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Oklahoma-Illinois State GameDay Preview: X-Factors

These are some of the X-Factors for the Sooners to get off to a strong start in 2025 against the Illinois State Redbirds.
Ryan Chapman, Carson Field, John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oklahoma Sooners

Great Expectations

Illinois State is the No. 6-ranked team in FCS. The Redbirds don’t have the scholarships or the athletic talent to keep up with the Sooners. OU is a 35 1/2-point favorite, per FanDuel Sportsbook, but Sooner Nation feels pretty strongly that the point spread should be more than that. Now, with so much disappointment from 2024 still lingering in the air, and so many newcomers on offense and defense, and so many new faces in the staff room, can Oklahoma manage all that — and the natural emotion of a season opener — and meet whatever expectations there may be on Saturday? Brent Venables just wants a clean game — no pre-snap penalties, no emotional flare-ups, no mental busts, no turnovers. Can this OU squad even meet those modest expectations against a pretty good FCS team?

— John E. Hoover

Saturday Night Fireworks

The Sooners forced six turnovers in last year’s season opener against Temple, yet Oklahoma still underwhelmed. The offensive line struggled to move the Owls off the ball, and as a result, put shockingly few explosive plays on tape. With Saturday serving as the full debut for new play caller Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer, the Sooners need to produce multiple chunk plays both on the ground and in the passing game. It took until OU hosted Maine last year for Oklahoma to get its first 100-yard rusher or receiver of the season. No matter how quickly the offense comes together, that should be an easy benchmark to clear against the Redbirds — especially as No. 14 Michigan looms next weekend. 

— Ryan Chapman 

Read More Oklahoma vs. Illinois State Preview

Stay Disciplined

Because of the gaps in talent and athleticism, Oklahoma should win this game comfortably. Illinois State is a quality team at the FCS, but that doesn’t hold a ton of weight at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners will be 35.5-point favorites. Still, there will be good plays and bad plays. What’s most important is that the Sooners look like a disciplined squad in their opener. OU coach Brent Venables has consistently raved about the leadership in the Sooners’ locker room, and he named his seven permanent captains for the 2025 season earlier this week. It’s time for the Sooners to prove him right. They need to avoid turnovers, costly penalties and other unforced errors. Those things likely wouldn’t cause OU to lose to the Redbirds. But it would be a bad segue into next week’s game against No. 14 Michigan — those things can’t happen against the Wolverines.

— Carson Field

Published
Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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Carson Field
CARSON FIELD

Carson Field has worked full-time in the sports media industry since 2020 in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming as well as nationally, and he has earned degrees from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University. When he isn’t covering the Sooners, he’s likely golfing, fishing or doing something else outdoors. Twitter: https://x.com/carsondfield

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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