Ben Arbuckle’s questionable game plan turns Oklahoma fans against him

There was a time early this season that Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was one of the hottest names for head coach openings, but now, OU fans are starting to wonder why he even has his current job.

The No. 13 Sooners lost a 34-26 heartbreaker to No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday in Norman, and during a game in which one play and one decision could have been the difference, fans scratched their heads all game about what Arbuckle had planned.

Ben Arbuckle has questionable play-calling vs Ole Miss

The Sooners' struggle in the run game was not a newfound issue against Ole Miss, but it might have been revealed that it's an Arbuckle problem, and not because of offensive line or running back flaws. With two freshmen offensive tackles starting and tight ends already known to struggle to block on the edge, Arbuckle still continuously tried to force to make outside zones productive.

On their own three-yard line in the second quarter, Arbuckle ran outside, and tight end Kaden Helms was blown up as Tory Blaylock was tackled for a loss and safety. That's when the play call immediately hurt the Sooners the most, but they had just 16 rushing yards in the first half against a rushing defense that was 99th in the country. OU at least finished with a more respectable 136 rushing yards, but only because of Xavier Robinson's 65-yard touchdown run, which was finally a play called between the tackles.

And if it wasn't the outside runs being forced by Arbuckle, it was the quarterback powers with John Mateer. Mateer led the team with 13 carries while averaging only 1.3 yards an attempt. Arbuckle just kept going back to it, though. Meanwhile, Robinson got just nine carries, yet still led the Sooners with 109 yards and two scores.

In the passing game, on a third-and-10 in the fourth quarter with OU trailing 31-26, the Sooners obviously needed a big pass play, but OU's best receiver, Isaiah Sategna III, was on the sideline for the failed conversion. At the time, Sategna had five catches for 122 yards and a TD as he watched. Instead, the play ended with a jump ball to Deion Burks, who's listed at 5-foot-9. That's the last matchup a coordinator needs to set up in a dire situation.

After Saturday's loss, OU's offense is averaging 20.5 points in four SEC games this season with a 2-2 conference record.

Arbuckle just turned 30 years old during this season, and although at the time of his birthday he seemed like a boy genius, it's become more clear against stiffer competition that Arbuckle is still inexperienced and might not have been ready for such a big job.