Weekend Open Post | September 18th – 20th
Posted on: September 18, 2026
Quick Postgame Thoughts | Michigan
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 12, 2026
The Sooners drop the game to Michigan in what can best be described as an embarrassing offensive performance.
This loss sets up a tough road to the playoffs for the Sooners, and while we will get into that later, it raises questions about their ability to compete in upcoming games with an absolutely putrid offense.
John Mateer was horrific. Not only was he impotent in leading the OU offense for most of the game, but he handed Michigan 7 points in the 4th quarter with a disastrous interception; he not only threw into good coverage, he also threw it late. Absolutely no excusing Mateer’s play.
As for the play calling, yeah, it was crap as well. We heard all offseason about the commitment to the run game and taking the burden off Mateer.
Newsflash: the run game was working, then OU decided to go away from it, almost completely. Sooners RBs finished the day with 13 combined carries. Llowyd Avant averaged 6.6 YPC in the first half and he was basically shelved in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, John Mateer had 11 carries, so he almost matched the running back room in number of carries.
Rocky Beers at tight end had a nice day with 6 catches for 94 yards, but he was largely ignored on the last two drives of the game, aside from a 4th down target that was thrown, yes, you guessed it, high and away.
Nobody had a good day offensively, but call a spade a spade…Mateer was horrific, and Arbuckle was bad.
OU committed two turnovers on the offensive side of the ball and defensively, OU did not create any turnovers.
This loss really puts the Sooners backs against the wall for the season, as they have basically narrowed their room for error the rest of the way.
More importantly, they have to figure out something offensively before we can even consider them reaching their goals.
We talked all offseason about this team going as far as Mateer allows them to…today, he didn’t allow them to gain many miles, and in reality, it feels like he put the team in reverse.
What a travesty for what is, on paper, Brents most talented team.
What I Saw | OU vs. Michigan
– Super K – Posted on: September 12, 2026
***First, I didn’t really see much that impressed me about the Michigan offense. Some of that was due to OU’s defense, I’m sure. But two weeks in a row they haven’t been impressive.
***Defense had trouble getting Michigan off the field at times but overall, not much you can say when you only give up 10 points and none in the second half.
***So the defense remains the consistent part of this team. Something that wasn’t true before last year.
***Where the inconsistency showed up the most to me was between the QB and the WRs. Either Mateer would throw a poor ball or he’d throw a good ball and the WR would drop it.
***That ball to Sategna was a beauty and he has to catch that. That last ball to Beers was a beauty. He has to catch that. And even the ball that was a little overthrown to Beers on the second to the last drive that would’ve given the Sooners a first – that has to be caught as well.
***Parker Livingstone with the fumble, brutal in a game with two good defenses.
***I thought Mateer’s inconsistency was probably the biggest overall issue, but the WRs have to be more consistent as well.
***I do think Michigan’s secondary is excellent, and I think it is probably one of the better secondaries OU will see.
***It was clear that Arbuckle did not expect the coverage to be that tight. Reminded of a boxer preparing for a quick guy only to realize that you can’t prepare for certain levels of speed. Arbuckle knew that they had guys, but between Mateer’s first-half inaccuracies and the coverage being so tight, you can see him scrapping his game plan in real time.
***I also felt like OU played tight. Something about their demeanor early on. That Michigan Western Michigan game last week really messed up the narrative. It gave Michigan new life but also made this game feel like a lose-lose, worse. Win and no one gives you credit, lose and you…lose. So it starts to feel like you can’t lose.
***I remember that first outside throw by Mateer to Trell. Mateer really didn’t give Trell a chance. And I thought to myself, that’s going to keep those safeties in rover positions. It just tightened everything up over the middle.
***Field position was atrocious for most of the game. That’s never good but for OU, it exposes them even more because you take away one of their best threats – the kicker.
***OU has some pieces on offense but it continues to be clear that Mateer is only a backyard QB. If he’s standing in the pocket too much, a mistake is bound to happen.
***The hope here is that they can regroup and play loose against UGA.
***One thing that isn’t negotiable is they can’t be a team that relies on winning with 10-15 points. Against the competition they’re going to play, that’s a tall task for any defense.
***Not a great loss, but a lot of football to play. BV still has time to prove he’s not on a yo-yo and is the coach we are all hoping he is.
Sunday Brunch | Grab A Plate If You Can Stomach It
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 13, 2026
Oklahoma Has Little Room for Error After Michigan Loss
There is no reason to sugarcoat this one.
Oklahoma went into Ann Arbor with an opportunity to make an early statement and instead walked out with a 17-10 loss that puts the Sooners in a much different position than they hoped to be after two weeks.
At 1-1, the season certainly isn’t over. But Oklahoma has put its back against the wall early, and with the schedule ahead, there is very little time to figure things out.
The Offense STILL Needs an Identity
This may be the biggest takeaway from Saturday.
Oklahoma needs to decide what it wants to be offensively.
The most frustrating part of the offensive performance was the decision to move away from the running game. It wasn’t necessarily that Michigan was shutting down OU’s running backs; they weren’t. The Sooners simply chose to become more pass-heavy as the game went along, even though the running game was giving them something to work with.
That can’t happen. It was mind-numbing.
OU needs to establish the run, stay committed to it, and use that to create opportunities for John Mateer. At the same time, Mateer has to play better. He has the talent to be serviceable, but the Sooners need better decisions and more consistency from their quarterback.
Mateer doesn’t have to carry this offense. In fact, asking him to do so may be part of the problem.
Complementary Football
The defense did enough to win this football game.
Holding Michigan to 10 offensive points in Ann Arbor should give your team a chance. But complementary football means the offense has to do its part, too.
Oklahoma cannot continue asking its defense to be nearly perfect while the offense struggles to sustain drives and put points on the board.
The defense needs to keep playing at a high level. The offense needs to find an identity. Special teams need to provide field position and momentum.
All three phases have to work together.
There Is No Time to Waste
This loss doesn’t end Oklahoma’s season, but it certainly makes the road ahead much more difficult.
The Sooners have a brutal schedule remaining, and there simply aren’t going to be many opportunities to stumble and make up for it later.
If Oklahoma gets the offense figured out, gets better quarterback play from Mateer and continues to play defense at this level, this team can still accomplish plenty.
But if these issues linger, the season could fall off the cliff quickly. I don’t have to remind anyone about the records flip-flopping over the last four years, but 6-7 in years one and three and 10-3 in years two and four is truly the roller coaster ride, and right now, we may be sitting on top of that first long climb on the ride.
That’s the uncomfortable reality.
Oklahoma came into this season with legitimate aspirations. After Saturday’s loss, those aspirations aren’t gone, but the margin for error has become razor-thin.
The Sooners need to figure out who they are, and they need to figure it out now.
What we saw was not up to what should be considered the standard at OU.
It Was Always Going To Come Down To John Mateer
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 13, 2026
For months, we have talked about the same thing when discussing Oklahoma football.
This OU team will only go as far as John Mateer allows it to go.
It was a theme throughout every prediction, every preseason discussion and every conversation about what this team could ultimately become. And every time, we kept coming back to the same line: It doesn’t matter what we hear about Mateer in the offseason, in the spring, in the summer or in fall camp.
The only thing that matters is what we see when the lights come on.
We needed to see Mateer make better decisions. We needed to see him execute the offense at a higher level. We needed to see him become more accurate and more decisive with the football.
And we specifically pointed to Michigan as the first real measuring stick.
Not UTEP. Not practice reports. Not seven on seven. Not glowing comments from teammates or coaches.
Michigan.
That was going to be the first opportunity to really understand what this Oklahoma team could be under Mateer and, perhaps more importantly, how much Mateer had actually progressed from the second half of last season.
Now we have our answer.
And it wasn’t a good one for Oklahoma.
Mateer looked indecisive. He looked inaccurate. He struggled to consistently make the right decisions and, at times, looked remarkably similar to the quarterback we watched during the second half of last season.
The biggest difference is that last year, there was a built in explanation. Mateer was dealing with a broken hand, and it was completely reasonable to wonder how much that injury was affecting his performance.
That excuse isn’t there anymore.
This was supposed to be the version of Mateer Oklahoma had been waiting for.
Instead, Saturday looked far too familiar.
And that creates a massive problem because when your quarterback is playing poorly, it becomes almost impossible for the rest of the offense to flourish.
The offensive line can block better. The running backs can run harder. The receivers can get open. The tight ends can make plays. We literally saw the original concept of the offense working on the first two drives.
None of it matters nearly as much when the quarterback isn’t consistently getting the ball to the right place or making the right decision.
That’s why what happened offensively against Michigan was so frustrating.
Oklahoma spent the entire offseason talking about establishing more balance, committing to the running game and building an offense that better fit its personnel. There was a clear plan for what this offense was supposed to look like.
Then Michigan showed up, and Oklahoma essentially abandoned it.
Instead of continuing to lean into the identity it had spent months developing, the Sooners reverted back toward a pure Air Raid approach, asking this personnel group to win a game through the passing game. That’s on offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, but could Mateer’s poor play have influenced that choice?
That’s simply not what this Oklahoma team is built to do right now.
And when Mateer isn’t playing well on top of that, the entire thing falls apart.
This isn’t about blaming one player for everything that went wrong against Michigan. Oklahoma had problems across the board. But quarterback play is the engine that makes everything else on offense go, and right now that engine isn’t running the way it needs to.
That’s what makes the road ahead so concerning.
Oklahoma has Georgia and Texas in two of its next three games.
Those are two of the most talented teams on the schedule, and neither is going to allow Oklahoma to survive long stretches of poor quarterback play and offensive inconsistency.
If the Sooners play offense the way they did against Michigan, they have virtually no chance of winning either game.
That’s the reality.
There is still plenty of football left to play, and there is still time for Mateer to change the narrative. But this was exactly why we kept saying all offseason that the reports didn’t matter.
We needed to see it.
We needed to see better decisions. Better execution. Better accuracy. Better command of the offense.
Michigan was the first real test.
And after Saturday, Oklahoma has more questions about its quarterback than answers.
The frustrating part is that we already knew this could be the determining factor.
This Oklahoma team has enough talent to be very good. The defense can keep the Sooners in games. The running backs are capable. The offensive line has talent. There are playmakers on the outside.
But none of that changes the central question.
How far can John Mateer take this football team?
Right now, after what we saw in Ann Arbor, the answer isn’t very far.
Position Group Progress Report | Week Two ’26: Michigan
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 14, 2026
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooners’ loss to Michigan. OU was a favorite against Michigan, and they didn’t cover the 5.5-point spread.
This will be the second progress report of the season.
In following reports, I will include the previous week’s ranking at the top of each position group’s report in all subsequent progress reports!
Let’s see how things shook out against Michigan.
QB: Nebula (Last week: 4*) – Not a lot to say. He sucked.
Best player in the room this week: N/A
RB: 2* (Last week: 3*) – I mean…could have been a lot better, but you have to get the chance to be better. Lloyd Avant was the bright spot, but choices were made not to use.
Best player in the room this week: Lloyd Avant
WR: Nebula (Last week: 4*) – Just not enough chances, and when they got them, they didn’t make competitive plays.
Best player in the room this week: Mackenzie Alleyne
TE: 3* (Last week: 5*) – Rocky Beers was the best player on offense, yet he didn’t capitalize when he could.
Best player in the room this week: Rocky Beers
OL: Nebula (Last week: 3*) – Trash play at the tackle spots wiped out all talk of decent play from the interior.
Best player in the room this week: Jake Maikkula
DT: 3* (Last week: 3*) – Solid, but nothing dominant.
Best player in the room this week: Jayden Jackson
EDGE: 4* (Last week: 4*) – Taylor Wein was one of the best players on the defense on the day in my opinion. PJ Adebawore had a solid day, and Kenny Ozowalu flashed. Thought Danny Okoye had a rough day.
Best player in the room this week: Taylor Wein
LB: 3* (Last week: 3*) – Heinecke is still playing too high, Sulivan was kind of MIA and Kip was solid until he got banged up. Nesta looked a bit lost in relief at times but seemed to grow as the game went on. Still, the group did well enough to contain Michigan. Owen and Cole not falling on that loose ball really was rough. Reggie Powers at Cheetah had a terrific game overall.
Best player in the room this week: Reggie Powers
CB: 3* (Last week: 4*) – Really good in coverage, but man, the penalties hurt.
Best player in the room this week: Eli Bowen
2: 3* (Last week: 2*) – Better than last week on all accounts; Boganowski got his bell rung and Omarion Robinson did a nice job next to Peyton.
Best player in the room this week: Peyton Bowen
ST: 4* (Last week: 5*) – Great job in punt game.
Best player in the room this week: Greyson Miller
The Indispensable for the Offense
– Super K -Posted on: September 14, 2026
It’s really simple. You cannot win games scoring a net three points (10 points scored, 7 given back).
And it’s really simple…
***You cannot run an offense (with rare talent exception at QB and WR that OU doesn’t nearly have) without running the ball.
***It doesn’t matter if it works for a quarter and you get back in the game. The house always wins. If you don’t take your lumps to establish the run, you’ll eventually give back your gains.
***I’m not a fan of the all over the place offense – sometimes looking air raid and sometimes looking pro style. Make a decision and be that. But…
***Whatever you’re going to be, you have to run the ball.
***Right before the season, we wrote a post titled “run the ball.” Mateer cannot be successful without it.
***You can’t have your OL coming off blocks for a quarter of the game and then have them on islands with pass rushers coming at them with no threat of a run game for three quarters. You can’t ask your WRs and TEs to win with any degree of consistency if the secondary isn’t remotely concerned about the threat of the run. And you can’t ask Mateer to be something he isn’t.
***You’re castrating your offense. You’re making them constantly the prey and rarely the predator. Their defense is pinning their ears back and their secondary isn’t any run pass conflict so they’re roaming the backfield with reckless abandon squeezing you north to south and east to west.
***Again, the house always wins. Abandoning the run will cost you in the end. It’s like Milton Friedman said about inflation, feels good at first but the pain comes later and stopping it feels bad at first but the benefits come later.
***You establish the run in the first half to benefit in the second. And if you have to, you establish into the third quarter and the benefits come in the fourth.
***This is pretty simple to me. If the offensive staff refuses to give an earnest effort to establish the run, there is no defending them. Period.
Sourced Injury Notes | September 14th
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 14, 2026
Let’s put the injury notes we have talked about in previous threads coming out of the game at Michigan all in one place…
***As mentioned previously, linebacker Kip Lewis suffered a knee injury. Source says there were no tears, but expect Lewis to “Be out a while”. Right now, I would think Texas would be the most optimistic of outlooks, but we will see.
***Safety Mike Boganowski got his bell rung. We will see how protocol goes for him in regard to the New Mexico game, but I would call him doubtful right now. Will keep an eye on it, could be a situation where he clears on Friday and is available.
***Offensive tackle Michael Fasusi is still doubtful (shoulder) for New Mexico, according to sources. Georgia week would likely be the next possible time we see him, but no guarantees there right now. Source I spoke with believes Georgia is the target for both Fasusi and the team, but that depends on how things shake out the next couple of weeks.
My Current Take on the BV Era
– Super K – Posted on: September 15, 2026
The Lincoln Take
Early on in Lincoln Riley’s tenure, I felt like he had the potential to go on a great run.
He was hyper focused on recruiting, players loved him, and he knew how to put an offense on the field. Everything else, I knew he could hire. And he could have but…
At some point, I came to realize he wasn’t going to hold people accountable. He was not going to make the necessary changes.
Some of you will recall that we took some heat for our early criticisms of Lincoln’s hires and his unwillingness to upgrade parts of his staff.
Fast forward to now and not only has Lincoln made those replacements (in some cases from the top down at USC), he’s actually had on his staff at least two coaches we specifically recommended to Lincoln’s staff years ago.
I say all this to say is that you might be right or wrong about a coach but you need to try your best to base an opinion on evidence and you need to objective and fair. I know it’s emotional for the fans. It shouldn’t be for administrators, media, etc. That doesn’t mean you’ll get it right. But the assessment needs to be detached for it to have any chance of being right. You need to be willing to take some grief for your take otherwise instead of being honest, you’ll pander. And you need to continue to evolve based on any new information.
The BV Take
I was very optimistic about the BV hire. There are always unknowns when you hire a coach and certainly with an assistant coach who doesn’t have head coaching experience.
But what we knew sounded promising. BV was always a well liked guy. He was tough but loved by his players. He had coached some nasty defenses. And he came up under three really good coaches in Snyder, Stoops and Sweeney (though it’s starting to look like BV was the secret sauce for Sweeney’s stew).
What we saw from BV was…
***He didn’t immediately take over and call his own defense. We all thought, ok maybe that’ll be fine. He knows what he wants.
***It wasn’t fine. He had fired his DC.
***Then when thought, ok now he will take over the defense. Nope. He had hired a kid who then left him for…WVU.
***Special teams wasn’t special.
***Offense under Lebby was decent but never felt consistent and then despite what was said in public, Gabriel was pushed out and things kept getting worse.
***We saw multiple meltdowns against Texas. We didn’t see a single post season win which included a loss to Navy. I could go on but you get the picture.
***So, about a year ago I said I had lost confidence in BV. I didn’t see that as a particularly hot take. But some folks didn’t seem too happy with that position.
***A year ago, there was nothing to hang your hat on. Offense was inconsistent, defense was inconsistent, special teams was inconsistent. And the press conferences and the explanations got more and more verbose.
Fast forward to today…
The Sooners under BV are not in the same place.
***BV finally took over the defense and it is absolutely consistent. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes but since a year ago, it’s been mostly nails.
***Mr. Nair wears short shorts Tate Sandell is an absolute beast. The special teams went from being quite bad to a strength of the team.
***BV has demonstrated something Lincoln never did. His willingness to make changes and hold guys accountable.
So, my take now is that the program isn’t where it was a year ago when I said I’d lost confidence in BV.
I’m not advocating for any particular position. And I don’t begrudge anyone for their take. This is a storied program and has and should have high standards. Those standards aren’t currently being met.
But, I also have to be honest about my own assessment and change my assessment as more evidence comes in.
I know the loss to Michigan might make this take even less popular than my loss of confidence take last year. And again, I’m not telling anyone what they should feel about BV or this staff.
I’m just saying that the team isn’t the same team. It’s not a series of blunders from every direction. It’s a series of blunders primarily from one direction now.
Two legs of the stool seem solid to me. It’s not going to stand on its own without the third leg but at least we know what needs to be remedied. We couldn’t say that a year or so ago.
We’ll see how this thing plays out but whatever the record ends up being, I’m glad to see that at least there is something the Sooners can hang their hat on. At least, the vision of what needs to be fixed has narrowed significantly.
I have to give BV credit for that. He needs to right the whole ship but at least for now, the leaks aren’t everywhere anymore.
Final Thoughts On Michigan | Catching Up With JY
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 15, 2026
Ok, let’s put a bow on this pig (the Michigan game) and try to turn the page and point toward New Mexico and the rest of the year after one final thread.
I caught up with one of the OG’s who you all wanted to hear from, JY, to get his thoughts on what transpired against Michigan.
When I asked JY about his initial thoughts about the game, he said “I think if Arbuckle had let them come out and pound on Michigan, instead of trying to be Mr Air Raid, then, the offensive line would have been fine.”
He added, “With Fodje out of position, you gotta protect your tackles with tight ends. It opens up the back end of the defense and forces the other team to put bigger people on the field”.
I agreed with him and mentioned that I felt that sticking with the UTEP game plan, which they seemingly started the game with, would have been the better plan.
JY agreed and said “Exactly. And when they had success in the third quarter, they were in that personnel and scheme. It matched up linebackers against tight ends instead of faster guys. Plus, it forces safeties down to protect against the run”.
We talked some more about the first two drives and the seemingly incessant need for OC’s to try and force the pass game first and ignore the fact that they are in second and two and all they need to do is simply fall forward to move the chains and open up a new set of downs. As JY said “get the first @&$#*&@ down and don’t be dumb”.
Finally, the last real issue was once again realizing the lack of situational awareness from the staff after seeing that John Mateer was clearly off with his accuracy and he had a case of happy feet. Again, as JY said it best, “Dial it down and run the rock”.
Lastly, I thought you would appreciate JY’s parting thoughts. He said “What pisses me off the most is that I expect Oklahoma to have the best of everything. Facilities, coaches, and players. Within the coach category, I expect them to have the greatest minds in the game. They overcomplicate things way too much. I mean, how can you not see what us average Joes are seeing when you’re getting paid millions to see it!”
My response to this conversation with JY:
Know Your Opponent | New Mexico – 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 16, 2026
Head Coach: Jason Eck — 2nd year
Offensive Coordinator: Luke Schleusner — 2nd year
Defensive Coordinator: Spence Nowinsky — 2nd year
New Mexico has gotten off to a 2-0 start in impressive fashion, opening the season with a 38-7 win over Central Michigan before exploding for a 70-7 victory over Mercyhurst. The Lobos have been balanced on offense, with Scottre Humphrey leading the rushing attack and a three-quarterback rotation of Toa Fa’avae, Luke Moga and James Laubstein giving the offense different looks. Defensively, New Mexico has been equally impressive, helping the Lobos build a 108-14 scoring margin through two games. Now comes a major step up in competition as New Mexico travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma
On offense…
Oklahoma gets a different kind of challenge this week when the Sooners welcome New Mexico to Norman. The Lobos enter the matchup 2-0 and have shown they are more than capable of putting points on the board, including a 38-7 win over Central Michigan to open the season. One of the more interesting aspects of the New Mexico offense is the quarterback situation. The Lobos are using three quarterbacks, giving Oklahoma multiple styles to prepare for.
QB #13 Toa Fa’avae – Fa’avae got the start against Central Michigan and finished 4-of-8 passing for 43 yards while adding 45 yards on seven carries. He brings plenty of athleticism to the position and gives New Mexico another threat in the designed and scramble run game.
QB #10 Luke Moga – The Oregon transfer may be the most experienced passer of the group and had a strong opener, completing 13-of-17 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Moga connected with Bailen George for an 11-yard touchdown, showing the ability to make plays through the air while also providing mobility outside the pocket. Moga also threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Troy Omeire against Mercyhurst.
QB #12 James Laubstein – Laubstein provides a completely different element. The veteran quarterback is a physical runner who was used primarily in short-yardage situations against Central Michigan, carrying six times for 18 yards and two touchdowns.
The Lobos are not simply rotating quarterbacks for the sake of rotating quarterbacks. Each brings something different to the offense, which makes preparation a little more complicated for Oklahoma.
RB #22 Scottre Humphrey – Humphrey has quickly established himself as the lead back. He rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries against Central Michigan before following that up with 110 yards and two touchdowns against Mercyhurst. Through two games, he has 174 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
WR #14 DJ Darling – Darling had one catch for nine yards in the opener but remains part of a receiver group Oklahoma will need to account for. He also has the speed to make plays down the field and caught a 35-yard touchdown against Mercyhurst.
WR #5 Troy Omeire – Omeire (a former Texas Longhorn) had two catches for 20 yards in the opener before breaking out against Mercyhurst with a 64-yard touchdown reception. His ability to create explosive plays makes him one of the Lobos’ more dangerous weapons on the outside.
WR #81 Bailen George – George had four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown against Central Michigan. His touchdown came on an 11-yard pass from Moga and showed the connection the two have developed.
TE #88 Cade Keith – Keith is one of the more productive weapons in the New Mexico passing game. He caught three passes for 28 yards in the opener and has five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown through two games.
TE #85 Simon Mapa – Mapa gives New Mexico another physical body in the tight end room and is part of an offense that is comfortable using multiple tight ends. Oklahoma will have to be ready for the Lobos to create different looks with the personnel.
LT #71 Danzel Newell – Newell is a young offensive lineman who has been part of a unit that helped New Mexico establish a strong rushing attack. The Lobos ran for 205 yards on 44 carries against Central Michigan.
LG #51 Malik Aliane – Aliane is one of the veterans up front and brings plenty of experience to the New Mexico offensive line. He will have a difficult assignment against an Oklahoma defensive front that wants to control the line of scrimmage.
C #59 Kaden Robnett – Robnett anchors the middle of the offensive line and is another returning starter. New Mexico finished with 364 total yards and 28 first downs in the opener.
RG #79 Cole Millward – Millward transferred in from Weber State and has stepped into a starting role. He is part of an offensive line that helped New Mexico control the game against Central Michigan, including nearly 38 minutes of possession.
RT #68 Tyler Lawrence – Lawrence is another returning starter up front. The veteran tackle helped the Lobos produce 205 rushing yards in the opener while allowing just one sack.
The big picture for OU…
***There is more to New Mexico than simply trying to survive against Oklahoma.
***The Lobos have a legitimate rushing attack, multiple weapons at receiver and tight end, and perhaps the most interesting quarterback rotation Oklahoma will face this season.
***Fa’avae, Moga and Laubstein combined for 17-of-25 passing for 159 yards and a touchdown against Central Michigan, while adding 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
***For Oklahoma, the biggest priority will be controlling the line of scrimmage and forcing New Mexico into obvious passing situations. The Sooners cannot afford to overlook a Lobos offense that has already shown it can create explosive plays in multiple ways.
On defense…
The Lobos have a fairly experienced 4-2-5 defense. Their opener against Central Michigan was particularly strong, holding the Chippewas to 149 total yards and just 30 passing yards.
LDE #10 Darren Agu – A preseason All-Mountain West selection and one of New Mexico’s top defensive linemen. Agu had 1 sack in the opener and helped lead a defensive front that held Central Michigan to 119 rushing yards.
NT #92 Brian Booker – A big, physical interior defender who was a second-team All-Mountain West preseason selection. Booker recorded 2 tackles against Central Michigan and will be one of the Lobos’ primary run-stoppers against OU.
DT #15 Xavier Slayton – A fifth-year veteran who brings significant experience to the interior. Slayton had 2 tackles and an interception in the opener, picking off Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores late in the first half.
RDE #36 Albert Tuakalau – The College of San Mateo transfer earned the starting job opposite Agu. He recorded 20 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in his final junior-college season, and gives the Lobos another athletic edge presence.
WLB #2 Mercury Swaim – One of the more active players on the New Mexico defense. Swaim led the Lobos with 7 tackles against Central Michigan and is a key piece of their second level.
MLB #6 Jaxton Eck – The heart of the New Mexico defense and one of its biggest names (coach’s kid). Eck led the Lobos with 129 tackles in 2025 and added 5 tackles in the opener. He is the guy Oklahoma will need to account for when trying to establish the run.
LCB #8 Ormanie Arnold – A veteran corner who was named third-team All-Mountain West in the preseason. Arnold gives New Mexico experience on the outside and is part of a secondary that allowed only 30 passing yards against Central Michigan.
SS #7 Tavian Combs – A sixth-year senior and another experienced piece of the secondary. Combs was a third-team preseason All-Mountain West selection and gives the Lobos plenty of veteran presence at safety.
FS #0 Austin Brawley – One of the most accomplished defensive backs on the roster. Brawley had 26 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, a sack, three pass breakups and three interceptions in 2025, and was named first-team All-Mountain West entering this season.
RCB #5 Frankie Edwards III – A junior transfer who holds down the other outside corner spot. Edwards is part of a secondary that has helped New Mexico get off to a strong defensive start, with the Lobos allowing only 37 points through their first two games.
NB #12 Drew Speech – A veteran defensive back who lines up in New Mexico’s nickel role. Speech made 5 tackles and recorded a sack in the opener, while the official game notes specifically highlighted his open-field tackle during the win over Central Michigan.
The big picture for OU…
***The names that immediately stand out are Eck, Agu, Brawley and Swaim, while Slayton gives the Lobos an interesting interior threat after his interception in the opener.
***New Mexico’s defense also showed that it can create negative plays and get off the field, recording 10 tackles for loss against Central Michigan before producing 13 TFLs against Mercyhurst.
***New Mexico’s defense has been one of the Lobos’ strengths through the first two games, playing fast and attacking downhill. They have already shown a knack for creating negative plays, forcing turnovers and getting after opposing quarterbacks, which makes Oklahoma’s ability to stay ahead of the chains especially important.
Bottom line…
***Stop Scottre Humphrey and the run game. New Mexico has been effective running the football, with Humphrey already at 174 yards and three touchdowns through two games. OU needs to win the line of scrimmage and force the Lobos into obvious passing situations.
***Win the turnover battle. New Mexico has already forced five interceptions and sits at +8 in turnover margin, while OU is at -1. That makes protecting the football, especially for John Mateer, a major priority.
***Find an offensive identity. This is another opportunity for OU to get its offense moving in the right direction after the Michigan loss. The Sooners need to establish the run, stay committed to it and let Mateer use his legs while making better decisions in the passing game.
The Run Rule of Thumb
– Super K – Posted on: September 17, 2026
As a follow up to our post earlier this week titled, The Indispensable for the Offense, I wanted to highlight a comment from kbrash which was as follows…
What we’ve been talking about running the ball as a heuristic. A rule of thumb isn’t a rule derived by a single individual. It a rule derived over time through the collective human experience.
As we talked about in the post earlier this week, you may be able to outsmart a moment, but if you defy this truths arrived by the collective wisdom, you’re likely to get burned. In this case, it’s as simple as, you have to maintain balance in running the ball if it seems imprudent.
Kbrash’s comment is just one of an endless number of examples but he highlighted one from this past weekend that gets to the crux of this issue.
When you’re down, it’s easy for the individual to veer from the rule of thumb, from the collective wisdom handed down. Your circumstance is different. You’re smarter than people of the past.
You aren’t.
First, look at the balance for both teams.
Texas ran the ball 41 times and passed it 37 times.
Ohio State ran the ball 31 times and passed it 32 times.
Neither team was gangbusters in the run. They have averaged around three years a carry.
But as kbrash points out, even when Texas’ back was against the wall, look at the rush attempts.
In the 4th quarter the scoring drives were as follows:
1st: 15 play TD drive – 7 run, 8 pass
2nd: 13 play TD drive – 7 run, 6 pass
3rd: 12 play TD drive – 7 run, 5 pass
Nearly perfect balance in the fourth quarter despite being down by quite a bit.
Even if Sark had lost the game staying balanced, again, if you follow them over the long run, the arch of heuristics will bend in your favor.
We saw Sark do the same thing last year in the Red River Rivarly. He stubbornly stuck with the run in the first half, despite the fact that BV was stuffing it.
We all know what happened in the second half.
I thought kbrash made a great post and it seemed to go a bit unnoticed. I wanted to highlight it here just to reinforce this idea that while an OC has plenty of room to be creative, there are certain immutable qualities of a successful offense, it seems.
And for whatever gains you achieve deviating from those rules – even if it’s a win here and there – it’s going to catch up with you.
I think I’m at a place where I would literally just like to see this offense focus on one thing and one thing only which is to run the ball more. Whatever the score outcome, I will take it as a win if the run pass ratio is near even.
Because I think ultimately it will lead to a more successful offense and more successful program.
One On Ones | OU vs New Mexico 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 17, 2026
The Sooners return home to host New Mexico in their third game of the season!
OU comes into the contest at 1-1 while the Lobos are 2-0.
I’ll be watching a couple of one-on-one matchups in this game as keys to Oklahoma’s success!
Let’s have a look!
One-on-One Number One
Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle vs His Inner Demons That Move Him Off of the Run Game
Ben Arbuckle Needs to Trust the Run Game
Ben Arbuckle has talked about wanting to establish the run.
Now it’s time to commit to it.
The first two games have provided a pretty clear lesson. Against UTEP, Oklahoma ran the ball 39 times for 170 yards. Against Michigan, the Sooners ran just 13 times for 63 yards.
And here’s the problem: Michigan didn’t simply take the run game away. Oklahoma moved away from it.
That’s the part Arbuckle needs to fix.
Because after Saturday’s game against New Mexico, Oklahoma will have completed one quarter of its regular season without establishing an offensive identity.
That’s too long.
This offense doesn’t need to become conservative. It needs to become consistent. The Sooners need to establish the run, stay with it when the early results aren’t spectacular and force opposing defenses to respect it for four quarters.
The UTEP game showed what that balance can look like. Michigan showed what happens when Oklahoma gets away from it.
And with the schedule only getting more difficult, the Sooners can’t afford to spend another month figuring out what they want their offense to be.
Arbuckle needs to decide what this offense is going to be, and the run game needs to be at the center of it…because right now, OU has a real QB problem to boot.
One on One Number Two
Oklahoma Offensive Tackles vs New Mexico Defensive Front
If Oklahoma is going to establish the run against New Mexico, the tackles have to set the tone.
E’Marion Harris needs to be better at right tackle or he needs to take a seat; Ryan Fodje likely gets another opportunity at left tackle with Michael Fasusi sidelined. Neither can afford another inconsistent performance if Ben Arbuckle is serious about building this offense around the run.
New Mexico isn’t Michigan, but they are solid, and this is a chance for the Sooners to get physical, create movement, and give their backs room to operate.
And if Harris or Fodje aren’t up to the task, OU can’t wait all day for things to improve. Deacon Schmitt could be an option at right tackle, with Fred Hinton or Peyton Joseph possibilities on the left.
The goal is simple: Establish the run and let the offensive line set the tone.
Venables Extension | Let It Play Out
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 16, 2026
There has been plenty of reaction to Oklahoma extending Brent Venables, and as you might expect, opinions have been all over the place.
Some see the six-year, $63 million extension as a sign that OU is finally giving Venables the stability needed to build the program. Others see it as an unnecessary commitment that could become difficult to unwind if the Sooners fail to take the next step.
The reality is, we simply don’t know yet.
Obviously, in their opinion, there were reasons for Oklahoma to make the move. Venables took the Sooners from 6-7 in 2024 to a 10-win regular season and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2025. The defense has developed into a legitimate strength, recruiting has remained strong, and OU has built a foundation for competing in the SEC.
But that doesn’t mean the extension is guaranteed to work out.
The Michigan loss exposed some of the same offensive questions we’ve been talking about, particularly when it comes to offensive identity and quarterback play. Those issues aren’t going to disappear simply because Venables received a new contract.
And that’s why I don’t think there is much value in declaring the extension either a great decision or a terrible one right now.
The contract doesn’t determine Venables’ legacy. What he does with the opportunity will.
If Oklahoma continues building on what it accomplished in 2025, develops its offense and becomes a consistent SEC and Playoff contender, this extension will look pretty good.
If the Sooners remain inconsistent and fail to take that next step, the questions will become much louder.
For now, Oklahoma has made its decision. Now it’s time to see what Brent Venables does with it.
Working Visitor List | New Mexico
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 18, 2026
Below you will find our working visitor list for the New Mexico game.
As always, the list will change as some additional guys will make their way to town and some of the guys on the list will not be able to make it for one reason or another,
DE Cassell Cruickshank, 28, 6’6, 230, Fayetteville, (E.E. Smith), North Carolina.
DE Major Stokes, 28, 6’5.5, 240, Orem, Utah,
DE, Logan Lokey, 28, 6’3, 250, Denton (Guyer), Texas
LB Tylan Henderson, 28, 6’1, 210, Pfulgerville (Weiss), Texas
LB Cooper Whitten, 27, 6’1.5, 220, Argyle (Liberty Christian), Texas: OU Commit
LB Taven Epps, 27, 6’3.5, 225), Tustin, California, OU Commit.
LB Jay Schell, 28, 6’3, 214a, Rabun Gap (Nacochee), Georgia
S Drake Coellner, 28, 6’0, 190, Carmel, Indiana
S Jalen Flowers, 28, 6’2, 185, Palos Verdes Peninsula, California,
S, Jaylen Scott, 27, 6’0, 165, Mobile (Williamson), Alabama, OU Comit
S, Jaiden Fields, 27, 6’1, 200, Hutto, Texas, OU Commit
DT Kellan Hall, 28, 6’4, 265, Louisville (Christian Academy), Kentucky
DT, Malakai Leilua, 28, 6’2.5, 255, Saratoga Springs (Westlake), Utah
DT Devon Robertson, 27, 6’0.5, 333, Hattiesburg (Oak Grove), Mississippi, OU Commit
DT Elija Harmon, 27, 6’3, 280, Inglewood, California, OU Commit
RB Malaki Davis, 28, 6’1, 215, Corona (Centennial), California
RB Ian Thomas, 28, 6’0, 185, Tomball, Texas
RB, William ‘Tre’ Green, 29, 5’10, 195, Trophy Club (Byron Nelson), Texas
RB Jakoby Dixon, 27, 5’9, 205, Brenham, Texas, OU Commit
RB Keldrid Ben, 27, 5’10, 208, Montgomery, Texas, OU Commit
WR Colton Fitzgibbon, 28, 6’0, 170, Danville (San Ramon Valley), California
WR Kenyon Sweat, 28, 6’0, 173, Cache, Oklahoma
WR Dedrick Kimbrough, 28, 6’3, 180, Alabaster (Thompson), Alabama
WR Greydon Howell, 27, 5’11, 170, Broken Bow, Oklahoma, OU Commit
WR Malahn Green, 27, 5’10, 178, St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter Cardinal Prep), Missouri, OU Commit
TE Connor Arant, 28, 6’5, 225, Bixby, Oklahoma
OL Carter Barrett, 28, 6’6, 305, West Des Moines (Dowling Catholic), Iowa
OL Lincoln Fa’alafi, 28, 6’7.5, 350, Rancho Santa Margarita (Jserra Catholic), California.
OL Landon Ghea, 29, 6’5, 275, Alpharetta (Milton), Georgia
OL Jax Wilkerson, 29, 6’7, 295, Midwest City (Carl Albert), Oklahoma
OL Jaxon Lawler, 27, 6’3, 265, Bushland, Texas, OU Commit
OL Tyson Ross, 27, 6’3.5, 285), Andover, Kansas, OU Commit
OL Luke Wilson, 27, 6’6, 290, Southlake (Carroll), Texas OU Commit
QB Noah Smith, 27, 6’3, 210, Lawton, Oklahoma, OU commit.
