Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle had some extra time this past weekend to watch other college football games, so hopefully he had an eye on what Josh Heupel did with Tennessee against Auburn.
The Volunteers couldn’t get anything going offensively (been there) against Auburn on Saturday and even turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions (also been there), which all led to a 7-3 halftime deficit.
Heupel then not only pulled his prized quarterback but also made the commitment to run the dang ball. Ultimately, that turned things around for the Vols, and they improved to 4-1 with a 24–14 win.
That right there could be the example that Arbuckle needs to follow from a guy who has been in his same spot as OU’s offensive coordinator, but with much better quarterback play.
Josh Heupel demonstrates how to fix a broken offense with a struggling QB
The Vols started the game against Auburn with four straight punts in the first quarter before finally getting a field goal on the board in the second quarter to go up 3-0.
Auburn then fumbled on the next possession, which set up Tennessee already in enemy territory. But the Vols did nothing with the great starting point because of a fumble of their own by running back Daune Morris.
Then, the next drive ended with an interception from Faizon Brandon, who had completed three of his eight passes for zero yards at that point. Brandon was named QB1 as a freshman after being the consensus top quarterback in the 2026 class, but that pick might have been his last throw as Tennessee’s starter this season despite the star potential.
Sophomore George MacIntyre went out there after Brandon’s interception and ran the offense the rest of the game. He wasn’t spectacular, going 8-of-10 for 86 yards, but he was efficient and let it fly when needed. It also didn’t matter that MacIntyre didn’t do anything special, because the offense wasn’t fully reliant on him like OU’s is on quarterback John Mateer.
Running back DeSean Bishop shouldered the offense with a whopping 34 carries for 220 yards, averaging 6.5 per attempt, and three touchdowns.
Heupel is an offensive coach, but he still understood that the Vols’ best chance at winning was trusting their defense and letting the ground game do just enough to outscore Auburn.
For the Sooners, it’s still worth questioning if they have a running back that can take control of a game, but at least that’s still a question. We already know the answer that Mateer can’t be the centerpiece of a successful offense.
Like Heupel did, Arbuckle could at least try a switch at QB if the Sooners find themselves down again against Texas on Saturday because of Mateer’s mistakes. It’s similar to the same situation with Brandon. Mateer might be a fifth-year senior instead of a freshman, but his confidence is still shot.
It has to be done right, though, and it’s fair to argue that when facing the No. 1 team in the country in a rivalry game isn’t the best time to test an inexperienced quarterback. But what if there’s nothing left to lose anyway?
Arbuckle can’t just plug and play either Whitt Newbauer or freshman Bowe Bentley for Mateer. It would be a move that not only unveils to OU what it has in its backup QB, but also force the Sooners to pick a running back to ride and see if they’re capable of being at least more productive than Mateer behind what’s been a porous offensive line.
Brent Venables’ defense is good enough to give the Sooners a chance in any game, but the trick has been not letting the offense squander that chance. It’s bad advice for a team to play not to lose, but the Sooners are running out of options.
Heupel found a way for Tennessee to win in similar circumstances, and it just might be the blueprint for his alma mater as well.
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