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22 hours ago, closetojumping said:

I was listening to Hester and EJ Manual today on Off Campus on XM 84 and they unveiled their #25 team today - Oklahoma. They did a good job with it, talking to the voice of OU, some dude named Howland or Rowland. He gave you every OU trope imaginable.  It was awesome. High expectations in Norman! The roster is top of the SEC competitive! Mateer is going to competing for the Heisman and Ott will be a force to lead the conference in rushing! The defense is going to be amazing!

Anyway, later on, EJ went through his view on Mateer after watching him in all of his games last year on tape. He was polite and gave the platitudes you expect the media to give about the guy, but then he actually got honest. He said the guy takes way too many sacks and that isn’t going to cut it with OU’s schedule. He was fine with his arm but questioned his read speed, which he also thought could be a problem. Bottom line is that that dude, who watches a lot of QB tape, isn’t sold. It’s a lot of the same stuff we’ve talked about here, but usually the talking heads have been lazy about looking at the guy beyond just checking his stats. 

A little more Mateer Heisman hype...

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-football/sec-network-analyst-makes-extremely-bold-pick-for-2025-heisman-trophy/

Posted
Quote

Oklahoma is only replacing its starting right tackle from last year's offensive line, which means the Sooners have a good deal of continuity in the trenches, with 70.8% of its total starts from last season back this fall. Yet despite the retention — which includes center Troy Everett, right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, left guard Heath Ozaeta and left tackle Logan Howland — the Sooners' offensive line still feels largely up for grabs heading into fall camp.

It's a testament to the improved quality depth and in-house development along the line, especially after a season in which Oklahoma fielded one of the worst units in college football (tied for most sacks allowed in the FBS and 119th in pass-blocking efficiency). 

This line is amazing. Improved depth? In-house development? Or ... just spit-balling here ... the starters from last year sucked.

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Posted

This part is especially hilarious:

Oklahoma is only replacing its starting right tackle from last year's offensive line, which means the Sooners have a good deal of continuity in the trenches, with 70.8% of its total starts from last season back this fall. Yet despite the retention — which includes center Troy Everett, right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, left guard Heath Ozaeta and left tackle Logan Howland — the Sooners' offensive line still feels largely up for grabs heading into fall camp.

It's a testament to the improved quality depth and in-house development along the line, especially after a season in which Oklahoma fielded one of the worst units in college football (tied for most sacks allowed in the FBS and 119th in pass-blocking efficiency).

Jerry Seinfeld Agree GIF

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Posted

Here’s more fanciful nonsense where they analyze 5 of their questions going into the fall camp, apparently feeling good about each expected solution. 

Spoiler

Oklahoma fall camp primer: 5 big questions the Sooners face entering 2025

As Oklahoma prepares for the start of fall camp, here are five questions that will determine how successful the Sooners can be during the 2025 season. 

Tom GreenTOM GREEN6 hrsVIP2

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Fall camp is on the horizon for Oklahoma, as players report to campus Wednesday ahead of the Sooners' first preseason practice of the 2025 season on Thursday.

With that, Year 4 of the Brent Venables era will begin in earnest, as Oklahoma dives into preparation for the upcoming season and its opener Aug. 30 against Illinois State. The Sooners' home opener kicks off a daunting schedule that's set to be the most difficult in college football this season: an SEC slate that features eight teams ranked in the top-25 of ESPN's SP+ ranking, along with a pivotal Week 2 nonconference tilt with Michigan, which is 10th in ESPN's SP+.

For Oklahoma to put last year's middling 6-7 campaign fully behind it, the Sooners will need to show marked improvement in what's setting up to be a critical Year 4 for the program under Venables. It won't necessarily be easy, considering the road in front of them, but the Sooners are confident in a bounceback this fall, with Venables expecting his team to vie for an SEC championship and return to the standard expected at Oklahoma.

As he confidently put it last week, there's no game on the 2025 slate that Oklahoma is incapable of winning. For that to be the case, though, plenty will have to go right for the Sooners — a year after so much went wrong for the program.

So, with that in mind and with fall camp just a couple days away, here are the five biggest questions facing this Oklahoma team for the 2025 season as the Sooners prepare for the start of the preseason…

 

1. WILL BEN ARBUCKLE’S SYSTEM SUCCEED IN THE SEC?

 

 

 

13198202.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Ben Arbuckle has had a rapid ascension up the coaching ranks, and now after just three seasons of play-calling experience — one at Western Kentucky and two at Washington State — the 29-year-old hotshot has the most high-profile position of his career as he takes over as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator. Though Arbuckle's resume is short, it's hard to argue with the results he has produced in his three seasons calling plays. WKU had the No. 15 scoring offense in the country in 2022 (36.4 points per game), while his Washington State offenses finished 39th in 2023 (31.7 points per game, a year after ranking 79th in the FBS at 26.1 points per game prior to his arrival) and then sixth last season (36.6 points per game).

But Western Kentucky was a Group of 5 school, while Washington State was in a crumbling Pac-12 — with last season's schedule largely that of a Mountain West program. So, the question is whether Arbuckle can replicate his success in the SEC against some of the nation's best defenses? He takes over an Oklahoma offense that is coming off its worst season since 1998, finishing 97th in scoring (24 points per game) and 124th in yards per play (4.81). If Arbuckle can resuscitate the Sooners' offense — even if it's not a top-10 unit but more in the top-30 range — it will put Oklahoma in position to be competitive throughout the season and likely exceed outside expectations for the program this fall.

 

 

2. CAN JOHN MATEER LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?

 

13198199.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Adding Arbuckle wasn't the only big win for Oklahoma's offense coming off last season's disappointment; the Sooners' ability to land his quarterback from Washington State, John Mateer, was just as momentous for the program. Mateer was one of the nation's most dynamic quarterbacks last season while leading the Cougars' sixth-ranked offense. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging 9 yards per pass attempt. He also ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns, proving to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football.

For as impressive as Mateer was last season in his first year as a starter for Washington State, his production came against a Group of 5 schedule. Now he's stepping into the SEC, where he will routinely face some of the best defenses — and certainly the best defensive fronts — in college football. What Mateer has going in his favor, more than anything, is a comfort level and familiarity with Arbuckle's offensive system, as he enters his third year alongside the offensive coordinator. But it's a new team, new personnel and new challenge for the Little Elm, Texas, native — even as the hype surrounding him has been amplified this offseason. Can he live up to those lofty expectations and deliver at a high level for Oklahoma this season? The Sooners' hopes of an offensive turnaround hinge on it.

3. CAN THE OFFENSIVE LINE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE?

 

13198197.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Among the many things that went wrong for Oklahoma offensively last season, the issues along the offensive line provided a foundational crack in the Sooners' system. Oklahoma started eight different combinations across the offensive line through its first nine games before settling on a steady five-man grouping late in the season. That was in part due to mounting injuries — Troy Everett missed the start of the year due to a spring knee injury, while Branson Hickman and Geirean Hatchett also experienced injuries at center early in the year; Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor were also banged up, while Michael Tarquin also missed multiple games due to injury. The changes were also due to some inconsistent play across the line, and it all added up to Oklahoma finishing the year with one of the nation's worst offensive lines; the offense led the nation in sacks allowed (55) and was 119thin pass-blocking efficiency (83.8), per Pro Football Focus.

If Oklahoma is to turn things around offensively, it needs the line to be significantly better this season. That's a low bar to clear, considering how the unit performed last season, but it's still vital to the Sooners' outlook this fall. There's also reason for optimism about the line making notable strides, as Oklahoma returns four of its five starters — only replacing the right tackle spot, which will likely be filled by Western Carolinatransfer Derek Simmons — while the overall depth and talent in Bill Bedenbaugh's room is in a better place than it was last year. Along with Everett returning at center, Oklahoma brings back starting right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, starting left guard Heath Ozaetaand starting left tackle Logan Howland, along with veterans like Sexton (who could compete for either job on the left side) and Taylor, plus promising underclassmen in Eddy Pierre-Louis (who can play either guard spot) and five-star freshman Michael Fasusi (left tackle), among others. We'll see how the rotation shakes out along the line in the coming weeks, but it's important that Oklahoma settles on a starting lineup sooner rather than later.

4. HOW MUCH BETTER WILL THE PASS DEFENSE BE?

 

13198194.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Oklahoma's defense continued to improve in its third season of a rebuild under Venables, but an area that caused some concern was the Sooners' pass defense. Oklahoma was middle of the pack against the pass last season, allowing opponents to complete 60.1% of their passes while averaging 7.3 yards per pass attempt (tied for 72ndnationally). OU allowed just 17 touchdowns through the air but also only picked off nine passes. It also gave up 42 pass plays of 20 yards or longer, which was tied for 91stnationally and 13th out of 16 teams in the SEC.

The Sooners replace multiple pieces from that secondary, including safety Billy Bowman Jr. and cornerbacks Dez Malone, Kani Walkerand Woodi Washington. They also return key contributors in Robert Spears-Jennings and brothers Peyton and Eli Bowen, along with Gentry Williams (back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him most of last season) and Jacobe Johnson (back at corner after splitting time at receiver last year) as well as a crop of underclassmen — Courtland Guillory, Devon Jordan, Jeremiah Newcombe, Michael Boganowski, Jaydan Hardy, Reggie Powers III, Maliek Hawkins and Omarion Robinson, among others.

There's an interesting blend of returning contributors and young talent for Brandon Hall and Jay Valai to build around this fall, but can they put it all together to shore up a pass defense that was shaky at times last season? That's perhaps the biggest question for the Sooners' defense heading into the season.

5. WILL OKLAHOMA'S INJURY LUCK, OR LACK THEREOF, CHANGE?

 

 

13198192.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320 (Photo: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Oklahoma seemed cursed on the injury front last season, so much so that Venables said he'd never experienced a season quite like the one the Sooners went through last year when it came to health.

Perhaps more than any other factor, injuries are what hindered Oklahoma's offense the most last season. The Sooners' wide receiver room was decimated by significant injuries to Deion Burks (limited to five games), Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony. It left OU relying on an inexperienced group of pass-catchers for much of the year. The offensive line similarly dealt with an array of injuries as previously discussed — Everett, Hickman, Hatchett, Sexton, Taylor and Tarquin all missing portions of the season due to injuries. In the backfield, both Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk missed four games each due to injuries.

The defense, largely, fared better, though it wasn't immune. Williams, as mentioned, missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury. Kendel Dolby broke his leg in the SEC opener against Tennessee and missed the remainder of the season. Peyton Bowenplayed through a turf toe issue. Adepoju Adebawore struggled through ankle injuries and a turf toe.

It was a lot for Oklahoma to deal with — and something the Sooners hope won't repeat this season. The program retooled its training staff, hiring Jonathan Gress as its new head trainer and making other changes on the rehabilitation front. While a lot of injury issues come down to luck (or lack thereof), Oklahoma needs its fortunes to change this season, because Venables is confident in what his team is capable of — if it can stay healthy and continue to develop throughout the year.

 

Posted

The question about Arbuckle is a good one that we don’t really discuss or see discussed. The guy is 29 and has coached one year at WKU and 2 years at Wazzou. How many sophisticated and talented defenses has he had to call plays against? How many experienced DCs with P4 backgrounds has he faced? 

The guy at Michigan is known for a long career of exotic blitz design. PK is no spring chicken. Durkin killed a guy and all, but he’s not lost as a DC at Auburn. Wommack has been a DC for 8 years, 3 of which were P4 and an HC for 3 seasons. Baker at LSU isn’t one of the highest paid assistants in the country because he sucks. So and so forth. 

In every one of those situations, one guy will be going through the experience for a first time. 

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Posted

I think the optimism is because Arbuckle and Mateer will obviously be better than what they had last year.  But to me that means 9-3 or 8-4.  Their roster does not have enough talent.  Reminds me of the FUPM Brown teams from 2011, 2012, and 2013.  Good for maybe an upset and sneaking into the end of the top 25 if things break right.  But not a serious contender.

We should beat them easily if we bring our B game.  C game would be a nail biter.  I see them being a slightly less version of their 2023 squad.

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