Where Does Oklahoma's Offense Go From Here?

Column

The offensive game plan for Michigan confounded all who had paid attention to the Oklahoma Sooners during the long offseason. Brent Venables called the play-calling "uneven." Ben Arbuckle said he needed to "watch the film back" following the loss.

One thing's for sure — all the offseason talk of transforming position groups via the transfer portal or headline-snatching hires for offensive assistant coaches who would develop in-house talent went by the wayside.

Whether due to a shuffled offensive line, Michigan’s defensive talent or Arbuckle leaning on his comfort zone at the first sign of adversity, OU abandoned a traditional run game and instead begged John Mateer to do everything in a game they were never out of until the final second ticked off the clock.

The question now is: Can the offense bounce back and be something more sustainable?

It is naive to believe that Venables blindly signs off on any game plan Arbuckle conjures up. There is no doubt the two coaches communicate back-and-forth during the week of preparation.

But once the Sooners took the field and faced real resistance against the Wolverines, little of what Oklahoma emphasized this offseason seemed to carry over — or be reinforced as part of the plan.

Venables’ call to fix a “pathetic” running game, the addition of three strong blocking tight ends and even the brief under-center looks from the opener largely gave way to a traditional spread attack, with 12-personnel wrinkles.

When getting back to the question, it's hard to answer "yes" without leaning on the randomness of college football. Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa one week and soundly defeated then-No. 6 Oregon the next. The University of Oklahoma doesn't thrive off random, but after two games, it appears that's what OU is aiming for on offense.

Take Venables' postgame presser. He led with a 422-word opening statement. After the initial 117 words in which he emphasized overall team play, leaning more toward the defense not generating takeaways and tackling poorly, he finally addressed the offense specifically.

"John hit those first nine passes in the second half, and defensively, they didn't do a whole lot," Venables said.

Then Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator/head coach went right back to his area of expertise, lamenting a missed tackle for loss after Mateer’s interception that helped set up Michigan’s go-ahead score.

It is fair to view the loss as simply a bad day for the Sooners. Few would dispute the argument that Michigan, which the world was ready to burn after its controversial win over Western Michigan, responded by beating OU. Why couldn't Oklahoma use this loss as a springboard to improvement?

But if the offseason emphasis on improving the running game — an approach that also appeared designed to reduce Mateer’s burden and limit mistakes — does not consistently show up on Saturdays, it becomes harder to project sustainable improvement. And if the staff remains comfortable with the current game plan and play-calling, the question becomes whether Oklahoma has identified a clear path forward.

Mateer is a talented player. He is capable of individual greatness or even sequences of incredible play. He can go into Georgia and play well and the Sooners could earn an early-season upset.

But he could also turn the ball over or miss open receivers against New Mexico next week.

If the offensive staff hasn't identified that yet, and the head coach continues to put the burden of an inconsistent offense squarely on the shoulders of his defense, then it appears the path forward is Mateer having more great sequences than poor ones.

After last Saturday, it's hard to bank on that as a winning formula considering the behemoths that await the Sooners on their schedule.

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