Oklahoma's Defense is Back in a Familiar Spot in the Brent Venables Era

NORMAN — The entirety of the 2026 season rests on the shoulders of Oklahoma’s defense.

Ben Arbuckle’s unit put out another incompetent display in Saturday’s 14-6 victory over New Mexico — something that is more common than not for Brent Venables’ offenses since the Sooners moved to the SEC — and if things don’t rapidly improve over the coming weeks, the Sooners’ best hope for victory will be if the defense can score (and score often).

It’s not an unfamiliar dynamic.

Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma teams simultaneously set offensive records while setting defense back decades.

And though the defense will have to play perfect to keep OU in games in conference play, there’s no sign of a divide forming in the locker room.

“We don’t point fingers,” senior safety Peyton Bowen said. “Just like if we do something bad. Even last year, where they had to pick us up, or special teams had to pick somebody up and make a play. That’s kind of what it is. We don’t point fingers. ‘Oh, this and that.’

“No, we’re brothers. We help each other out, whether it’s offense helping out defense, defense helping out offense. No matter what, we’re going to make each other better out on the practice field, the film room, whatever it is that we gotta get done, we’re going to get it done.”

Defensive tackle David Stone believes quarterback John Mateer has the proper mental makeup to improve as the year goes on.

“John is an amazing player, an amazing student of the game and he’s an amazing man,” Stone said on Saturday night. “He’s got an amazing work ethic. I know he’s overly critical of himself. And me and him, I feel like we relate more than people would know. And so we talk a lot. And John’s tough man. He’s tough. I love him. And I always let him know like, ‘Hey, I’ve got your back.’ He told me, ‘I’ve got yours.’ And so going out there, we playing for each other. That’s all it is.”

On Saturdays, the defense can pick the offense up with their play.

“It’s a challenge. Go prove yourself,” Bowen said. “Like, we’ve got your back. Same thing, LSU game last year. It wasn’t going our way at all. We threw the early pick, then I got the pick the next play. I came to the sideline not like rah-rahing, saying anything, I’m saying I’ve got your back. Now go help us out. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s got to be.”

The defense held up its end of the bargain against the Lobos.

Mateer’s first interception set New Mexico up on OU’s side of the 50, but the Sooner defense drove the visitors back four yards and forced a punt.

Isaiah Sategna muffed a punt later in the first quarter, which again set the Lobos up with prime field position, but Oklahoma’s defense again held the line to force a punt.

New Mexico didn’t turn a turnover into points until Mateer’s second interception.

The pick put the Lobos on OU’s 22, and after one good play, the Sooners knocked the Lobos back to the OU 24 to settle for a 42-yard field goal.

Just as the defense is there for the offense on game day, they’ll try to help the offense improve throughout the week to produce a better performance against No. 2 Georgia and beyond.

“It starts with the mindset. They come ready to work and learn,” Stone said. “Tomorrow we’re going to watch the lowlights of the game and pick apart where we can be better. That’s what they do. They attack it, and I feel like you’ve got to be overly critical and have a lot of self-awareness to get better. You’ve got to be real with yourself. See where you fell short and where you did good and try to build on the good stuff and improve upon the stuff you did bad.

“So I feel like that’s what they’re going to do. They do it every day, man. Like, they had a pretty good week of practice this week, and so I know it’s going to click for them.”

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