Oklahoma walks into Ann Arbor on Saturday with a real chance to make an early-season statement, and plenty of the Sooners on SI staff like the matchup for Brent Venables’ group. The biggest reason is simple: Michigan’s defense is still the part of this game that can tilt things, but Oklahoma has enough toughness, experience and edge to survive the environment and leave with a win.
The setting matters. The Big House will be packed with 110,000 agitated Wolverine fans for the Sooners’ first visit there, and that alone makes this a tougher assignment than last week’s opener against UTEP.
Still, some on the staff see a path for Oklahoma because of what the Sooners have already proven on the road. Last year, they went 4-0 away from home and picked up huge wins at Tennessee and Alabama.
That kind of poise travels, and it gives confidence that John Mateer and an offensive line that is nearly healthy this week can handle the noise.
Michigan’s opener only sharpened the questions around the Wolverines. They needed the full game - and one second more - to escape Western Michigan with a 13-12 win, and the film left plenty for Oklahoma to attack.
Bryce Underwood’s footwork and his struggles to deliver under pressure showed up again, which should be a welcome sight for Venables and a disruptive Sooners front seven. Michigan’s offensive line also failed to create much movement, another area Oklahoma should be able to challenge.
That does not mean the Wolverines are suddenly easy to dismiss. Several staffers pointed out that openers can be strange, and that good teams often look messy in Week 1 before settling in.
Michigan still has talent on both sides of the ball, and the staff also noted that the Wolverines did not allow a touchdown against Western Michigan. For Oklahoma, that makes this the first real test for a new-look offense that won’t have things handed to it.
Even so, the general lean is toward the Sooners. Some expect a low-scoring game that may not be pretty, but still ends with Oklahoma improving to 2-0.
Others think the Sooners are simply the better team, even if the offense doesn’t look as sharp as it did against UTEP. The belief there is that Oklahoma will score early, absorb a few big plays, and keep control without ever letting the result feel truly in doubt in the fourth quarter.
Venables’ defense is a big part of that confidence. He was not happy with what he saw against UTEP, and the feeling is that he spent the week making sure his players knew it.
That could be a bad setup for Michigan, which may find itself facing one of the best units in the country at exactly the wrong time. One staffer also pointed out that Oklahoma was the better team on the field last year when the programs met, and that sloppy play kept the Sooners from really breaking things open in the third quarter.
With much of that core back and Michigan now working under a new coaching staff, the edge still appears to belong to Oklahoma.
The final read from the staff is consistent: Michigan has talent and enough coaching to steady itself, but Oklahoma should handle this one with cleaner play, timely explosive offense and a defense that comes in angry.
In Other News...
Sooners Protection Plan Just Changed Ahead Of Michigan
A week after opening the season with some shuffling up front, Oklahoma is set to get a little healthier where it matters most against Michigan. Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje are expected to be available after sitting out the opener, giving the Sooners more options on the offensive line as they prepare for a far stiffer test in Week 2.
Michael Fasusi, though, will reportedly be unavailable after re-aggravating a shoulder injury, leaving one more question mark in a group that already needed sorting out. There is also some good news elsewhere on the depth chart, with defensive end Danny Okoye expected back and wide receiver Parker Livingstone cleared through concussion protocol, but the line news is the part Oklahoma will be watching most closely heading into the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Have A Bittersweet Tress Way Story To Process
Tress Ways NFL run has entered its final chapter, with the longtime Washington Commanders punter saying he expects to retire after the upcoming season. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Way has spent his entire pro career with Washington since 2014 and built a rsum that includes multiple franchise punting records, making him one of the more durable and recognizable specialists of his era.
For Sooners fans, it is the kind of update that lands with a little extra weight because Way has been part of that familiar Oklahoma pipeline to the league. He was also just named a team captain for the season alongside Jeremy Reaves, a sign that Washington still values what he brings even as the end of the road comes into view. The only real question now is how one more year in Washington will unfold before the goodbye arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Sooner Nation Could Take Over More Of Michigan Than Expected
Less than 24 hours before kickoff in Ann Arbor, the market for Oklahoma-Michigan tickets has turned surprisingly soft, with some seats available in the $44 to $60 range. What had looked like one of the weekends pricier Big Ten-SEC matchups earlier in the summer has become a much easier entry point for Sooners fans who are still trying to make the trip north.
That drop has only added to the sense that Oklahoma could be backed by more than the usual traveling crowd. With Michigan fans cooling on the game after their recent performance, the balance in the stadium may lean more heavily toward crimson than many expected when the matchup was first circled. For a road team in a setting like this, that kind of noise shift can matter almost as much as anything that happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]