Oklahoma is moving into the New Mexico game with a key receiver sidelined and its quarterback searching for a reset after a rough Saturday against Michigan.
On Tuesday, head coach Brent Venables said fifth-year wideout Trell Harris will be out for the “foreseeable future” after taking a hit early in the second quarter of the Sooners’ 17-10 loss. Harris did return to the game, but he was the target on John Mateer’s late interception that helped Michigan close it out.
Before the injury, Harris had started to show why Oklahoma brought him in as a four-star transfer. Through two games, he had six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. The former Virginia and Kent State receiver has 1,700-plus career yards and 10 touchdowns, but that final collegiate season is now on hold while he recovers from an undisclosed injury.
Venables pointed to junior receiver MacKenzie Alleyne as the next man up. Alleyne made the most of his chance against Michigan, grabbing the Sooners’ only touchdown.
“You always have to be ready (for the moment) because you don't know when it's coming,” Arbuckle said. “(Alleyne) was ready for it…That's who he's been since he has shown up here. … He's just ready for the moment.”
Venables said Alleyne’s score was no accident, tying it back to the work he put in during spring ball.
“Mackenzie might have been the most productive guy all spring,” Venables said. “Just a really good football player, knows how to play the game.”
The other big storyline Tuesday centered on Mateer, who had a game he’d like to erase. He finished with 189 passing yards and a touchdown, completed just over half his throws and threw the interception that swung the game late.
Arbuckle, who has worked with Mateer from Pullman to Norman, didn’t sugarcoat it.
“John's play was totally uneven,” Arbuckle said. “John will be the first one to come up here and tell you he didn't play his best. He didn't take the layups.”
He also made clear that the fix isn’t only on the quarterback.
“If his play is uneven, then there's something I'm doing as a coach that (is causing) a disconnect there, and it's not all his fault,” Arbuckle said. “At the end of the day,…we have to work to rectify that.”
Venables, meanwhile, said he still trusts what this offense can become as the Sooners head toward a difficult stretch that includes No. 2 Georgia and No. 1 Texas in the next three games.
“I'm ready to go right back at it,” Venables said. “I'm a competitor, and I believe in our coaches.
I believe in our players. I believe in the opportunity.”
Oklahoma faces New Mexico at 6:30 p.m. in Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on ESPN2.
In Other News...
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The loss to Michigan has already sparked a familiar kind of noise around Brent Venables, with his recent contract extension becoming an easy target for criticism in the wake of a rough result. Paul Finebaum went public with the kind of blunt take that tends to gain traction fast, calling the extension a poor decision and pointing to Venables performance despite Oklahomas recent College Football Playoff appearance.
For Oklahoma, the debate is bigger than one September setback, even if that kind of loss can shape the conversation for days. A single game should not be treated as a verdict on Venables or on where the Sooners season is headed, but it does mean the pressure to steady things now is real, and the longer the chatter lingers, the harder it gets to keep the focus on football. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Added Another Huge Name To Its Softball Future
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Schladers rise has matched the kind of national profile Oklahoma has built its roster around, and her recognition as Gatorades Iowa softball player of the year only adds to the appeal. For a program that lives at the top of the sport, landing another highly ranked prospect in her class is the sort of move that keeps the future looking as loaded as the present. [Read more 🡒]
Mackenzie Alleyne Just Forced A Bigger Oklahoma Offensive Decision
Mackenzie Alleyne gave Oklahoma one of the few bright spots in an otherwise frustrating 17-10 loss to Michigan, and the timing of his breakthrough mattered as much as the production. His touchdown was his first catch since arriving from Washington State, and he wound up as the Sooners highest-graded offensive player in the game, a notable development for a unit that struggled to find much rhythm.
Alleynes background only makes the fit more intriguing. He already knows Oklahoma quarterback and offensive coordinator from his previous stop, which can help fast-track trust in an offense still searching for answers. With Trell Harris out for the foreseeable future, Alleynes performance adds another layer to the Sooners receiver picture and forces a bigger conversation about how much more involved he should be going forward. [Read more 🡒]