New Mexico Lobos vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Happy Saturday, Sooner Nation. The Sooners are fresh off a disappointing 17-10 loss up in Ann Arbor. It was a game decided in the trenches for the Sooner offense. The offensive line was dominated and the Sooners lost the turnover battle 2-0. One turnover resulted in a red zone offense opportunity that the Wolverines capitalized on.

Is it the end of the world? No. But most disheartening was the play of the offensive line and the lackluster offensive game plan in general. 

OFFENSE

In week 1, the Sooners put John Mateer under center, they used a fullback in the eye formation and they often times used 2 or 3 tight end sets. Against Michigan, the offense regressed to their comfort zone. QB shotgun draws  with 0 tight ends or backs for extra blocking. They completely bungled an opportunity to try and get some points before halftime, albeit a long field goal attempt. 

On one hand, we should expect the Sooners to rebound against what is presumably an overmatched Lobos defense. I expect to see a crisply executed, competent game plan. On the other, it will be maddening to watch knowing that they could have done the same thing in Ann Arbor.

I think I'm over Ben Arbuckle and Bill Bedenbaugh. Arbuckle in particular demonstrates a complete lack of grasp of in game management. He seems to be unable to adjust on the fly and is hell bent on calling plays he enjoys running. He's completely predictable. Bedenbaugh hasn't been able to keep his guys healthy or establish any real depth for the entirety of the Brent Venables era. It's inexcusable.

Anyway, I don't see anyone really busting out today. I guess I'll say Mateer, simply because he needs to get some confidence before heading to Athens next week.

DEFENSE

These guys played competently enough to win the game last week, but they have some room to improve as well. If the offense is going to be hapless, these guys have to force some turnovers. They missed on two opportunities in Ann Arbor. 

I expect them to be steady and to set the tone today. However, I worry that they will start to get frustrated by the offense. 

Today I'll go Jayden Jackson for my DPOG. He seems to be lost in the mix of all the hype surrounding the players around him. He's a stud and I think he plays lights out today. 

THE SCORE

There is no way in hell the Sooners can put up more than 50, but they damn sure better put up 35. I'll take the Sooners 42, Lobos 10 

UTEP vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Hello Sooner Nation and welcome to another installment of Sooner football and the Steamroller. I'm thrilled to be here and back with you to provide contextless commentary and uninformed opinions based on nothing more than gut feel and hope. It's the new American way after all.

The 2026 Sooners, fresh off a playoff appearance have high hopes and for good reason. They return a ton of starters on defense, plus it's year 2 of Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer. They do, however, have to run the gauntlet of what might be the toughest schedule in all of college football. Georgia, texas, Ole Miss, Michigan, and Texas A&M are all preseason top 20 teams.

First things first, it's a not top 20 foe in UTEP. The Miners will hopefully come into Norman, find themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided ass beating, collect a paycheck and head back to that fabled west Texas town of El Paso.

OFFENSE

You want optimism? The Sooners offensive line might be the most improved unit year over year. They have Mateer and a stable of running backs. Isaiah Sategna returns at receiver and Joe Jon Finley is out as TE coach, replaced no less a personage than future first ballot hall of famer Jason Witten. Oh yes, optimism is high.

All we need to see in this one is an injury free performance. The line I just spoke of has been "dinged up" at Center. No more injuries. Apart from that, how about some commitment to the run game. How about working the TE game and how about spreading the ball around to these new receivers to see what Mateer might have to work with going forward.

For my OPOG I'm going Mateer. He says the thumb is fully recovered. "They" say he's been working on his mechanics. "They" say he's been hitting the weight room. Let's see all that hard work pay off, my guy. I like him for 300 yards, 4 total TD's. 3 passing, 1 running.

DEFENSE

The Sooners have an embarrassment of riches here with continuity to boot. David Stone and Jayden Jackson shore up the front. Kip Lewis and Owen Heineke are back at linebacker. Eli Bowen, the better of the two Bowen brothers, is back at CB. I could go on, but I can't remember all the names and I'm not interested in looking it up. Just trust me when I say this unit is full of Dawgs and they are hungry.

I'll take Kip Lewis as my DPOG. I think he goes Ham this year and sets himself up for a nice NFL payday. He's good for a sack, about 12 tackles and, hell why not, a forced fumble.

SCORE

We're getting 2026 off with a bang under the Friday Night Lights in Norman. I like the Sooners big here.

Sooners 56, UTEP 0

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooner vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

 Happy Saturday, Sooner fans from rainy OKC. The Sooners take on the Gamecocks in Columbia, SC today, fresh off their stinging defeat to the reviled Texas Longhorns. This one could be make or break for the Sooners as 6-1 heading into the gauntlet feels much better than 5-2. Before the season, 100 out of 100 Sooner fans would take 6-1 with Ole Miss coming to town.

Last week what once was maybe suspected was definitely confirmed. The OU offensive line is the weakest unit on this football team. Their inability to create a pocket or play with the physicality required to create a push has resulted in a weak rushing attack and has likely led to a 1:1 TD to INT ratio for a quarterback who already has reckless tendencies. This is not winning football.

OFFENSE

This one relies on John Mateer. He has to have a bounceback game. He has to make smart decisions with the ball. When you are already fighting for every inch, you can't be giving the other team miles firing 8 yard laser beams that bounce off receivers. And you damn sure can't heave prayers in the end zone going into half time when you are in field goal range. 

I don't necessarily pin the INT going into half against the Longhorns on Mateer. It was a moronic decision, yes, but equally stupid was the coaching decision to have the offense on the field in first place. Kick the fucking field goal. Get some points where you can going into half. 

One of the hallmarks of the BV era is end of half ineptitude. It's a real problem that's been documented in this space very often.

Anyhow, John Mateer is my OPOG.

DEFENSE

This group, with the exception of not being able to get off the field in the third quarter last week, played pretty well and showed some pride.

Today, they have to get some turnovers. There's no way around the fact that they need to do all they can to give the offense some kind of advantage. Turnovers that result in a short field is the dream come true.

For DPOG I'll go with Eli Bowen. Hopefully Lanorris Sellers can be pressured into making a dumb throw or two and someone in the back, like EB, can take advantage.

THE SCORE

I'm not optimistic. South Carolina, at home, in a disappointing season, can really use a boost so they'll be highly motivated. They  know from last year they can beat us so we'll be confident.

Today it's about how do the Sooners react after last week. They need to show some pride, grit and character. The offensive line should take what they saw last week on tape very personal. They have to hear the criticism. Show some fucking pride. 

If they rise to the challenge they can obviously beat SC. I think they can go 24-17. Let's get this one before it starts getting for real, for real.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner. 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. texas Longhorns

It's hate week, Sooner fans. The perennially overrated texas Longhorns come limping into the Cotton Bowl today after having been ranked the preseason number 1 team in college football, now unranked, and fresh off a loss to the Florida Gators last week in Gainesville. They are led by the poster child for being overrated, Arch Manning. The talking heads seem to think the Longhorns are going to lock it in and that every humiliating performace from Manning is the one that will light the fire to get him to turn the corner. Maybe they are who they are. Maybe they are coming to regret the deal with the devil they made to get Arch on campus. They are stuck. And today they are fucked.

The Sooners, on the other hand, are flying high. They also have a lot of motivation. Beyond the rivalry, they got smacked last year by the Horns and this Sooners defense must be licking its chops at the opportunity to rush this very average un-texas-like offensive line and the woefully average Arch. 

And oh, by the way, it looks like John Mateer will be giving it a go, which in and of itself, will boost the spirits of Sooner Nation. I am very surprised he's going to give it a shot. I figured the Ole Miss game in two weeks would be a more reasonable target date. Alas, this apparent Alpha doesn't want to miss this one as he understands this is why you come to Oklahoma. This is big time college football.

OFFENSE

The obvious key is Mateer. Is he truly able to give something close to 100%? We've talked about the Sooners running game being key, and it is, but in this one, the odds of victory go up exponentially with Mateer. Mikey Hawkins isn't Him. With Hawkins, the Sooners are stressed to depend on the defense and special teams to hang on and, more likely, have to come up with special play to have any chance at victory. With a healthy Mateer, you have an offense that can play keep away or get up a score or two and then leverage big plays in other areas to provide some cushion.

This will be the best defense Mateer has faced, ate least since Michigan. He has to take care of the football. Hopefully the surgery has improved JM's touch.  

The Tory Blaylock/Jaydn Ott combo doesn't have to be lethal, but they need to be respected and they need to be effective enough that the Sooners don't have to put Mateer in overly risky situations from a re-injury standpoint.

Mateer is my OPOG as long as he plays. Isaiah Sategna III is my backup. Anytime something wild happens on the field this year, it's this guy who's in the camera frame. 

DEFENSE

We're running out of superlatives for this group. They are tops in the country in total defense. They will be motivated after having given up 35 last year against the Longhorns. And they are facing the homeless man's Jackson Arnold in Arch Manning. You think you've seen these guys fly to the football all year, just wait until you see them today.

Steve Sarkisian is a crafty little fucker, though, and I'm sure he'll have a scheme designed to take advantage of our speed and aggressiveness, likely in the form of quick strikes that get a texas WR in the open field against Courtland Guillory. That's what I would do anyhow. He's the closest thing to Gas Rag McGee (patent pending) that this defense has. I say that and believe that he'll be a stud in time. Offenses have to find someone to try to exploit, though. 

They will also have to try to establish some run game and the Sooners, as per usual, will sell out to stop that. It's a simple game, really, where the Longhorns will be in serious trouble if the Sooners can get pressure with four rushers. They've been doing it all season.

I'm tempted to pick someone for my DPOG besides David Stone. If pressed to do so, I'd say R Mason Thomas, a guy who shows up big in big moments. However, I'm committed to Stone and his ability to disrupt right up the gut. He demands double teams and then is able to beat them. That's like having an extra rusher right there. Huge. 

THE SCORE

OU is bringing it's most complete football team to Dallas since the early 2000's. Those games featured OU teams with a superior quarterback and a better defense. This team is both those things plus, as we saw last week, difference makers in special teams with Sategna and quality punting and kicking. 

With Mateer being hopefully OK, Hawkins being a sub-optimal solution if not, and Arch Manning on the other side, the Sooners have what it takes to gut one out if need be. If OU can force punts at close to the rate they have all season and Sategna can flip the field position, the Sooners have a kicker and defense that can win a knife fight.

The fact the Longhorns are favored shows the extent of texas bias amongst pollsters and prognosticators. The Sooners should win this one.

Sooners 20, Longhorns 17

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs Temple Owls

 May there be no letdown in Philadelphia today. The Sooners showed the country last week that they have enough pieces to be a complete football team. They dismantled Michigan and really could have inflicted more damage if not for some self inflicted errors on special teams. The Sooners have had some decent wins in the Brent Venables era, but Sooner fans have been waiting for a team like this for well over a decade. 

The Sooners have an aggressive defense that can get pressure with the front four. They can fly to the ball and hit hard. They have some lockdown corners. This is a unit that can make life miserable if you get down two scores on them. 

And the Sooners have a quarterback in John Mateer who has some moxie and can put his team on his back. He is mistake prone, but if his O-line can gel and they can develop some balance in the run game, this team should be in every game they play. 

The test today for the Sooners is can they bring the effort and attitude to Philly against a crappy Temple team after coming off the high of last week. Can they be sharp and avoid self inflicted penalties and errors?

OFFENSE

The offensive line looked much improved last week and they had four new starters on the unit. Freshman Michael Fasusi started at Left Tackle and played real well. That is a fantastic sign for the future, both short and long term. 

The key today is to continue to develop chemistry across the board and to find some wrinkles to continue to get the running game going. The qb run game is solid,but opponents need to know the Sooners can run the ball 

That said, how beautiful was the 16 play, 9 minute drive to ice the game in the 4th quarter. Love that shit. 

For my OPOG I’m taking John Mateer. I know it’s low hanging fruit and I won’t do it next week. Today though I think it’s especially important for him to come out with some energy to lead this team and avoid a letdown. 

DEFENSE

It’s the same story with energy here. Can these guys have near the same level of focus they brought last week. If yes, then we’ve got a group that realizes they haven’t done shit yet and probably realize they have a ways to go before any mountain tops are summited. Great teams come out and take care of business in games like this. 

I’m taking Jayden Jackson for my DPOG. Dude was a menace last week. What a luxury to be able to get pressure with your front four. When was the last time the Sooners had that?

THE SCORE

I think Mateer has his side ready to go. I think BV has his side ready to go. Sooners win going away, but not too crazy. 

Sooners 42, Owls 6

BOOMER TO THE MOTHERFUCKIN SOONER

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Illinois State

 Welcome to the 2025 edition of Sooner football! Hope runs high. Dreams inevitably shatter. But not today. Today, the new look Sooners take on the Redbirds of Illinois State. It's the debut of the new look Ben Arbuckle offense led by John Mateer.

The Sooner defense will have to overcome some big losses in Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman. But expectations have folks believing this defense could take a step forward.

There's nowhere to go but up from last year, so let's get right to it.

OFFENSE

The Sooners trotted out a historically bad offense last year led by the hapless Seth Littrel. This year, the Sooners have what they hope is their next version of their quarterback whisperer in Ben Arbuckle and, they hope, the second coming of Baker Mayfield.

Expectations be damned, if they can just even be competent and healthy the Sooners could win at least two more games than they did last year.

Mateer is not expected to carry the whole load. Jaydn Ott is a highly touted transfer running back. The Sooners go deep at running back with Javontae Barnes, Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson. 

The offensive line is also healthy so far, with some big time freshman potentially ready to step in and step up right away.

For game 1, we have to go Mateer for OPOG. He knows the offense and showing some poise and command today will be big time setting the stage for next week's real opener, Michigan.

DEFENSE

The Sooners are stacked up front with Jaden Jackson and R. Mason Thomas. Kip Lewis is ready to lead the linebackers and the Bowen brothers, Eli and Payten, head up the secondary.

I expect some hungry looking players on this side of the ball and they should be feeding off the heady vibes the offense is putting out.

I'm going to go Kendall Dolby for my DPOG as my "Out of left field" pick of the day.

THE SCORE

The Sooners are fired up in this one and the offense gets rolling early. Illinois State gets their check and hits the road.

SOONERS 63, Redbirds 7

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner