Brent Venables didn’t sugarcoat it after Oklahoma’s ugly 14-6 win over New Mexico, and for once, that felt like the headline.
The No. 24 Sooners escaped with a victory, but the offense left the kind of mess that makes a coach stop talking around the problem and start staring it in the face. Venables did exactly that Saturday night, sounding far less willing to defend Ben Arbuckle’s unit than he did after last week’s loss to Michigan.
“I expect more,” Venables said. “We gotta be a lot better than that.
That can't be the product. We've got a lot of work to do there.”
When he was pressed on whether Oklahoma’s offense had anything it could lean on, he didn’t reach for a bright spot.
“Not really. No.
I mean, you watched the game. Did you see anything?”
That was the kind of answer that lands like a warning.
Oklahoma managed just 299 total yards against New Mexico, with 238 coming through the air and 61 on the ground. The Lobos crowded the box and forced the Sooners to live with John Mateer throwing into traffic, and that approach paid off with two interceptions that gave New Mexico the ball deep in Oklahoma territory both times.
Venables pointed directly at the way defenses are treating the Sooners.
“Just not respecting us pushing the ball downfield,” Venables said of defenses matching up with OU in that way.
The bigger issue is what comes next. New Mexico was supposed to be the soft landing spot, and instead the offense looked like it was trying to survive Georgia. That’s the next opponent on the schedule, and every team remaining is an SEC defense.
Without the defense holding the line, this game could have gone sideways early. Instead, Oklahoma went to halftime up 7-6 while boos rolled through Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. In the second half, the frustration turned louder, with “Fire Arbuckle” chants coming from the student section.
This isn’t just about one bad Saturday, either. Even during the week, Arbuckle was asked whether he felt he was coaching for his job, and he said it was not something he had thought about. Venables, though, was asked directly about his confidence in his offensive coordinator after the game, and his answer did little to quiet the noise.
“I’m not going to talk about confidence," Venables said. "He’s our offensive coordinator. We’ve got a lot of work to do and need to improve to have a chance to win against the teams we’re going to play.”
For now, Arbuckle still has the title. But after this performance, the heat around that seat is impossible to miss.
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Oklahoma Faces A Big Depth Test Against New Mexico
The Sooners are heading into their meeting with New Mexico with some early-season depth already being put to the test. Starting left tackle Michael Fasusi and wide receiver Trell Harris are both unavailable, which pushes Ryan Fodje and freshman Noah Best into bigger roles up front and leaves Elijah Thomas with a chance to absorb more of the passing-game load.
On defense, linebacker Kip Lewis is also sidelined, so James Nesta is in line to start in his place. The good news for Oklahoma is that the backfield remains intact, with Jonathan Hatton Jr. and Tory Blaylock both healthy and available, giving the offense at least one experienced area to lean on while the Sooners sort through a few key absences. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Has One Problem Brent Venables Cant Ignore
Oklahoma has spent enough time under Brent Venables proving it can lean on defense, but the broader picture still leaves little room for comfort. The Sooners have been sturdy on that side of the ball while the offense has lagged behind, and after the loss to Michigan, the imbalance is hard to ignore as the team heads into games against New Mexico and Georgia.
Venables has made it clear he wants complementary football, the kind where the offense can stay on the field, sustain drives and give the defense a little breathing room. That remains the next step for Oklahoma, because without a more reliable attack, the Sooners can keep hanging around, but they will keep asking too much of a defense that has already done its part. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Need These Unproven Names To Ease Growing Early Concerns
Two games into the season, Oklahoma is already leaning on names that were not supposed to define the conversation this early. Rocky Beers leads the Sooners in receiving with eight catches for 137 yards, while Trell Harris is out indefinitely with a significant injury, leaving the offense thinner than planned. Elijah Thomas has flashed enough potential to stay on the radar, and running back Lloyd Avant has been steady, but his touches have not matched the consistency he has shown.
The concern is not limited to the offense, either. Linebackers Heinecke and Cole Sullivan are facing a bigger load after injuries to teammates, and the coaching staff is expecting both to take a clear step forward. For Oklahoma, the early season has become about whether these unproven pieces can turn scattered opportunities into dependable production before the pressure around them gets any heavier. [Read more 🡒]