the afternoon. History in this rivalry has leaned heavily toward the team that runs the ball better, and that makes the Sooners ground game a central concern after recent struggles on both sides of the line.
John Mateer gives Oklahoma a different kind of answer because his legs can change the math even when the traditional run game is stuck. Against a Texas defense that has been stout enough to make every yard work, the Sooners may need Mateers scrambling and designed runs to keep the offense balanced and give themselves a chance to win the most important matchup on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Got A Crucial Kentucky Road Test Locked In
Oklahomas October schedule now has a little more clarity, with the SEC setting the Sooners road trip to Kentucky for Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. Its a notable addition for a program still adjusting to its new league slate, and it gives fans an early look at where one of the conference road swings will land in the middle of the fall.
Kentucky is hardly a familiar opponent for Oklahoma, either. The schools have met only three times before, in 1951, 1980 and 1982, and this trip is part of a series that will continue down the line, with the Sooners scheduled to visit Lexington again in the 2028 season. [Read more 🡒]