Oklahoma just suffered its first loss of 2026 to the Michigan Wolverines, and although it's a team sport, there are definitely some fingers to point at some Sooners who could have turned a 17-10 deficit into a victory.
Multiple times throughout Saturday's game, OU fans wondered, "What was he thinking?" The most obvious time fans questioned Ben Arbuckle's play-calling was when he lined up quarterback John Mateer by himself in the backfield for a run up the middle on 3rd-and-7. The play resulted in a two-yard loss.
The Sooners were desperate for points before heading into the locker room with a 10-0 deficit. They were just shy of the 45-yard line, which put them on the cusp of being in field-goal range for Tate Sandell, who made eight from beyond 50 yards last year while winning the Lou Groza Award.
Instead, the Sooners were forced to punt and go to halftime with a goose egg and a bigger hole to dig out of.
Ben Arbuckle and Brent Venables deserve extensions pic.twitter.com/7uPukhf9tS
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) September 12, 2026
All fan bases question their OC's play-calling, though. That's just a Saturday tradition. Sometimes, what feels like a questionable call even turns into a game-winner. Where Arbuckle fell well short consistently on Saturday was in how he utilized his talent.
The Sooners' running backs combined vs. Michigan got 13 attempts total, which matched Mateer's total carries by himself. Lloyd Avant led the group with nine carries for 35 yards. He averaged 6.5 yards in the first half but still had only five touches. There's no chance for a running back to get hot with that rotation, and now heading into Week 3, we still have no idea who really is worthy of being OU's RB1.
There was supposed to be an emphasis this season on running the ball after OU had the worst run game in the SEC in 2025. If the Sooners do have a better ground attack, we wouldn't know because Arbuckle won't get out of the way.
It's easy to always blame the quarterback, but it's even harder not to blame John Mateer.
Mateer completed just 52% of his passes for 189 yards and one touchdown. It was a lot of the same that we saw last season, as Mateer's poor footwork led to errant throws and he was unable to complete passes downfield.
He threw a crucial fourth-quarter interception that was returned to OU's six-yard line. A play later, Michigan was in the end zone with a lead it never lost.
John Mateer with the game on the line pic.twitter.com/8XU1hoB68Q
— No Context Sooners (@nocontextsooner) September 12, 2026
The offense was fully on Mateer's shoulders, which mostly falls on Arbuckle, but Mateer was clearly unable to carry the load, even though he should be able to as a fifth-year QB with so much hype and experience.
Ultimately, it all falls on Brent Venables as the leader of the program. If you blame Arbuckle, Venables hired him. If you blame Mateer, Venables recruited him and also stayed with him for a second season. Whoever else you want to blame, Venables is still in charge.
Venables is arguably the greatest defensive mind in college football right now, and the Sooners will once again have one of the best defenses in the country. The Sooners allowed only 75 total yards in the second half against Michigan, but still couldn't do enough on offense to achieve a comeback. The only points OU gave up were because of a turnover by the offense.
His job isn't just to keep points off the board. As head coach, he's also responsible for ensuring the Sooners score enough to win. Although he might not do that directly on game days, he puts the people in place who are supposed to.
It was the same issues as always under Venables that led to yet another ugly loss. He's the common denominator.
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