Oklahoma’s offensive line had to deal with another round of shuffling Saturday, and the results showed up in a 17-10 loss to Michigan.
Center Jake Maikkula and sophomore Ryan Fodje were back in the mix, but the Sooners were still without left tackle Michael Fasusi. That left OU trying to patch things together up front, and the group never fully settled in against the Wolverines.
Maikkula was steady and true freshman Noah Best held up well, but the rest of the line had a rough afternoon. According to Pro Football Focus, Fodje, Arkansas transfer E’Marion Harris and Eddy Pierre-Louis were the Sooners’ three lowest-graded offensive players in the game. In pass protection, Fodje and Harris landed among the 10 worst tackles in all of FBS.
That kind of instability made life difficult for quarterback John Mateer, who finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception. There were a few clean moments, but for the most part Michigan’s pressure was constant.
“There were times today it was really, really good,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said postgame of the line play. “There were times (Mateer) had an unbelievably clean pocket in there. The times when they really got to pin their ears back and go for a rush, I thought it could get a little bit tough.
“As far as how they played, I’m proud of that group. I’m proud of the work that they put in and I’m proud of how they responded, how they punched back. We’ve just got to go find a way to get it done there at the end.”
Harris posted an overall PFF grade of 34.1, the lowest on the team. Pierre-Louis came in at 39.5, and Fodje was at 41.4. Harris’ pass-blocking grade was 18.1.
Fasusi’s absence is clearly being felt. The second-year player started 10 games at left tackle as a true freshman last season, and he appeared to aggravate a shoulder injury from training camp in Week 1 against UTEP. After the Michigan game, Brent Venables said, “We knew Mike wasn’t going to play,” and when asked whether the injury is long term, he answered, “No, I think it’ll be short term.”
There were a few bright spots in the broader stock report, starting with tight end Rocky Beers. Through two games, the Colorado State transfer has been OU’s most productive offensive player, with eight catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. His 43-yard play in the third quarter helped set up Tate Sandell’s 34-yard field goal.
Punter Grayson Miller also made a strong impression at The Big House. The preseason All-SEC selection punted five times and averaged 48.6 yards per punt, giving OU a needed edge in field position.
Wide receiver Mackenzie Alleyne added another encouraging note. Venables told wide receivers coach Emmett Jones in the huddle Saturday to get Alleyne on the field, saying he was too good to be stuck on the sideline. Alleyne then caught his first pass in an Oklahoma uniform and turned it into a 22-yard touchdown.
Not everything in the report was positive. Defensive lineman David Stone is still waiting for the breakout season many expected, and through two weeks he has only four tackles.
He has not been close to consistently making plays, even if there are moments when it looks like he is being held. Mateer, meanwhile, also landed in the falling category after a performance that drew plenty of scrutiny for missed throws, uneven footwork and the pressure he faced throughout the afternoon.
Elsewhere, several former Sooners made noise in Week 2 after leaving the program. Texas running back Hollywood Smothers scored twice in the Longhorns’ win over Ohio State.
Cincinnati wide receiver JV Gibson had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown in a 62-10 win over Western Carolina. Baylor wide receiver Gavin Freeman continued to shine with 10 catches for 104 yards in a 44-3 win over Prairie View A&M.
West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. completed 5 of 7 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns and also ran six times for 96 yards and two more scores in a 52-7 win over UT-Martin. Mississippi State wide receiver Zion Ragins also found the end zone again, finishing with three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Now Has To Silence A Brent Venables Debate Fast
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
Oklahomas pipeline in softball keeps widening, and the latest addition is Sophia Schlader, the Waukee Northwest junior who has officially committed to the Sooners. She arrives with plenty of high school hardware already on her rsum, including back-to-back state championships and a stack of individual records that have made her one of the most decorated players in Iowa.
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 🡒]