There’s plenty of blame to go around for Oklahoma’s sputtering offense, but the most stubborn problem may be the one that keeps showing up snap after snap: the offensive line.
The Sooners have gone from a 51-0 rout of UTEP in Week 1 to averaging just 12 points per game over their last two outings. That stretch included last week’s 14-6 win over New Mexico, a game that only deepened the sense that this offense has been stuck in place for three seasons.
The timing is hardly ideal, either, with No. 2 Georgia waiting on Saturday.
Head coach Brent Venables owns the whole operation, even while also serving as defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is the next obvious target for frustrated fans. But if the same issues keep dragging the offense down, changing the play-caller may not solve much.
If Arbuckle eventually gets fired, then Bedenbaugh might also be his exit buddy, with Kevin Wilson capable of replacing both.
Venables didn’t dance around the biggest concern when asked Tuesday what’s behind Oklahoma’s offensive struggles. Injuries are part of it, but he pointed directly at the line.
"Probably just the inconsistent offensive line and then not taking care of the ball," Venables said. "Those two things, bad recipe.”
That’s a tough spot for Bill Bedenbaugh, Oklahoma’s highest-paid position coach at $1.2 million. He has coached the Sooners’ offensive line since 2013, when Bob Stoops brought him over from West Virginia, and he stayed through the full Lincoln Riley era before continuing under Venables.
Bedenbaugh once had a reputation for turning out NFL talent, and his 2018 group won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in college football. But whatever that unit once was has faded, and the results have been ugly for a while now.
Injuries and constant shuffling have certainly played a part, but the line has been a weak spot since 2024, well before Arbuckle or quarterback John Mateer arrived in Norman. And in 2026, it looks painfully familiar again: a quarterback under steady pressure and a run game with nowhere to go.
That’s why the offensive issues have been so hard to pin on just one person. Arbuckle’s scheme and Mateer’s inaccuracy are real concerns, but the offensive line keeps amplifying every flaw around them. It’s the common denominator, and right now it’s the biggest thing standing between Oklahoma and any real offensive turnaround.
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