Groza Winner's Return Adds to Oklahoma's 2026, but Offense Will Carry Playoff Hopes

Time and time again, Tate Sandell came through for the Sooners in 2025.

His 24-straight made field goals are now etched in Oklahoma football lore. A kicking performance for the ages in Knoxville helped kickstart the Sooners' eventual run to the College Football Playoff.

Now, Sandell is returning to provide OU an invaluable weapon with more tough games and hostile venues for the 2026 slate. But, the Sooners need to get away from seeing Sandell as a crutch and more of a proven luxury.

That's not to say that Oklahoma does not view Sandell as a legitimate weapon. You don't make eight-straight kicks from 50-yards plus as a fluke. Brent Venables describes his kicker as a "confident, edgy, very competitive" player — it's hard to argue with his performances last season.

Oklahoma Sooners, Kip Lewis, Tate Sandell — Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis, kicker Tate Sandell celebrate after a field goal against Alabama in the CFP. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

This is the University of Oklahoma. Simply making the College Football Playoff is not the standard. While last season was a successful run and gave Sooner fans hope for the future, 2026 has to be better. In order for that to happen, it's unlikely Sandell's leg would be called upon frequently within games if 2026 is a true evolution from 2025.

Specifically, if Venables has to go to Sandell frequently within games next season, the coveted offseason offensive improvement never came.

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Last season, OU scored on 34 of its 35 trips to the red zone. 23 of those 34 scoring drives ended with touchdowns to nine field goals from Sandell's left foot. Generally, once Oklahoma got close, they scored — and scored touchdowns. But if you look closer, the Sooners were forced to rely on Sandell far too much in close games.

Against Auburn, OU got into the red zone four times, but only scored touchdowns twice. Sandell booted the remaining two. Oklahoma needed all of it to scrape by the Tigers.

A month later against Ole Miss, the Sooners reached the red zone three times, but only punched it in once. Two made field goals helped cut the overall difference to eight when the final gun sounded as Oklahoma experienced its second loss of the season.

The two games against Alabama provided opposite ends of the spectrum. In the regular season win, OU scored one touchdown in the red zone, settling for two made field goals in their other two trips. A rejuvenated John Mateer led Oklahoma to touchdowns on their first two red zone possessions in the playoff matchup against the Crimson Tide, but their third trip ended with Sandell’s first miss since week two.

Oklahoma Sooners, John Mateer — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer rushes for a touchdown against Alabama in the CFP. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

In 2026, Oklahoma should remain a strong red zone team. Mateer's running ability and on-paper improvements via the transfer portal provide optimism that more touchdowns can increase the Sooners margin for error.

But Sandell made his mark not just in consecutively-made kicks, but in the distances he made them from.

As Mateer recovered from surgery and Sandell's streak increased, Venables leaned on his kicker. “Absolutely, it does affect decisions that we make,” Venables said on Oct. 21. “The league that we’re in, some of those fringe places on the field that do you go for it, do you punt, even if you have a great defense do you put them inside the five?”

The Sooners’ 2026 season now faces its defining fork: continue to stall on the opponent’s 35-to-28 yard line and ask Sandell to unleash a cannon? Or push through for a shorter Sandell field goal — better yet, a touchdown.

Oklahoma Sooners, Tate Sandell, Jacob Ulrich — Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell, punter Jacob Ulrich | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Reasons for optimism exist. The healthiest Mateer looked in 2025 — the first three games and the regular season finale against LSU and second Alabama game — saw him average nearly nine yards an attempt while completing nearly 65% of his passes.

From his return game against Texas to the Missouri game, Mateer's attempts plummeted to just over five yards per attempt with a 58% completion percentage. This was the stretch Oklahoma relied heavily on Sandell.

So, if Mateer can stay healthy, it's easy to see OU's offensive numbers make visible jumps in production. If Mateer can improve in his second season at Oklahoma — as well as his second season in the SEC — then the sky is the limit.

It's never a bad thing to have a great kicker. But if the Sooners want more than a playoff appearance, it will be due to Mateer's improvement, coupled with the offense taking a leap in year two under Ben Arbuckle.