Talk about going from bad to worse. Despite (then) No. 24 Oklahoma beating New Mexico in Week 3, it was an embarrassing effort, with the offense and Ben Arbuckle getting blasted left and right. The AP Poll took notice of how things went in Norman against the Mountain West side, as the Sooners have fallen out of the Top 25.
This is not where ANYONE would have expected the Sooners to be after three games. To be 2-1 and score 24 points combined against Michigan and the Lobos is totally unacceptable. At the end of the day, this all lies on head coach Brent Venables, but there's only so much rope he can give Arbuckle.
The offense has been so vanilla. The ground game has been non-existent for Oklahoma, with Arbuckle putting too much pressure on John Mateer, who quite frankly isn't that good of a passer. All of this adds up to Venables needing to hold people accountable, and this is why countless eyes are on his OC.
Ben Arbuckle is on the hottest of seats with Oklahoma falling out of the Top 25
Remember just recently when Arbuckle was asked if he felt like he was coaching for his job? Arbuckle didn't hesitate in saying he wasn't, but it's time for some sort of a match to be lit under him - although it might be too late at this point.
The Sooners entered the campaign ranked No. 10 in the country, with OU supporters dreaming of this team getting back to the College Football Playoff. The loss to Alabama still stings for people from last winter, but now the offense is looking as rough as ever and an unranked Oklahoma is now getting ready to take on... No. 2 Georgia. Woof.
If the past two weeks are an indication of what we can expect from both teams, then Kirby Smart might be sipping lemonade with Mike Bobo at halftime instead of going over in-game adjustments. Georgia will flat-out dominate Oklahoma unless Arbuckle opens up his playbook and remembers that he has quality running backs at his disposal.
Against New Mexico, the Sooners were led by Lloyd Avant's 27 yards on eight carries. Mateer ran 10 times for 17 yards, while Xavier Robinson was third on the team with nine yards on two carries. That's never going to cut it, especially when you're going up against a Mountain West team that you were supposed to dominate.
Venables didn't hesitate in saying that nothing left him impressed with the offense following the close win over New Mexico. That's an indication that even the veteran head coach is getting sick and tired of that side of the ball looking so sluggish. The defense has been stout and is keeping Oklahoma in games.
That's not going to help this squad win games moving forward, especially with SEC play now here. Arbuckle is the biggest culprit for things going south this way and with Kevin Wilson already on staff, it seems like naming a replacement wouldn't be too complicated. That call is on Venables, but with Oklahoma now being unranked, it feels like that 'tough' call continues to be made easier for him.
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