Oklahoma's Bigger Offensive Look May Give Brent Venables What He's Been Searching For

NORMAN — Oklahoma spent the offseason outlining an ambitious vision, and the Sooners backed it up in their opener against UTEP.

Nothing Oklahoma said this offseason felt unrealistic. The Sooners added three transfer tight ends, hired Jason Witten and Deland McCullough, and made clear they intended to overhaul a rushing attack Brent Venables had called “pathetic” over the previous two seasons.

Against UTEP, the Sooners showed those offseason promises were more than talk. More importantly, they showed that after four seasons of wandering the air raid desert, Venables may have found the offense best suited to complement his elite defense.

College football goes in cycles, and it appears that Oklahoma has moved back to a more traditional approach on offense — Venables sees it as a natural progression, rather than a de-evolution.

"I think several years ago, the (shotgun) was a good thing," Venables said on Friday. "I think defenses have caught up with the different play-actions and the RPO world. Not that defenses are perfect in defending all of that out of the gun, but I think they’re much better."

Who would know that better than Venables?

OU’s shift from a nearly exclusive shotgun/RPO attack was evident in its opener. The Sooners used 12 personnel on 50 of 59 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus, and went under center three times on a 12-play opening drive (shifting out of another) that also featured 13 and 14 personnel. The changes reflected a recognition of past shortcomings and a willingness to tailor the offense to its current roster.

That's also known as good coaching.

"I think having the ability to get under can create a different type of pressure for the defense from a run and play-action standpoint," Venables said. "Pre-snap tendencies aren’t quite as noticeable when you’re under (center) as opposed to be in ‘gun, so it’s nice to be able to have a variety and that versatility to be both under and in the gun.”

Again, who better to share that message than Venables?

When he became the head coach at Oklahoma in 2022, hiring Jeff Lebby to be his first playcaller made sense. Lebby was a former Sooner and had helped build strong offenses at Baylor and Ole Miss. OU needed to bridge the eras between Lincoln Riley and Venables, and Lebby was their best option at the time.

But the lightning-quick offenses of Lebby, although statistically strong, did not lend itself well with Venables' punishing defenses. In 2022 and in their two regular season losses in 2023, the disconnect between a fast offense and a tiring defense led to a wonky pairing.

2024 was a disaster. 2025 was a return to what had worked when Venables brought in Ben Arbuckle. OU had made their program on finding the best young assistants from across the country, and the recent memory of Bob Stoops bringing in Riley gave Sooner fans hope that they had found their next star play caller.

Arbuckle's first season was heavily influenced by John Mateer's injury, but it was clear that Venables was simply going back to the well with Oklahoma's connection to the air raid offense.

A successful run in 2025 did not stop Venables and the staff from asking themselves where they could improve. It seems that the move was to get bigger, more physical and allow Mateer a better environment from which to operate.

That, on paper, appears to be what Venables needs — an offense that isn't predicated on going fast and out-finessing their opponents for the sake of going fast — but being more methodical and giving Mateer easier vantage points.

John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners — John Mateer warms up during pregame vs. UTEP | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Against UTEP, OU's first score came with 14 personnel and an under-center handoff from Mateer to Lloyd Avant. In the third quarter, following a Taylor Wein fumble recovery, Mateer went under, faked to Xavier Robinson, before snapping his head downfield for a touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna.

Will this continue? Considering how much work Oklahoma put in this offseason, it seems likely. Will this new dynamic help OU win more games in 2026? Time will tell.

But if Mateer finds success with heavier personnel groupings and life under center, Venables may have unlocked the right offense to complement his defense.

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