After the bye week, Oklahoma heads to Dallas for another chapter of the Red River Rivalry, and the Sooners are walking into it with a lot to sort out. No. 1 Texas awaits at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday in the 122nd meeting between the teams, and Brent Venables and Ben Arbuckle spent Tuesday talking through the biggest issues hanging over OU: John Mateer’s confidence, the offensive line’s instability and the need to clean up the mistakes that have piled up.
Arbuckle made it clear he hasn’t lost faith in his quarterback, even after a rough stretch that has put Mateer under a brighter spotlight. This will be Mateer’s second Red River Rivalry, and his first one was ugly - three interceptions, though he was playing with an injured hand. Arbuckle still sees a player who hasn’t flinched under pressure.
“(Mateer’s as) tough as they come,” Arbuckle said. “Competitors) wants to do well, want to do right, want to win. And nothing has changed in that facet.”
That confidence extends beyond one game. Arbuckle said Mateer embraces the burden that comes with the job, especially at Oklahoma.
“It's a position that demands a lot,” Arbuckle said. “It's a position that is held in high regard. It's held to a high standard, and if anything from last year and this year has shown me, he doesn't run from that at all.”
Venables echoed that view and said Mateer understands the responsibility that comes with leading the Sooners.
“(Mateer) cares about his opportunity,” Venables said. “(He) certainly cares about representing a place like Oklahoma at quarterback, which is a big deal, and nobody's more disappointed in not playing up to the standard that … the University of Oklahoma has been used to over a long period of time. But his best football has been really good, and we've got to help him play a little more consistently.”
The issue, though, is that the turnovers haven’t stopped. Mateer is coming off the game against No. 2 Georgia in which he committed three costly turnovers, and Arbuckle said that sort of damage can’t happen against Texas.
“The catastrophic (errors) can't happen,” Arbuckle said.
Even with the mistakes, Arbuckle said the message inside the building has stayed steady.
“Tough teams win, tough players win,” Arbuckle said. “That's been our message throughout the entire building. “There's no point wallowing in anything, and all you can do is get back to work, be better at the basics and go execute at a high level.”
For Venables, the matchup also sits inside the larger conversation about his own tenure in Norman. He enters his fifth Red River Rivalry with a 1-3 record, a mark that sits near the bottom among OU coaches through their first four years. The comparison list is not flattering: Lincoln Riley went 3-1, Bob Stoops 2-2, Barry Switzer 2-0-2 and Bud Wilkinson 3-1.
And with Oklahoma sitting at 2-2, this one feels loaded with consequence. Venables said a win over the top-ranked Longhorns could give the Sooners something they badly need.
“We're going to need to play our best football,” Venables said. “We need to create some momentum. It's a very real thing during this time of the year and an opportunity to develop, through success, … confidence, chemistry and an opportunity to build on some success.”
That path starts up front. Venables said the offensive line has been too unsettled and needs more stability.
“Way too many guys are coming and going at that position group,” Venables said. “We need continuity and consistency in order to develop that group into what we want.”
The task won’t get any easier with Texas bringing a strong defensive front, led by junior edge rusher Colin Simmons, whom Venables called the “first defensive player taken off the board in the very near future”.
Venables tied the whole thing together with the simplest formula in football: run it better, protect the ball and win the turnover battle. He pointed to recent numbers that back him up.
“(In) the last 17 games, 16-1, (in favor of) the team (that) has won the turnover margin. (In the last nine games, teams are) 9-0, … that rushes for more yards,” Venables said.
“So, yeah, it's … a big deal in this game. Obviously, the stats align with that, and this week won't be any different.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces A Red River Concern Fans Already Feared
Oklahoma heads into the Red River matchup with a defense that could get a boost from a couple of returning pieces, but the more immediate concern is on the other side of the ball. The Sooners are working through injury issues along the offensive line and at running back, and that combination can shape everything from protection to play-calling in a game where margin for error is already slim.
Michael Fasusi is doubtful, Eddy Pierre-Louis is questionable and Xavier Robinson is out, leaving Oklahoma to sort through a patchwork situation at key spots before facing Texas. There are several other availability questions on the report as well, while Texas enters with fewer players listed as unavailable, which only sharpens the concern for a Sooners offense that would prefer far cleaner health heading into one of the season's biggest tests. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Receiver Frustration Just Took Another Hit Before Texas
A week before the Red River showdown, Oklahoma added another wrinkle to a wide receiver room that has already been under scrutiny. Freshman Jahsiear Rogers has been dismissed from the football program, according to an OU spokesperson, and he has already been removed from the teams online roster. Rogers had not carved out a major role this season, but he arrived with the kind of recruiting profile that made him an intriguing long-term piece for the Sooners.
For a passing attack trying to find more consistency, losing a young receiver who once looked like a possible building block is another reminder of how much turnover can shape a season. The Sooners are now moving toward Texas with less depth and one fewer developmental option at a position that has been watched closely all fall. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's 2028 Running Back Problem Just Got Worse Before Texas Week
The recruiting battle around the Red River Rivalry picked up another jolt when Micah Rhodes, a four-star running back in the 2028 class, backed off his Oklahoma pledge and announced for Texas just ahead of the matchup. Rhodes had originally committed to the Sooners, so the flip adds a fresh layer of sting to a weekend that already carries plenty of recruiting and regional weight for both programs.
Rhodes change of heart came after the departure of Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray, a reminder of how quickly the staff turnover can reshape a class. The Sooners still do not have a replacement lined up for Rhodes in the 2028 group, though they remain involved with other targets such as Jayshawn Mitchell as they try to steady that part of the board. [Read more 🡒]