The Football Brainiacs

Continuing with our plan to share some content that a couple members of our community have been creating for close to a year now!

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Oklahoma 35, Illinois State 3: A clean tune-up that clarified the blueprint

The headline
Oklahoma didn’t empty the playbook in the opener, but it didn’t have to. Transfer quarterback John Mateer delivered the kind of first impression that travels: 30-of-37 for 392 yards (81%) with 15 explosive completions spread across a deepening cast of targets. It looked composed rather than loud — a “quiet 400” built on rhythm throws, defined reads and ball placement that consistently advantaged his receivers. 

What worked on offense
Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle leaned into efficiency over fireworks. OU mixed staples like stick, verts and dagger, stressing seams and leverage without showing much of Arbuckle’s Washington State calling cards. The distribution mattered as much as the yardage: Keontez Lewis won on contested balls, Deion Burks got designer touches, and Isaiah Sategna added the hidden yardage threat in the return game. The surprise: heavy involvement from Jaron Kanick in 12 personnel, with Will Huggins providing the in-line ballast — a two-TE look that changed how Illinois State had to fit the box and match routes. It’s a small tweak with big downstream effects for SEC defenses that prefer to live in split-safety structures. 

What didn’t
The ground game never found a consistent gear (32 for 114, 3.2 YPC). The tape breakdown framed it less as an offensive-line issue and more about RB decisions/reads on zone/duo/dart — with true freshman Torey Blaylock regularly making the right cuts. Jaydn Ott’s limited usage lingers as a storyline; if his role normalizes, the room’s ceiling changes. Short term, the Brad has a simple choice: ride Blaylock and add more RB targets to keep Mateer ahead of the sticks. 

Trenches check
Against an FCS opponent missing starters, grand pronouncements are dangerous — but the OL graded out “fine” on rewatch. Protection held up, communication looked clean, and several negative runs traced back to RB/QB reads or TE fits rather than busts up front. With expected reinforcements, that unit should look different against Michigan, when the evaluation will actually mean something. 

Defense: vanilla by design, effective in outcome
Oklahoma’s plan was straightforward: keep a lid on the pass, rotate bodies, tackle. Mission accomplished. The staff played ~30 defenders (25 with double-digit snaps) and allowed just three points while staying base-heavy — no simulated pressures, little in the way of disguise. The nit to pick: Havoc rate hovered around ~8% (two TFLs, two sacks, zero PBUs), a low number for this caliber of opponent. Names to file for September: Kendal Daniels around the ball, Gentry moving confidently at corner, and freshman Courtland Guillory not blinking. Getting Bowen and Dolby back would raise the coverage ceiling and unlock more pressure answers. 

Clean first game stuff
Few penalties, two turnovers that probably cost seven, and a kicker who never got a live rep. It’s the kind of opener coaches like: enough corrections to coach, without the scars. 

The bigger read
Through one week, the identity is quarterback-led and receiver-rich. If OU identifies a primary back (Blaylock for now, with an Ott asterisk) and dials up a little more defensive disruption, the profile is the one you want for road tests: efficient, multiple, and structure-sound. Michigan will force sharper answers, but the tape from Week 1 already suggests a coordinator-QB partnership that knows where it wants to go — and how to get there without unnecessary noise. 

What’s next
Michigan at Oklahoma, Saturday 6:30 p.m. CT (ABC). Watch the OL rotations, RB touch distribution, and whether Venables turns on the sim-pressure menu to nudge that Havoc number north. If the passing-game efficiency holds, Oklahoma will like the math into the fourth quarter

Player Spotlight — Jaren Kanak (our words)

• Biggest surprise of the night. Among Blaylock and Keontez, Kanak was the No. 1 surprise because of how much he was used and how early we featured him. Multiple seam shots, targeted right away, and clearly part of the plan. 
• We were in two-TE looks more than expected and Kanak was central to it. After we got him going in the pass game, Will Huggins came in as the primary blocker to let Kanak stay the matchup piece while that room cleans up some blocking fits. 
• Comfort in the middle. For a recent linebacker convert, he looked comfortable finding space vs pressure looks—sitting in open grass when hot and working the seams on verts. That’s advanced stuff for Week 1. 
• Teaching tape, not red flags. Yes, there was the early fumble, but the usage and timing were the headline. We liked the intent to feature him and force the defense to adjust. 

The vibe check: “No panic in Kanak.” That was the takeaway—looked poised, decisive, and ready for the speed jump ahead.

‘6’ in True Air Raid is four verticals. Outside receivers push over corners, inside receivers attack the seams. 

In 3×1, 3WR (Kanak) still shares the same field spacing rules and ‘ bends’ (Bender) his away opposite hash mark.  

-Versus single high, the quarterback keys the safeties, throws the best seam, or takes an outside go. 

-Versus two high, work the seams between the safeties, or a hole shot outside when the corner squats. If middle closed, bend the Y; if middle open, stay vertical. 

Back checks release as an outlet. Splits create space, tempo stresses communication, and tags add switches, wheels, and option breaks to punish common coverage rules.

Converted linebacker Jaren Kanak looks natural at tight end early with clean releases, smart feel for the game, and no panic in space. Early returns say he’s a real matchup piece in this 2025 offense.