Oklahoma’s offensive line is still searching for answers, and Saturday’s 21-13 loss to Kentucky made that impossible to ignore.
Late in the game, Ryan Fodje could no longer put weight on both legs, yet he was still out there trying to hold things together for the Sooners. The guard-turned-center-turned-left tackle battled through it anyway, but his presence only underscored how thin Oklahoma has become up front. Fodje struggled in pass protection against John Mateer, and the line around him looked like a unit nowhere close to being an average SEC group.
That reality lands even harder because Brent Venables was already sounding the alarm less than two weeks ago.
“It’s been incredibly inconsistent,” Venables said in his press conference a few days ahead of the Sooners’ stunning Red River Rivalry win. “That is a critical piece.”
He also pointed to Oklahoma’s transfer portal misses, the lack of dependable depth, and the pressure that puts on the offense. Asked whether the line “fell apart” in the fourth quarter, he stopped short of embracing that wording.
“I don’t know,” Venables said when asked if the offensive line “fell apart” in the fourth quarter. “I don’t know if …”
“I’ll have to go back and watch the tape,” he said. “To say falling apart, that’s - I don’t think I would use that word at all.”
That doesn’t change the picture. Oklahoma can’t keep leaning on patchwork answers and expecting the results to improve. Venables, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle all talked before the season about better depth in the group, saying it could go nine or 10 players deep with linemen who could help.
That hasn’t happened. The Sooners haven’t even shown they have half that many linemen who can provide replacement-level play.
Fodje’s journey through the lineup tells the story. He came into the season expected to start at right guard, then moved to center after Jake Maikkula’s injury.
When Maikkula’s own injury kept him out of the opener, Fodje ended up at left tackle in the second game after Michael Fasusi left the opener. Through it all, he has been the emergency fix everywhere, even if he has not been great.
Against Kentucky, though, the fourth quarter made the issue plain. From anywhere in the stadium, it was obvious Fodje could not keep going if Oklahoma wanted a chance to win.
“Some guys try to battle through that because they’re able to,” Venables said. “Some guys try to battle through that because they’re able to.
He did all he could. If the trainers come over and say somebody’s out or somebody’s up, it goes accordingly to what they say.”
“I think the trainers made that decision, along with Ryan,” Venables said. “I got to get the details from everybody.”
If the trainers did make that call, it reflects poorly on the staff, whether because the problem was plain to see or because the coaches had so little trust in the rest of the available linemen.
Neither Arbuckle nor Mateer offered much public criticism of the group afterward. Both took the blame on themselves instead.
“I had enough time and you got to deliver,” Mateer said.
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Brent Venables Sends Clear Message After Oklahomas Costly Loss
Brent Venables spent much of the postgame conversation trying to keep Oklahomas loss to Kentucky in perspective, even with the frustration of a 21-13 finish hanging over the program. John Mateers three second-half interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown late, made the defeat feel especially costly, but Venables still defended his quarterbacks overall performance and pointed to signs of growth in the way Mateer managed the offense.
The larger concern for Oklahoma is how quickly it can turn the page. Venables also credited the offensive line for battling through injuries and said the staff made some of its own choices with the game flow in mind, but the Sooners now have to answer with a cleaner showing in their next outing. After a loss like this, the message around the program is less about dwelling on mistakes and more about proving they can respond without letting one rough night linger. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's Rough Night Still Carried A Big Recruiting Twist
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Among the visitors were tight end Seneca Driver and offensive linemen Isaac Coughran, Cooper Hackett and Kaeden Penny, a group that matters as Oklahoma keeps working to stockpile talent for the future. The most interesting name in the building may have been athlete Gideon Gash, a Texas Tech commit who made an official visit to Norman, giving the Sooners a chance to make their case even on a night when the scoreboard did not cooperate. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Defends Costly Oklahoma Call Fans Wont Forget
Oklahomas fake field goal against Kentucky was one of those calls that immediately lived on in the memory of fans, and not for the right reason. On a key special teams snap, punter Jacob Ulrich tried a jump pass to tight end Rocky Beers, but the ball was intercepted and taken back for a touchback, wiping out a chance to steal points and turning a bold gamble into a momentum swing.
Brent Venables later stood by the decision, saying the target had been open and the execution simply missed. The bigger issue, though, was how the Sooners offense sputtered in the second half, leaving the failed trick play to loom even larger as one of the games defining moments. [Read more 🡒]