Oklahoma’s offense has spent much of 2026 looking like a work in progress, but Saturday in Starkville offered the clearest proof yet that it is at least moving in the right direction.
The Sooners beat Mississippi State 23-15 to climb back over .500, and the difference showed up on the scoreboard and in the yardage column. Oklahoma piled up 467 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs, the most it has produced against a Power 4 or conference opponent since joining the SEC.
After the game, Brent Venables framed it as progress that has been building in small, uneven steps.
“It’s all a step forward,” Brent Venables said after the game. “Practice is one thing, and we’ve been talking about how good practice has been.
You have to take it to game day. It can be the wind in the sail they need at the right time here on the back end of the season.”
That kind of performance looked a long way off in September. In the loss at Michigan, Oklahoma managed only 289 yards in a game that featured two offenses struggling to do much of anything.
It was also the first game without Michael Fasusi, with Ryan Fodje stepping in at left tackle. John Mateer’s interception deep in Oklahoma territory sealed that day’s disappointment.
A week later, the Sooners survived New Mexico but didn’t look much cleaner. Oklahoma finished with 299 yards and dealt with multiple Mateer interceptions and a string of three-and-outs.
The Georgia game brought more costly mistakes, with Mateer handing over multiple first-half turnovers, but it also marked the first time since the season opener that the offense started to move the ball in a meaningful way. Even with the self-inflicted damage, Mateer still threw for 231 yards, which was at least a statistical step forward.
The Red River Rivalry was messy almost from the start, with Oklahoma and Texas combining for 10 possessions in the opening quarter. Later, though, the Sooners found some traction on the ground when Lloyd Avant ripped off a 42-yard gain. Mateer then delivered late-fourth-quarter throws that put Tate Sandell in position to beat the then-No. 1 team in the country.
Against Kentucky, Oklahoma produced another frustrating night that still had flashes of promise. Venables said after the Mississippi State win that the Sooners had controlled “a good part of the game,” and that was true in Lexington as well, where Oklahoma outgained the Wildcats 346 to 230. Still, a depleted offensive line and key mistakes turned a strong outing into another loss.
The difference in Starkville was that Oklahoma didn’t let the game slip away. The Sooners leaned on the run game to set the tone, and explosive plays from Mateer to Isaiah Sategna and Rocky Beers helped keep Jeff Lebby’s team at a comfortable distance.
There are still obvious issues, and Venables didn’t dance around that part.
“If you had one critique, you want to score touchdowns more often, not settle for field goals,” Venables said.
That remains the task ahead, because the schedule isn’t easing up. Mississippi State entered with an SP+ defensive rating of 68, and South Carolina next week is only slightly better at 47, with Florida sitting at No. 50 after that.
If the offense keeps trending up and Oklahoma can get more offensive linemen back, the Sooners may be in position to turn these small gains into something bigger.
In Other News...
Ben Arbuckle May Have Found What Oklahoma's Offense Needed
For one Saturday, Oklahoma looked a lot more like the balanced offense Ben Arbuckle has been trying to build. In the Sooners 23-15 win over Mississippi State, the attack leaned into the run, churned out a season-high 467 total yards and gave John Mateer a cleaner night behind center, with efficient quarterback play and no turnovers to slow things down. Running backs helped carry the load, and the whole operation felt steadier from start to finish as Oklahoma moved to 4-3.
The encouraging part for the Sooners is that it was not just about one big play or one hot stretch. The offense protected the ball, avoided sacks and stayed patient enough to let the ground game set the tone, which is the kind of formula that can travel. Whether this becomes the identity Arbuckle wants going forward is still the bigger question, but for at least one game, the pieces fit together better than they had in weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Finally Got The Formula Right But One Problem Wont Go Away
Oklahoma finally found a winning blend in Starkville. Behind John Mateers efficient day throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover, the Sooners beat Mississippi State 23-15 at Davis Wade Stadium to get back to 4-3 overall and even at 2-2 in SEC play. The offense moved with more purpose, and the defense did its part by keeping Mississippi State under control for most of the afternoon.
Even so, there was still a familiar hitch in the operation. Sandells missed field goals left points on the field and kept the game tighter than it needed to be, a reminder that Oklahomas margin for error is still thin even when the rest of the formula starts to click. The Sooners got the result they needed, but cleaning up the kicking game remains the obvious next step if they want to turn a solid win into something more sustainable. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A Kicker Debate Fans Cant Ignore
Brent Venables did not sound interested in making a change after Oklahomas tight game against Mississippi State, even after Tate Sandell missed three of his six field goal attempts. The Sooners came away with a result that kept the focus on the margin for error, and special teams instantly became one of the most talked-about parts of the afternoon.
Venables public backing of Sandell matters because kicking questions tend to linger when games are decided in close finishes, and Oklahoma has no interest in letting one rough outing spiral into a bigger issue. For now, the coach is signaling trust, but the discussion around the position is only going to get louder until Sandell steadies things. [Read more 🡒]