OU’s blowout loss to South Carolina did more than drop the Sooners to 4-4. It pushed a season already wobbling toward the edge and raised the question that now hangs over Norman: what happens next with the offense?
Brent Venables didn’t want to get into possible staff changes after Saturday’s 42-25 defeat at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, but the pressure is obvious. Under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, Oklahoma sits No. 100 or worse nationally in several offensive categories in 2026, including points per play and rushing yards per game.
Last season, the Sooners were No. 94 in yards per game. That’s a long way from the standard OU has built its identity around.
The program has been here before. Oklahoma moved on from former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after a 4-3 start in 2024, and now the Sooners are again sitting at 4-4. Fans made their feelings clear during the loss, chanting, “Fire Arbuckle” in the first half.
Asked by The OU Daily why he should remain Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, Arbuckle pointed back to the program and the people in it.
“I believe in what this place is. I believe in these players,” Arbuckle said.
“I love these players. I love this university.
I love the standards and expectations that this place has. I love that they want a really good product.
I want a really good product, and I want to strive relentlessly to deliver that.”
For all the frustration on that side of the ball, Saturday also produced one of the strangest bright spots of Oklahoma’s season. Junior receiver Ivan Carreon broke out in a big way, finishing with a career-high 88 receiving yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Before Saturday, he had not caught a pass in 2026. He entered the game with just 35 receiving yards in 2025 and 89 in 2024.
The 6-foot-6 receiver has flashed before in a rough team moment, too, going for 72 receiving yards in Oklahoma’s 2024 loss to Navy. Venables said he was glad to see Carreon deliver again.
“He's practicing every day and had an opportunity, got in there (and) did some really good things,” Venables said.
The defense, which had carried so much of the load this season, finally cracked. Oklahoma came in ranked in the top 10 nationally in defense, but South Carolina shredded it.
Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 301 yards and ran for 96 more, and South Carolina piled up 521 total yards. In one afternoon, OU slid from No. 8 to No. 19 in opposing yards per game.
Venables didn’t hide from it.
“We didn't play clean, tough physical football like we have on defense all year,” Venables said, “and so, obviously, didn't count on that happening.”
That collapse wiped away what was left of the playoff conversation. The Sooners still had some hope entering the game, knowing a 9-3 finish could have put them in the mix.
But with four losses now on the ledger, that path is gone. Oklahoma still needs two more wins just to reach bowl eligibility, and the remaining schedule is brutal, with three ranked opponents in the final four games.
Venables put the reality bluntly.
“(I can) sit here and act like, oh yeah, they'll be fine. What's fine?”
Venables said. “There ain't (anything) fine.”
However the last month unfolds, the season is already a clear step below Oklahoma’s standard. The Sooners rank No. 3 all-time in AP-recognized national titles, and this kind of mediocrity has become a recurring issue in the Brent Venables era. Oklahoma went 6-7 in 2022 and again in 2024, and while Venables has also posted two 10-3 seasons, those records still fall short of what this program expects.
The buyout is massive, too. If Venables were fired on Dec. 1 of this year, it would be $51.67 million.
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