When Brent Venables turned the offense over to 29-year-old Ben Arbuckle after the 2024 season, Oklahoma didn’t start from scratch. Most of the staff stayed in place, with Arbuckle only bringing John Kuceyeski along with him. That kind of setup can take time to click, especially when a coach is inheriting a room full of assistants who came up through different systems and different backgrounds.
Lately, though, Arbuckle and Venables both see the pieces coming together.
“That’s one of the biggest things from a leadership standpoint that I have to tackle headfirst is getting everybody on the same page,” Arbuckle said Tuesday. “But as far as having the guys that I get to work with in that room and the depth of knowledge and experience that’s in there, I mean, it’s huge.”
The Sooners have veteran help all over that side of the ball. Bill Bedenbaugh anchors the offensive line room.
Kevin Wilson, the assistant head coach for offense and a former head coach, is another major voice. Oklahoma also added Deland McCullough to coach running backs and Jason Witten to handle tight ends.
The results haven’t been clean all season, but Arbuckle said the offense is starting to find a little more rhythm.
“That’s always a challenge whenever you have new faces trying to get on the same page,” Arbuckle said. “ ...
As you get into the season and you do start doing better at certain things, a little bit of a rhythm, a little bit of a cadence starts to show up. And we have to continue to build on that and understand that even though, yeah, it’s better, it ain’t good enough.
We can always continue to be better, and that’s the challenges we go through each season.”
Venables said the staff’s chemistry has improved as they’ve spent 10-12 hours a day together at the facility, working through issues and trying to keep the offense moving forward.
“They've done a nice job,” Venables said. “They’ve just kept their head down and figuring things out, and managing some of the obstacles that they've had to go through, both in personnel and some tough moments, and then just making improvement, like they have here the last three weeks.”
Arbuckle said the support in the room matters as he settles deeper into his second season with the Sooners.
“I love the guys that I get to work with,” Arbuckle said. “They’re really good football coaches.
They’re really smart dudes. They’re really good dudes, and that makes coaching a lot more fun.”
One player who has helped steady things is Caleb Nitta, who has been asked to jump into games on short notice and handle two different interior spots on the offensive line over the last two weeks.
The Western Kentucky transfer was the third-highest graded Oklahoma offensive player from last weekend’s Mississippi State game, according to Pro Football Focus, after stepping in for injured starting center Jake Maikkula.
Venables praised how Nitta has handled the role.
“He’s a tough guy,” Venables said about Nitta. “He cares about his opportunity.
He’s a guy that’s always prepared. He’s detailed, really smart, plays bigger than he is in stature.
He’s really athletic. He runs really well.
He’s got excellent feet, but he understands how to play the game. And through his limitations, he’s figured out what he’s good at and how he needs to play.”
Maikkula’s status remains uncertain for this week’s game against South Carolina, which could force Nitta into another key spot.
“He shows up every day like he has been the starter,” Venables said. “So transitioning, throwing him in there, that wasn’t this dramatic drop-off, probably, that you might have thought because of all the work and the preparation he’s done prior to having his opportunity.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Peyton Bowen picked up major recognition Tuesday when he was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Bowen has been one of Oklahoma’s most important players this season, and some of his biggest moments have already left a mark. His pick-six against Texas and his fourth-quarter interception against Mississippi State both came in huge spots and helped swing games.
Venables, who has coached plenty of high-level safeties, said Bowen belongs near the top of that list.
“He's really grown and matured and his skillset is really special,” Venables said. “He's great.
He's got tremendous range, natural instincts when the ball's in the air. My favorite part of watching him is just how he's developed consistency-wise as a tackler.
How he tracks the ball and closes space - very elite.
“And so God willing, he stays healthy, he's going to play the game a long time.”
In Other News...
OU Fans Think Memorial Stadium Could Be Getting A Huge Summer Event
A cryptic post from Oklahomas official athletics accounts has Sooners fans doing the kind of detective work that usually comes with schedule releases and transfer rumors, not summer concert news. The image was vague enough to spark plenty of speculation, but it lined up with other stadium teases circulating around the music world, and Memorial Stadium has long been a venue that can double as more than just a football home.
The most talked-about possibility is a Noah Kahan show next summer, especially with a countdown appearing on his website that has fueled talk of an announcement coming soon. Nothing has been made official yet, but the timing of the post and the pattern behind similar stadium hints have given fans a reason to think one of the biggest summer events in Norman could be on the way. [Read more 🡒]
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Adepoju Adebawore also kept flashing the kind of pass-rush presence Oklahoma has been leaning on. He finished with 1.5 sacks, another strong showing for a defense that needed one on the road. A win like this does not solve everything, but it does give the Sooners something they have been lacking lately: a little momentum, and a clearer path as the season heads deeper into conference play. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces A Real Test Up Front In Norman
South Carolina is bringing real momentum into Norman, and that alone makes this matchup worth a closer look for Oklahoma. The Gamecocks have stacked consecutive wins over ranked Florida and Tennessee, while the Sooners are trying to follow their recent victory over Mississippi State with something they have not managed yet this season: back-to-back wins. With both teams looking to keep moving in the right direction, the line play figures to be central to everything that happens Saturday.
For Oklahoma, the immediate concern is up front, where the Sooners are still sorting through an offensive line situation that will be under the microscope against one of the SECs most disruptive young defenders. South Carolina coaches pointed to edge rusher Dylan Stewart as a player who can change the tone of a game, and Oklahomas staff knows that kind of pressure can decide whether a rhythm offense ever gets settled. In a game with momentum on the line for both sides, that front-five battle may end up defining the afternoon. [Read more 🡒]