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

Auburn Tigers vs. Oklahoma Sooners

 Good Saturday afternoon, Sooner fans. How are we feeling about our football team this week? I'm a little more than cautiously optimistic as the Sooners head into SEC play against Jackson Arnold, Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers.

The Sooners took care of business (TCB) last week in Philadelphia last week against an overmatched Temple team. There could have been a let down but there was not. Now, the Sooners have a confident, violent defense and an offense whose confidence is growing week by week. 

Tigers fans will get a warm welcome in Norman today. Jackson Arnold will not. That's unfortunate as I don't feel much of what happened last year was on him. However, 100 out of 100 armchair quarterbacks would take John Mateer over the mustachioed Arnold. Sooner fans will make life hell on him today.

OFFENSE

Kirk Herbstreit called what Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer are doing is the top story in college football. Folks are getting very bullish on our boys. 

Mateer obviously has some extra moxy that separates him from others. His ability to throw on the move. He has a pre-snap calm. The dude gets it. 

I expect today we will see more growth in the run game. Maybe Taylor Tatum makes an appearance. Tory Blaylock is the man in the backfield though. The Sooners need to continue to find ways to open him up. He's fast and fearless and can take a lot of pressure off Mateer.

Also keep an eye out for Isiah Sategna III who is proving to be a guy who, if given space, can get yards in chunks and make people miss. I'll go with him for my OPOG today.

DEFENSE

What more can be said thus far about this group. They lead the SEC so far in total defense. Will it last? We've seen enough to say that it could. If it doesn't, we still know this group is competent enough to keep the Sooners in games. Teams are going to struggle mightily to overcome a two score deficit.

Today, they are going to sell out to stop JA's read option game. They'll show it a number of different ways, but they are going to shut that down. He is not a great passer.

It is wild that the defense has not gotten a turnover this year. Hopefully that changes today, as JA was more than capable of throwing dumb interceptions as a Sooner. 

I'm going Kip Lewis for my DPOG today. I'm hoping he gets some shots on JA and separates JA from th the ball once or twice.

SCORE

Sooner Nation is coming alive and will have all the motivation they need to spur the Sooners on today. It's a beautiful day in Oklahoma. The Sooners are feeling good and confident. 

I don't know that the Sooners win big, but I like a score of about 34-21 today.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Navy Midshipmen

 Well folks happy Friday. I hope you holidays have been fantastic thus far. It's time for the underwhelming conclusion to the 2024 edition of the Oklahoma Sooners football season. The Sooners take on the Midshipmen of Navy in the US Armed Forces Bowl in tropical Fort Worth, Texas.

The Sooners will be without Jackson Arnold and virtually every wide receiver. Quarterbacking will be Michael Hawkins, who probably won't be the starter next year. Joe Jon Finley will be calling plays, and he won't be in that role next year, either.

Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman are also out of this one for the defense. The Sooners are short handed all the way around and this one doesn't even offer much hope for seeing what the future might look like for the Sooners. 

Excited yet?

OFFENSE

New Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle is on campus and is apparently involved in the game planning of this game. Kevin Johns or whoever the hell stepped in to help after Seth Littrel's dismissal. So, maybe he's got a handful of plays that Mikey Hawkins is comfortable running. 

I don't know why Arbuckle wouldn't step in and start calling plays. That's what Littrel did last year in the bowl.

Alas, not knowing anyone else who might play, I'll take Hawkins for my OPOG. He's liable to be running for his life all game. Whatever.

DEFENSE

No Stutsman, no Bowman. There are some portal losses here as well, though not nearly as detrimental as on the offense.

If there is something to look forward to in this game, it might be seeing some familiar faces in bigger roles today.

I like Kip Lewis for my DPOG. He's probably the heir apparent to Stutsman.

THE SCORE

I don't know what Navy brings to the table, aside from their coach is from Oklahoma. That said, they probably do some ball control. The OU defense probably holds them to something like 24. The Sooner offense shows flashes of creativity, but probably steps on their own ding ding with turnovers. You know, the story of the season. We are who we think we are.

Sooners 27, Navy 24.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. LSU Tigers

Hello Sooner fans. The Sooners got new life breathed into their season and their program last with after a humongous home win against Alabama. The Sooners dominated both lines of scrimmage and they played a style of football suited to their current skill set. 

It's just enough to give a fanbase a heavy dose of optimism and overconfidence heading into a regular season finale on the road in Baton Rouge. The Sooners would match the overall record of LSU with a win. "A lot of people" were saying that OU would be the LSU of the SEC and here we are.

OFFENSE

The Sooners played to their strength consistently for the first time all season last week. They ran the ball early and often and played keep away. I was in the restroom, but I could swear I heard on the radio broadcast that Jackson Arnold lined up under center.

The Sooners need more of this set. You put two running backs in an offset I formation or a twin back set and you can run about 9 plays off that in short down yardage.

Apparently, Javonta Barnes could be back, and rumor has it Andrel Anthony might be ready to return. I'll take whatever we can get. 

The Sooners will meet with success if they follow last weeks game plan. Control the ball. Establish the run. Pass to keep the D honest. 

I'll take Xavier Robinson for my Hot Hands Offensive Player of the Week.

DEFENSE

I'm super happy these guys got to celebrate a big victory this year. They've played their asses off and they showed the country they can hang in this conference.

I'm excited to see what they bring today. There's nothing to lose. 

Do we go Kip Lewis or R. Mason Thomas? Danny Stutsman or one of the Bowen brothers? There are a lot good players on this side of the ball.

I'll go Kip Lewis. All he does is score touchdowns.

THE SCORE

You guys, I'm lulled into this false sense of confidence. I think this team is still working hard and eager to end this season on a high note. 

I think they're ready to play tonight and they show up big. 

I like the Sooners 24-21

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooner vs. BYU Cougars

 Stop me if this sounds familiar. The Sooners ride high all season, beat Texas and are fully in control of their own destiny. They lose games they shouldn't and are no longer in control of their own destiny. They then win out, someone else helps them out, the Sooners make it to the Big 12 championship, win that and then go on to lose spectacularly on national television.

That's where we're headed.

OFFENSE

The Sooners rolled up 600 yards and Dillon Gabriel accounted for 8 touchdowns. Drake Stoops played the best game of his life. But Gavin Sawchuk was the secret sauce. He's my OPOG for today. If he meets with success, everyone else's life is easier.

DEFENSE

It says a lot about both Danny Stutsman and Kip Lewis that when Stutsman came back from his injury he changed positions to keep Kip Lewis on the field. That move has worked better than could be hoped. I'm picking Kip Lewis today.

THE SCORE

The line started at 20 and has moved to 25 which seems high. I like the Sooners to cover, however because BYU is inept in all phases apparently. Only an act of God in the heart of Mormon country can help the Cougars today.

I like the Sooners bigly, 42-14.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooner vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

 Greetings, Sooner fans. Our boys are 2-0 after a "little close for comfort" but spread beating win over SMU last week. SMU proved to be a worthy foe and it was nice test for the crimson and cream. This week, it's a "road game" for the Sooners as they travel up I-44 to face Tulsa. This is a road game in name only as the Sooner following in Tulsa is quite large and I'm sure many in OKC are happy to make a short little trip for this one. 

Tulsa is led by for Sooner coach Kevin Wilson and he, by all accounts, inherits a Tulsa football team whose cupboard is as bare as a Venezuelan super market. Wilson also led one of the least potent offenses of the Bob Stoops era. This one should be a blowout.

OFFENSE

Frankly, I'm a bit flummoxed by Jeff Lebby's offensive philosophy. He LOVES to run the ball and will do so, apparently, until someone wiggles the wires plugged into the back of his neck. Hey, I love running the football. It's a nice flex to be able to do it at will. But it also exists to open up the passing game. In Jeff Lebby's world this often means play action with a check down to some short slant.

Now, what I'm confused about is if this is Jeff Lebby's world view or is it what peak Dillon Gabriel looks like? It is flabbergasting how few shots down the field the Sooners try. I'm inclined to blame Dillon Gabriel but then you think back to last year and how the Sooners used Gavin Freeman. Every time he was on the field they ran a jet sweep with him and rarely, if ever, deviated from it or used it to set up something else. 

Last week, the Sooners brought in Jackson Arnold on 3rd or 4th and short. Every single time they ran Jackson Arnold. Fine, but why not use it to do something different? It never happened. It's predictable and that makes me think this is all Jeff Lebby.

Anyway, today I'd like to see some kind of evolution beyond running 19 times in a row and/or taking some shots off of play action. It would be blissful to see Dillon Gabriel go through some progression and take some chances. 

Or, here's my pet theory, continue to use Jackson Arnold but keep him in as the "hot hand" and let him run the offense for a series at a time. Maybe he'll keep Gabriel on the sidelines without straight benching him.

My OPOG today is Gavin Sawchuk. He hasn't had much of a chance to get on the field much since he's been working his way back from injury but I think today he gets some touches and makes the most of it. 

DEFENSE

These guys are playing well enough to get the job done. 11 total points through two games is stingy. Anything under 24 should be enough to win any game. This week they need to continue to find their playmakers and quit being their own worst nightmares.

SMU's best drives last week relied on the Sooners committing dumb penalties, including a sideline infraction in the middle of the damn play. You never see that and it's unconscionable. They have to clean it up today.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how excited I am for the future of this defense. They are markedly improved across the board from last year. And they are very young. The linebackers are looking great.

Keep in mind last week that the Sooners were without Dasan McCullough (So) and they lost their starting CB Gentry Williams on the first drive. They might Penalties aside, they didn't miss a beat.

Today my DPOG is Kip Lewis. He's one of those young linebackers that is looking really good. He's super fast and had 9 tackles last week, second only to Danny Stutsman who had 17 fucking tackles. He's a machine.

SCORE

OU is a 28 point favorite and that seems about right. I don't have confidence the Sooners will cover. See above my doubts about Jeff Lebby's football intellect. He seems like he's happy to run the ball so long as the Sooners have the lead. I hope I'm wrong. I hate that kind of football. No amount of points can ever be enough if you're a Sooner fan. We just don't trust the D enough yet.

The Sooners will win comfortably, however, something like 42-17.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner