Week 1 already gave Ben Arbuckle the answer he needs to fix Oklahoma's offense

In Oklahoma’s 17-10 loss to Michigan, it was clear the offense was once again the driving factor in OU’s demise. The running game was abandoned in favor of a heavy pass-reliant system, which saw John Mateer go 17-of-33 for 189 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

For the standard at Oklahoma, that is not good enough. Every fan wants to know one thing: can it be fixed? Luckily, it can be. 

Last year, the offensive struggles seemed to have no solution due to personnel issues. This year is different, as the solution is already in the building, and we saw it in Week 1. Oklahoma has to go back to the run game and run bigger personnel with the new and improved tight end room to find success on the field. 

In Ann Arbor, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle inexplicably abandoned the two- and three-tight end sets in favor of more receivers to try to open up the passing attack. It is important to remember that this was not done out of necessity or out of spite or some other mistaken motivation. No one wants to win more than the Oklahoma football team, coaches included.

It is clear that Brent Venables and Arbuckle believed this scheme would give them the best chance of getting a win at the Big House. They just got it completely wrong. 

Sooners need to establish the running game to find success

The OU offense ran 12-personnel (two tight ends and one running back) on 84.7% of its plays against UTEP. Against Michigan, that number fell to only 44.6% of plays. There is no doubt that Michigan is a different level of opponent than UTEP, but such a drastic change as that is astounding.

What those numbers show is that Arbuckle attempted to tailor the offensive scheme to Michigan. There are few coaches who can make drastic changes to their offenses week to week and be effective.

A big talking point is that the running back room saw the ball only 13 times against Michigan. Play action is an integral part of any offensive scheme and keeps the defense honest in its pass/run reads, helping keep the linebackers on their toes. Mateer threw 61% of his passes out of play action against UTEP and only 17% against Michigan. All of that stems from a lack of running the ball with the running backs. 

Oklahoma needs to establish its offensive identity. It is clear that it does not reside in a pass-heavy offense. Oklahoma’s roster is full of talent waiting to be unleashed. Arbuckle making such drastic changes within a week shows us he may be overthinking his offense. None of it needs to be flashy and complicated when you have the level of athletes that OU has. 

There are three things that the OU offense can do to right the ship before the season goes off the rails. First, go back to its core set of basic plays. Being able to call something like inside zone and consistently get positive yardage will help establish the run, put the offense in a rhythm and open up play action to get the ball in the air.  

Second, let your playmakers make plays. Elijah Thomas, one of the more explosive receivers at OU and a potential breakout player, did not touch the ball once against Michigan. Similarly, Isaiah Sategna had just two receptions the entire game. That cannot happen with one of the most dangerous players in the open field in the country. 

Finally, keep it simple. It is evident that Mateer struggles with quick decision-making. That factor needs to be removed from the equation. Mateer is an elite playmaker and can make things happen if something goes awry. Take the thinking factor out of it and let your quarterback make plays without him having to make extra, unnecessary reads. 

We are only two weeks into the season; it is still early. The problems can be fixed with the weapons that Oklahoma acquired in the offseason.

If these problems do not get figured out, the season will turn ugly, and people will lose their jobs. Once again, no one wants to win more than Venables and his coaching staff, and they will do whatever they believe is the best approach to make that happen. They were not blind to what we saw on the field against Michigan. However, if they refuse to adapt, for the third time in Venables’ tenure at Oklahoma, we will once again see massive turnover in the offensive staff. 

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