Oklahoma doesn’t have much time to sort out its offense, and the clock is already ticking after last week’s flat showing against Michigan.
The Sooners scored just 10 points in Ann Arbor - two fewer than Western Michigan managed - and that’s the kind of performance that forces a hard reset, especially with Georgia ahead and Texas waiting two Saturdays after that. If the rankings stayed put today, that stretch would mean a trip to the No. 2 team in the country and then a Red River Shootout against the top-ranked Longhorns.
That’s why the conversation around Ben Arbuckle’s offense has become so urgent. After a 60-minute slog against Michigan, Oklahoma needs answers fast, and it starts with John Mateer.
In his third season starting for Arbuckle, Mateer can’t be floating throws high over the middle of the field. He also has to clean up the easy stuff - the dump-off screens and quick horizontal passes that should keep the offense on schedule.
The bigger issue is that Mateer isn’t operating behind a settled unit. Oklahoma’s offensive line has been hit by injuries, with Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje playing through pain and future NFL tackle Michael Fasusi missing time.
That’s a problem now, and it’s only going to matter more when the Bulldogs and Texas are staring across the line. Bill Bedenbaugh has to find a solution.
There are other moving parts too. The running backs haven’t gotten much going, whether that’s because Lloyd Avant hasn’t had enough chances or Xavier Robinson has looked sluggish. At receiver, Trell Harris is hurt, which means Elijah Thomas, Parker Livingstone or Mackenzie Alleyne has to step into the void.
Arbuckle also has a bigger-picture decision to make about what this offense is going to be in 2026. Does he want the version that showed up against UTEP, with tight ends Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers on the field together? Or does he want to lean harder into the playbook he brought to Norman, the one Oklahoma used against Michigan?
However it gets there, the Sooners need a run game to back up Mateer. That’s the piece that has to start showing up now, and Saturday night against a well-coached New Mexico defense is the next chance to do it.
“Last year's team, we started figuring out what - how do we need to win. I mean, that identity wasn't developed until three quarters or so into the season,” coach Brent Venables said Tuesday.
Venables said the loss to Michigan doesn’t erase Oklahoma’s bigger goals, but it does sharpen the need to settle things sooner rather than later.
“What I can appreciate about that group a year ago is that many of those same players that are here can learn about is when you know you have some disappointment, which we did middle of the year and lost a couple of close games back-to-back in Texas and Ole Miss, and our guys responded and did some really tough, challenging things, and we continue to get better and found a way to win. And that's what I expect this group of guys to do.
“We're a program that's built on toughness, and we're built to stick together. We're built to respond, and the most important thing right now isn't about what we say about last Saturday. It's about what we do moving forward."
In Other News...
OU Fans Still Waiting As Palace Project Questions Hang Over Memorial Stadium
For Sooners fans looking for movement on the west side of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the latest board of regents meeting did not provide it. The University of Oklahomas Palace Project, a planned $450 million renovation, was not discussed, leaving the long-running stadium issue still sitting in the background as the athletic department continues to manage questions about what comes next.
OU athletic director Roger Denny has offered updates as the conversation has unfolded, and fan concern has remained part of the picture. With the project still without fresh action from the regents, the uncertainty around Memorial Stadium keeps hanging over a program that knows how closely its supporters watch every detail of the home footprint. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Has A Surprising New Mexico Connection Fans Should Know
A New Mexico trip always carries a little extra texture for Oklahoma, even if the Sooners history with teams from the state is thin. The two schools have met only twice in football, back in 1930 and 1935, and Oklahoma won both without allowing a point. Since then, the Sooners have had just one other game against a New Mexico-based opponent, a meeting with New Mexico State in 1989.
Theres also a quieter connection that helps make this matchup feel a little less unfamiliar. Several notable Sooners came from New Mexico, including Tommy McDonald, John Cobbs and Landry Jones, a reminder that the state has sent more than a few impactful players to Norman over the years. With that backdrop, this latest meeting offers a familiar opponent in an unusual setting, even if the full football history between the two sides is still surprisingly small. [Read more 🡒]
Rocky Beers Has Become Exactly What Oklahoma's Young Tight Ends Needed
By the time Rocky Beers arrived in Norman, he had already spent years moving through college football and learning what it takes to stick. The seventh-year tight end has settled into a meaningful role for Oklahoma, giving a young room both production and perspective while handling the demands of football alongside life as a husband and father. For a Sooners offense still shaping its identity, that kind of steady presence has been useful in more ways than one.
Coaches and family members see the same thing in Beers: a player who brings maturity, reliability and a calm example to the program. He has become more than just another transfer finding a home. Around Oklahoma, he is regarded as a valued part of the team and the community, and his rise has given the Sooners a veteran voice in a position group that can benefit from every bit of guidance it gets. [Read more 🡒]