Tag: Seth Littrell

Kirk Herbstreit thinks Oklahoma Sooners are hitting ‘rock bottom’

ESPN College Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks OU is hitting “rock bottom” right now.

The Oklahoma Sooners desperately need to rebound in a big way this week. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team has lost two straight and three out of their last four games, and they’ll have to play excellent football to avoid a third straight defeat on Saturday. OU will face the Ole Miss Rebels on the road in Oxford, Mississippi.

One college football expert believes that things couldn’t get much worse for Oklahoma. That would be ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, who took to his social media earlier this week to answer a few questions from fans about the current state of college football. He shared his thoughts on the top teams in the sport and a few programs that have been outright disappointing.

“The Sooners, they’re hitting rock bottom,” Herbstreit said. “Oklahoma is seriously reeling as an offense.”

That’s a pretty emphatic and blunt way to put it, but Herbstreit has seen the Sooners in some of their worst moments this year. He was on hand in Norman when Oklahoma hosted Tennessee in a 10-point loss and benched [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in favor of [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] to try and find a spark for the offense. Herbstreit was also at the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Rivalry, when Texas defeated Oklahoma by 31 points.

Defensively, Oklahoma has improved from where they were a year ago. It’s the best defense of the three-year Venables era, and the best defense the Sooners have had in a long time. While Oklahoma certainly isn’t great on special teams, that unit has also improved a bit since last year. In fact, it may be the best special teams group of the Venables era as well.

But the offensive woes have kept Oklahoma from winning, or competing for the most part, in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. Hawkins was benched after three straight turnovers to open the game last week against South Carolina, and Arnold has been re-inserted as the starter. However, neither quarterback is getting much help at all from the pieces around them, and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see Hawkins back under center at some point this season. It also wouldn’t be a shock to see Arnold take things the rest of the way.

That’s where it’s at right now with this OU offense. With Seth Littrell relieved of his duties on Sunday, [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] has been promoted to the role of primary play-caller. Kevin Johns is now a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. While the trio of [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and DeMarco Murray may not be directly responsible (as coordinators) for the mess on offense, each of their position groups needs to play better.

With the tough schedule the Sooners have coming up in November with games against Missouri, Alabama and LSU, this team will have to dig deep to find something, even if that something is just bowl eligibility for a 26th straight season.

Brent Venables shares what went into offensive coordinator change

On his weekly coach’s show, Brent Venables shared more about what led to the offensive coordinator change.

There have been struggles on offense for much of the 2024 season. Sure, they scored 51 points against Temple and 34 against Tulane, but the Sooners haven’t looked like a team playing in a rhythm at all this season.

Saturday’s loss at South Carolina, spurred on by turnovers on their first three drives wasn’t what led to the decision, but it was likely the straw that broke the camel’s back. Before Saturday, Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t playing well. Saturday simply was the culmination of seven games of issues.

During his weekly coach’s show on Monday, [autotag]Brent Venable[/autotag]s revealed that his decision to make a change at offensive coordinator wasn’t a decision based on just one or two games.

“A lot goes into you making those types of changes and it’s over the last several months,” Venables said Monday on his weekly coaches show. “There’s a body of work that you look at all of it and evaluate it. Obviously, we haven’t played winning football on offense.”

Oklahoma started out 3-0, but it was a grind to get there. Since then, the Sooners are just 1-3. Their lone win came against Auburn, where they needed a big play on defense to pull off a miraculous comeback. Since SEC play has begun, the Sooners have made two quarterback changes and now changed their offensive coordinator structure.

Joe Jon Finley takes over as the playcaller because of his familiarity with the playbook and the offense as a whole. Kevin Johns, who was an analyst doing advanced scouting for the team, joins the offensive staff as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Johns previously worked with quarterback Riley Leonard at Duke and and former Sooners offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson at Indiana.

There’s no telling how much the change will make a difference. The Sooners have several more really good teams on their remaining schedule. But Venables is still somewhat optimistic that they can see improvement.

“I do believe if we make some incremental improvement, play to our potential, do the things that the game requires you to do in order to execute and win (we can be successful),” Venables said.

The first big test for Finley, Johns, and the offense comes this Saturday when the Sooners make the trip to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.

Oklahoma parts ways with offensive coordinator Seth Littrell

The Oklahoma Sooners are making a change at offensive coordinator.

After just seven games as the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners, Seth Littrell and the football program have parted ways, according to recent reports. This news comes just a day after Oklahoma lost to South Carolina 35-9.

Littrell, a former Sooners running back, played for the program from 1997 through 2000. After nearly two decades of coaching, he returned to Norman, Oklahoma as an offensive assistant in 2023 and was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before the start of the 2024 season.

The team has a quality quarterback in Jackson Arnold and talented players around him, but the team’s offense has fallen flat. Heading into the second half of the 2024 season, the Sooners are 4-3. Looking ahead, Oklahoma’s five remaining games feature four opponents who are currently ranked in the top 25.

Perhaps a change was needed, as the team had expectations of competing in the SEC and potentially making a push for the College Football Playoffs. Hopes of having a successful season may seem fruitless, but the opportunity to impress the CFP committee and create a strong resumé remains possible.

There’s no telling who will permanently fill the position moving forward. However, co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley will be calling the plays in the meantime, according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel.

College Sports Wire will continue to follow the Oklahoma Sooners and other college football news throughout the 2024 college football season.

BREAKING: Oklahoma fires offensive coordinator Seth Littrell per report

Brent Venables decided to move on from his offensive play caller, Seth Littrell, according to a report from SoonerScoop’s George Stoia.

This story was updated to add new information.

With the Oklahoma Sooners at 4-3 in their first season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and the OU offense completely stuck in the mud, the offensive coordinator has changed.

After the Sooners lost 35-9 against South Carolina on Saturday, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] decided to make a change.

Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] has been fired, according to a report from SoonerScoop’s and On3’s George Stoia. The report was also confirmed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Littrell was the primary playcaller, and that duty will now be handled by co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] for the remainder of the season. [autotag]Kevin Johns[/autotag], who is an offensive analyst, will also have a significant role in the offense. Johns has been an offensive coordinator before, serving in that role at Duke.

OU is currently averaging just 22.1 points per game in the 2024 season, which lands them at 107th out of 134 teams at the FBS level. They’ve been held below double digits in their last two games, both losses, scoring just one touchdown.

“Seth is an all-time great Sooner,” said Venables in a release from the University of Oklahoma. “He has a deep love for this university and football program, and has poured his heart and soul into both. Despite that, our performance as an offense this season has not at all lived up to the OU standard and I felt a change was necessary now.

Littrell was promoted from an analyst role in 2023 to co-offensive coordinator with Finley before the bowl game last season. The move followed [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] leaving to take the head coaching job at Mississippi State.

“The leadership role Joe Jon plays on our team is critical. He has the confidence of our locker room and coaching staff, and I’m thankful to him for taking on this expanded role in the middle of the season. Kevin joined our staff last spring as an offensive analyst after serving as an offensive coordinator for over a decade. He has a wealth of experience coordinating offenses and coaching quarterbacks, and I’m looking forward to the fresh approach he’ll bring and the bigger role he’ll play in offensive game-planning. I’m confident Joe Jon, Kevin and the rest of the offensive staff will work tirelessly to put our players in positions to succeed and make us more effective on that side of the ball.”

Littrell was installed as the playcaller for the OU offense, but he lasted just eight games overall and just seven games this season before he was relieved of his duties.

The veteran coach was the head coach at North Texas until he was let go in 2022, making his way to Venables’ staff in Norman before last season.

Now, the attention turns to trying to salvage this season with an offense that can at least put something on the board, but perhaps more importantly, to the impending hire that Venables will make to run the offense in 2025.

The way things stand right now, next year is looking like a make-or-break season for Venables in Norman. It is absolutely imperative that he gets this OC hire right this offseason.

Oklahoma Sooners offense faces another stiff test vs. South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks defense provides another difficult test for the Oklahoma Sooners offense.

Every game is a must-win game during a college football season. Even with the expanded playoff, there still isn’t much margin for error for teams that have aspirations of playing for a national championship.

Though the expectations for 2024 may have changed, given the product on the field in the first six games, the expectations for Oklahoma Football never change. This is a program that expects to compete for conference and national titles.

And perhaps that’s unrealistic, but it’s the reality. And that’s why this game against South Carolina is important.

Oklahoma’s two losses in 2024 are to a pair of teams ranked inside the top 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll; No. 1 Texas and No. 10 Tennessee. They also boast two of the top five scoring defenses in the nation with the Longhorns at No. 1 and the Volunteers at No. 4. They’re allowing 6.3 and 10.6 points per game this season.

South Carolina is allowing 20.3 points per game and ranks 37th in the nation in scoring defense. But they’ve played some of the better offenses in the conference in LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss, a trio of schools that Oklahoma will play later in the year.

Though statistically, the Gamecocks rank lower than the teams the Sooners have struggled with, they boast a talented group of defenders throughout the defense. A lot of the focus will be on their defensive line, and for good reason: the Gamecocks have legit NFL talent in the back seven as well.

The defense is allowing just 299 yards per game, 107 rushing yards per game, and 189.5 passing yards per game. They allow opposing quarterbacks to complete just 56% of its passes and rushing attacks to gain just 3.1 yards per carry.

Not exactly the best week to expect an offensive explosion. But the Sooners have to find some answers.

If there was ever a game where the Sooners needed to pull it all together, it’s this game. Starting with South Carolina, the Sooners have a tough road over their final six games.

While the Oklahoma Sooners have a really good defense, they can’t do it all. Perhaps they can come up with a defensive score, but you can’t expect that week to week.

[autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and Joe Jon Finley need to find some answers to the Sooners offensive struggles. Saturday against South Carolina provides a tough test. But if OU can generate a few touchdown drives, it might be the springboard they need to finish 2024 season on a high note.

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Oklahoma Sooners offense one of the worst in the nation

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has a lot to figure out ahead of their matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

There are times when the statistics don’t reflect the product you see on the field. But that isn’t the case with the Sooners. The product on the field is fairly well reflected in the numbers.

The Sooners rank No. 125 out of 134 FBS teams in total yards per game, No. 101 in rushing yards per game, and No. 123 in passing yards per game. OU is No. 118 in first downs per game. The Sooners are averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on the season. That ranks No. 114 among FBS teams.

ESPN’s SP+ rating likes the Sooners better, ranking them at No. 59 in the nation. But that’s 15th out of 16 SEC teams. Only Mississippi State ranks lower in offensive SP+ and they’ve turned it on of late, scoring 31 against Georgia on Saturday. Pro Football Focus’ grading system has the Sooners at No. 128, last among SEC teams.

They aren’t efficient, and OU isn’t hitting anything down the field, either. Max Olson of ESPN highlighted the lack of explosiveness from the Oklahoma Sooners offense.

OU has just 13 plays of 20 yards or more this season, which ranks 133rd in the nation, ahead of only 0-5 Kennesaw State. 2024 Oklahoma’s explosive rate of 3.4% ranks third worst among all Power Four teams over the last decade.

https://twitter.com/max_olson/status/1845822230304784533

 

The Oklahoma Sooners offense hasn’t been effective for much of the season. Especially in SEC play, OU has lacked consistency in every facet.

Though Oklahoma hasn’t been able to create a lot of explosive plays, what’s more disconcerting is they simply aren’t creating enough efficiency to move the ball consistently. The Sooners need to be more efficient.

Big plays, especially in the passing game, can back defenses off of the line of scrimmage. That would certainly help. But Hawkins didn’t look comfortable throwing the ball downfield on Saturday. Whether that was because of the pressure from Texas’ defense or not liking what he saw in coverage, Hawkins and the Sooners offense couldn’t create down the field.

Of Hawkins’ 30 pass attempts, only five went beyond 10 yards down the field.

Against Texas, they averaged just five plays per drive and had just three drives that went longer than five plays. One was an 11-play, 38-yard drive that ended in a field goal. Another was an eight-play, 19-yard drive, and they turned it over on downs. The final drive of the day was their most productive, but Texas was in prevent defense. Still, the Sooners couldn’t finish off a 17-play, 69-yard drive by finding the end zone.

On first down, the Sooners averaged 4.5 yards per play on Saturday. That should have been enough to get them ahead of the chains. But negative plays or penalties on second and third down set them back.

Their average third down needed 8.5 yards to convert for a first down, and the Sooners were just 4 of 15 on third down.

Oklahoma’s success rate against Texas was 30%, which is considered below average. Success rate is determined by yards gained relative to down and distance and is a good measure of efficiency.

Nothing is going right for the Oklahoma Sooners on the offensive side of the ball right now. The good news is it can’t get much worse. Seth Littrell, Joe Jon Finley, and the entire offensive staff have to take a long look at what they’re doing and change it up. It isn’t so much about execution as it is about putting the players in a better position to be successful.

What plagued the Sooners when Jackson Arnold was the starting quarterback is still hurting Oklahoma with Michael Hawkins Jr. under center. Oklahoma is still young and experienced in their personnel at quarterback and wide receiver and the playcalling philosophy isn’t getting them anywhere either. Oklahoma can’t do much about their personnel. They need to let them learn and grow and go through the growing pains. But the offensive philosophy can help.

Arnold struggled with some of the reads in the run-pass and read-option aspects of the offense. Against Auburn, it seemed like Littrell and Finley scaled back some of the option aspects of the offense. However, for the Texas game, it looked like they added more, and as it was early in the season, the option game wasn’t effective for the Sooners.

Venables said Monday night, “We had some simple things, there was a ‘do this or do that’ when it comes to the quarterback, we’ve got to make some better decisions there because we had some real opportunities.”

If the quarterback isn’t reading it right, which was the case under Arnold and now Hawkins, then there’s a disconnect between what the coaches are teaching and the way the quarterbacks are attempting to execute it. Or simpler yet, it’s just a bad plan.

It isn’t an effective part of the offense either way, so the Sooners need to take it out.

Oklahoma has to figure things out quickly with the South Carolina Gamecocks coming to town this week. They’re a good defense that can make life very difficult for a quarterback with their athletic and disruptive defensive front.

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Oklahoma Sooners offense falling short of expectations

Sooners offense a far cry from what’s expected at Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2024 season hit rock bottom in their 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns. With two weeks to prepare for the No. 1 team in the nation, the offense failed to capitalize on a strong first quarter performance from the defense.

Whether it’s inexperience or a poor game plan or both, Oklahoma’s struggles on the offensive side will define the 2024 season. Though there have been a number of injuries that brought the Sooners to this point, the coaching staff hasn’t had an answer to overcome them.

After the loss, the Sooners look like they’ll have a hard time getting to 6-6 this season. Even if they did, that would be the second time in three seasons under Brent Venables where the Sooners finished the regular season .500.

That’s not the expectation for this program. After their most recent loss to Texas, Oklahoma was featured in Dan Wolken’s “Misery Index” for USA TODAY Sports.

The (Lincoln) Riley divorce hasn’t necessarily been great for the Sooners, either. They’re in Year 3 under Brent Venables, and they’ve basically got the opposite problem they had under their former coach. Venables has undeniably improved the defense, which was expected given his Hall of Fame-level credentials as a coordinator, but the offense is a complete mess. The Sooners try to play fast and use a lot of misdirection, but to what end when they have no passing game to speak of and Texas could just stack the box with impunity in a 34-3 romp over Oklahoma? Michael Hawkins, the Sooners’ freshman quarterback, isn’t ready for this level of competition yet and showed it against Texas as possession after possession ended in disaster. And that’s a tough pill for fans to swallow when Dillon Gabriel walked out the door after last season and transferred to Oregon, where he is quarterbacking a likely College Football Playoff team. – Wolken, USA TODAY Sports

While Riley was featured for the first part of Wolken’s piece, Oklahoma fans have their own fish to fry.

The offense is averaging just 24.3 points per game this season, which ranks 96th in the nation and 15th out of 16 teams in the SEC. In conference play play, the Sooners are averaging just 15 points per game. Take out the Kip Lewis interception return for a touchdown against Auburn, the Sooners are averaging Oklahoma is averaging just 12.67 points per game.

In the first half of three SEC games, the Sooners have scored a total of 13 points. There was the long touchdown run by Michael Hawkins Jr. to open the Auburn game and then just a field goal apiece against Tennessee and Texas.

To say Oklahoma’s offense has been bad might be an understatement. Nothing’s working and Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley haven’t come up with an answer to right the ship. Again, the offense is inexperienced but the co-offensive coordinators have been coaching long enough to find answers to overcome it.

We’ll see if they can fair better against a South Carolina defense that has been really good at times in 2024.

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How did Michael Hawkins Jr. ascend to start for the Oklahoma Sooners?

How did Michael Hawkins Jr. ascend to start for the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners made a quarterback switch just four weeks into the 2024 season. Sophomore [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] had been the heir apparent to the departed Dillon Gabriel, but after a shaky first three games, Arnold looked overwhelmed in OU’s loss to Tennessee. During the offseason, the talk was about getting Arnold developed, but a month into the season, the narrative changed drastically. Some of that is on Arnold, but a lot of it isn’t.

However, three first half turnovers from Arnold in week four forced head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] to pull his starter and insert freshman [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] into the game. The youngster settled in against the Volunteers and moved the ball in the late stages of the game, earning his first career start against Auburn the following week.

Though Hawkins’ stats against Auburn weren’t anything to write home about, he was impressive in the face of pressure and made big-time plays, serving as one of the undeniable heroes of OU’s comeback road win. He’s done more than enough to stay as the starter for next week’s game against Texas, and if he continues to play well, take care of the ball, and develop, he’ll likely be the guy for the rest of the season.

But who is Michael Hawkins Jr.?

Everyone expected he’d be Arnold’s backup for at least the next two seasons, but his time in the spotlight has come early. He has an opportunity to start a lot of games in Norman over the next few years if he can help turn this offense around in the lion’s den of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Hawkins’ father, Michael Sr., played cornerback at Oklahoma in 2002 before leaving to play for the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2005 as a fifth-round selection. He also played for the Browns, Vikings, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Raiders from 2006 to 2009.

Michael Jr. played at Allen High School, the former home of Kyler Murray. For his senior season, Hawkins switched to Frisco Emerson High School, leading his team on a deep playoff run in 2023. According to MaxPreps, during his senior season, he accounted for 3,039 passing yards with 41 touchdowns through the air and 1,192 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns on the ground.

As a star at both schools, he earned a four-star ranking from 247Sports Composite. He held notable offers from schools like Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, TCU, and Missouri but committed to OU on April 8th, 2023. His decision came down to the Sooners and the hometown Horned Frogs (after Kendal Briles made the move to Fort Worth), but his dad’s alma mater won out in the end. He signed with the Sooners that December and enrolled early in January as a part of the 2024 recruiting class.

Though he committed to play for former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, he never got to be coached by the current head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He stayed committed to new co-offensive coordinators [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag], and arrived on campus in a battle to back up Arnold. Hawkins beat out [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] to become QB2, offering an intriguing glimpse of the future with his dual-threat capabilities.

In both spring ball and fall camp, there was buzz about Hawkins’ abilities on the practice field.

 

In 2024, Hawkins has completed 62.2% of his passes for 310 yards and a touchdown. He’s also ran for 101 yards and a touchdown. He showed off his big arm on the 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester and his great speed and athleticism during his first six quarters. And as important as that, he’s shown that the moment isn’t too big for him.

The Sooners have a date with the No. 1 team in the nation coming next Saturday, and they’ll need every bit of Hawkins’ abilities to shine on that day in Dallas.

Hawkins will become the first true freshman quarterback to start for Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout and provides a very exciting look ahead to what Sooner Nation hopes to see out of the quarterback position.

Fixing OU’s offensive problems isn’t all on Hawkins’ shoulders, nor should they be. The problems may not be fixable this season or even with the current coordinators. However, if OU can find more consistency in moving the football with some explosive plays mixed in, the country could be in for some trouble.

And it could be Michael Hawkins Jr. who is the face of it all.

Watch: OU Football interviews Michael Hawkins Jr.

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Brent Venables shared more of what led to Dillon Gabriel’s departure

At Tuesday’s press conference, Brent Venables discussed what led to Dillon Gabriel’s departure.

In late November of 2021, the unexpected departure of then-head coach [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] sent shockwaves through the Oklahoma Sooners football program. Riley had been in charge for five seasons, inheriting the job from the legendary [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] in the summer of 2017 when Stoops retired.

Riley’s decision to become the next head coach at USC is one of the biggest and most surprising decisions in recent college football history. But, the Sooners bounced back, hiring [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] one week later. Venables, a defensive savant, hired [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] to be his first offensive coordinator, but the duo needed a quarterback to run the offense.

The cupboard was pretty empty in that regard. [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], who had been OU’s starter entering the 2021 season, was benched halfway through the year. He entered the transfer portal the day after the regular season ended, the same day Riley’s defection to Southern Cal took place. [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag], who replaced Rattler under center, would enter the transfer portal later that winter and decided to follow Riley and become a Trojan. Suddenly, OU, the home of some of the best quarterbacks in the sport’s history, needed one desperately.

They found one in UCF transfer [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who was convinced by Lebby to forgo transferring to UCLA and instead come to Norman. The pair had worked together at UCF back in 2019 when Gabriel was a true freshman, and still had a very good relationship.

Gabriel arrived at OU and was immediately handed the starting gig as the only QB on the roster who had substantial college experience. Oklahoma struggled in 2022, going 6-7 in Venables’ first season at the helm. Gabriel and the offense showed some bright spots, but not enough to win more than six games.

In January of 2022, Lebby earned a commitment from [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], a quarterback out of Denton, Texas. Lebby had offered him in December, and locked in the five-star phenom to be the quarterback of the future in Norman. A plan began to form, one that would be locked in when Arnold signed with the Sooners in December of 2022, and Gabriel elected to come back to Norman for the 2023 season.

The plan was simple and has been done plenty of times all over the country. Gabriel would start one more season in 2023, with Arnold sitting behind him and learning from the veteran mentor. Gabriel would go pro after the season, and Arnold would step into the role and lead the Sooners into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024 and beyond. His talent, upside, and potential seemed limitless, and Oklahoma looked to have their next guy.

But despite an excellent year where he improved as a player and OU improved as a team, Gabriel didn’t earn the kind of NFL grade he expected. He decided to use his final year of eligibility and stay at the college level. It’s a decision that happens a lot in college football, and Gabriel shouldn’t be blamed in any way. He made the best choice for his career. In addition, his offensive coordinator wouldn’t be returning to OU in 2024, as Lebby took the head coaching position at Mississippi State in November of 2023.

That’s where an article by ESPN staff writer Eil Lederman comes into play, featuring quotes from Venables’ media availability earlier this week about the circumstances surrounding Gabriel’s transfer to Oregon this offseason.

According to the article, “Gabriel asked for a meeting in the days following Oklahoma’s 2023 regular-season finale against TCU. During the meeting, Venables said, Gabriel outlined his plans to enter the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] and to opt out of the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl matchup with Arizona, citing the departure of offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and a desire to play closer to home among his reasons.”

Venables went on to say that it was Gabriel’s decision to transfer away from Oklahoma after not receiving the NFL grade he was looking for and that everyone was under the impression that Gabriel was going pro. The Hawaii native was also very far from home for two years in Oklahoma and is much closer now in Oregon. His close relationship with Lebby was instrumental in getting him to OU and their success together, and now Lebby had moved up in his career and wouldn’t be back.

“I did not know at that time that he wasn’t going to go to the NFL. … I didn’t even know I had to fight this fight,” Venables said. “I didn’t even realize that you were even considering coming back. And he says, ‘Yeah, but I just want to get closer to home.’ We hugged and shook hands. He was a little emotional and I was. It was all really good and positive … You can’t make a guy stay. The guy is trying to find the next thing; the next chapter for him. I’m sure there was probably some disappointment that (Gabriel) wasn’t more highly thought of in the NFL. He had an amazing year. He was a fantastic quarterback. But we didn’t run anybody off or things like that.”

Clearly, the two didn’t leave things on bad terms at all. Gabriel was asked about Venables’ comments this week and said, “Honestly, it’s so far gone; I just know God’s got me right where I need to be,” Gabriel said via OregonLive. “I got a smile on my face every day because I’m in Eugene, Oregon, around a bunch of great guys. Of course, those are guys (at Oklahoma) that are my brothers for life and guys I played with. It’s people I still talk to on the team — players-wise. You focus on what you can control and that’s right where I’m at. I’m happy. I know God put me right where I need to be, and I think that’s all that needs to be said.”

In an offseason story by The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani (subscription required), Gabriel’s mom said that Arnold was another one of the motivating factors behind Gabriel’s departure. She said the former Sooners quarterback was concerned “Jackson might leave (if Gabriel stayed), and he didn’t want that for the program.”

So, saying that Gabriel was “cast off” by OU isn’t accurate. All parties involved (Gabriel and OU) felt they needed to do right by Arnold and own up to the promise that had been made and the plan that had been set up well in advance. Gabriel was actually helping the future of the program by not standing in the way of Arnold’s ascension to the starting role, which might have caused frustration in the younger player.

This discourse had reached a head this week because of OU’s poor start to the 2024 season, which culminated in Arnold being benched in the week four loss to Tennessee after three costly first-half turnovers. [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag], who took Arnold’s place under center, has gotten the starting nod from Venables for week five against Auburn.

“Maybe this will give us a better chance moving forward,” Venables said. “I believe in Mike. I made that announcement for a lot of reasons. Certainly didn’t want a decision like that to hang over anyone’s head. We got to get better.”

Certainly, the Sooners have to get way better on offense. [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag], who replaced Lebby, have got to do a much better job of putting the quarterbacks in a position to succeed. But from Venables’ comments this week, it’s clear that everyone was just following the plan and keeping their promises to Arnold. Gabriel made the call to leave for a number of reasons, all of which are perfectly valid.

There was no choice made between Gabriel and Arnold. There isn’t much of a world where Gabriel was going to be coming back to OU in 2024, especially without Lebby. Arnold was always going to be the starter this season, and the topic has only come up because he’s had an unexpectedly rough start to the year and has (at least for the time being) been replaced in the lineup.

“I expressed to Jackson that this is a moment,” Venables said Tuesday. “Jackson’s going to have an amazing future and career. He’s going to play this game (for) a long time. All of that will work itself out in due time.”

Arnold still has a very bright future. He’s got all of the tools you look for but has struggled in some areas through four games. The turnovers against the Vols are what made the decision for Venables, and maybe Hawkins can perform better in the role.

Whether it’s at Oklahoma or not, Arnold can turn things around and have a very strong career. For right now, the focus shifts to Hawkins, as the true freshman now has an incredible opportunity in front of him. If he can take hold of the starting role, he could be the guy under center for a long time in Norman.

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Oklahoma Sooners have to find more consistent running game

If the Oklahoma Sooners want to better support their young quarterback, they have to find a more consistent ground game.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has problems that go beyond the quarterback. Sure, inconsistent play in the passing game has an impact on the number of defenders an offense will face around the line of scrimmage, but even when the Sooners have had favorable boxes, it hasn’t helped.

Oklahoma ran for over 200 yards in week one against Temple. OU rushed for just over 180 yards against Tulane, buoyed by [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s near-100-yard day. But against Houston, the Sooners ran for just 75 yards on just 2.58 yards per carry. OU hit rock bottom against Tennessee when they averaged 1.1 yards per carry on 24 attempts. Yes, you read that right: 1.1 yards per carry.

Take the quarterback run game and sacks out of the equation, and the numbers look slightly better. It amounts to 17 carries for 37 yards. It’s still not good or even average, but it improves to 2.17 yards per carry. It’s a far cry from what this offense expects of their running game.

So far, Oklahoma’s averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, helped by Arnold’s big day against Tulane. However, that’s the lowest yard-per-carry average for a season since 2010, when the Sooners averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt.

With a rushing average that low, one would think the Sooners struggled offensively. But what did Oklahoma have going for it that season? Landry Jones was cooking, throwing for 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns. Ryan Broyles had 1,622 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. They had DeMarco Murray, who ran for 1,214 yards, 15 touchdowns, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.

That 2010 team went 12-2, beat Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, and Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.

This 2024 team has been a far cry from 2010, but there’s still time to turn some things around. Adjustments can be made, and the Sooners have already made a big one, inserting Michael Hawkins into the starting lineup. But the true freshman displayed his passing prowess. They didn’t try Tennessee deep, but Hawkins showed his passing ability on several throws to Jaquaize Pettaway, Bauer Sharp, and Zion Ragins. He had a good command of the offense. His speed is a threat in the running game and will put pressure on defenses.

If Oklahoma can find a more consistent passing attack, it will force teams to respect the pass and back a player out of the box against the run.

The Sooners had a lot of success running outside. Deion Burks ran a couple of jet sweeps for 18 yards early in the game, but the Sooners never went back to it. Jovantae Barnes had a 17-yard run on an outside zone play. According to Pro Football Focus, when the Sooners ran outside to the left, they gained 27 yards on two carries. But Oklahoma seemed intent on trying to establish the inside run game. They weren’t effective. When they ran between the tackles, Oklahoma gained just 17 yards on 13 carries, according to PFF.

Tennessee’s really good up the middle and the Sooners seemed content to run into the teeth of the defense.

Certainly, offensive line continuity has been an issue. The constant reshuffling due to availability hasn’t given them an opportunity to mesh, but playcalling and execution haven’t helped the run game either.

A lot of the issues have been in the run-pass option game, where Jackson Arnold struggled to make the right decisions with the football.

The run-pass option takes advantage of how a defense is aligned and allows the quarterback to make a choice based on what the defense does post-snap. If there are six or fewer players in the box, or near the line of scrimmage, it’s favorable for the Sooners and they need to run it. Arnold’s been choosing to pass in those instances. When there are more than six defenders in the box, that’s when OU should throw it, and Arnold’s been giving it to the running back in an unfavorable matchup for the offensive line. There have been opportunities to create yardage in the run game, but if the quarterback doesn’t make the right choice in the RPO game, it’s going to be difficult on the run game.

At his weekly press conference, Brent Venables indicated the Sooners would be cutting back on the number of RPO-based play calls. It won’t go away completely, but the Sooners are certainly going to scale back on and may return if Michael Hawkins Jr. proves more efficient in the RPO calls.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going to get more direct in some of their run calls, taking some of the guesswork out of it.

The Sooners have a tough task this week against an Auburn Tigers‘ defense that is allowing just 118.8 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. But the Sooners will need to find their rushing attack if they want to have more offensive success against the Auburn Tigers and better support their young quarterback.

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