OU cruised to a 23-7 win over then-No. 24 Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday.
Interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten guided the Sooners (5-4, 3-3 SEC) to a Southeastern Conference road win in his first game in the new role. They also won the turnover margin over the Gators (5-4, 3-4).
Here are five things to take away beyond the scoreboard:
Winning offense under Witten
It was not entirely flashy, but Witten’s offense is sustainable for success, should it continue to look like it did against Florida.
There were some highlight plays with sixth-year tight end Rocky Beers’ 41-yard reception and the two touchdowns, including fifth-year tight end Hayden Hansen’s off a double-fake handoff jet sweep. That play was tricky but not too cute like what former offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle tried.
Fifth-year quarterback John Mateer looked more composed, as Witten set him up for easy reads. Mateer was not perfect in his decision making, but overall, he played well, making timely throws to keep the Sooners in front. When Mateer fell out of rhythm for a few plays, Witten trusted his run game, helping OU move the ball down the field and preventing his quarterback from losing confidence.
Witten needs to continue to prove himself as OU’s offensive play-caller, but Saturday brought a lot of promise.
“Ultimately, we haven’t coached very well and haven’t gotten the results we wanted,” Witten said. “I told them what they could expect from me.”
Final touchdown drive was special
This could have fallen in the previous takeaway, but it deserves its own section. Led by Witten, the second touchdown drive lasted 20 plays for 89 yards (12:45), making it OU’s longest drive since 1972.
As the Sooners looked to close out the win, they devoured the clock and wore down Florida’s defense. The long drive also prevented the Sooners’ defense from frequently needing to come back on the field late in the game.
It’s the complementary football head coach Brent Venables has been wanting. As great as OU’s defense has been over the last two years, having to frequently go back on the field can be tiring, and it pushes the unit closer to a breaking point, as seen against South Carolina a week ago.
Nearly 13 minutes straight on offense may not exactly be pretty in modern college football, but it wins games, as it did on Saturday. Venables just needs an offense that does what winning requires.
“What allowed you to win 50 years ago still allows you to win today in football,” Witten said.
Jason Witten holds players accountable
Witten did something that has not happened often under recent OU offensive coordinators: held players accountable when they made mistakes.
Witten chewed out sophomore wide receiver Manny Choice after he messed up on a route. He brought a level of intensity to coaching that Sooner fans have only hoped for on offense.
Witten previously coached only OU's tight ends, the group that has been one of the few brighter spots offensively in 2026. The tight ends have accounted for 630 receiving yards (70 per game as a group) and six touchdowns through nine games this season. Before Witten’s arrival, in 2025, the group recorded 615 receiving yards (47 per game as a group) and one touchdown through the entire season.
In his first game as OU’s offensive coordinator, he carried that intensity and success to the rest of the offensive personnel.
“I had a really good feel for just how players followed him, the respect, the relationships, the belief, his ability to get a lot out of guys by how he coached and how he motivated guys and just his passion, his energy, really top shelf but very truthful, …” Venables said. “He’s going to hold guys accountable at a high level but also give them the tools that they need, the answers that they need, the path that they need to fix things to be better at what we want them to do. So there's a great level of trust. He took what he was doing in his space, and he took it and shared it with everybody else and had a good result.”
Peyton Bowen deserving of Jim Thorpe Award consideration
Senior defensive back Peyton Bowen was named a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist on Oct. 27, and he continues to prove that he should be considered among the nation’s best defensive backs.
He has played in every game this season, despite suffering a “little stinger” after intercepting a pass against Mississippi State on Oct. 24. He was a game-time decision against Florida but ultimately played, coming down with the game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.
Bowen has played well the past two weeks despite health concerns. He recorded five tackles against the Gamecocks and had one tackle and one interception in the win over the Gators.
Bowen helped the team win the turnover margin and hold Florida to 7 points.
“I thought our guys on defense played with a tremendous rhythm and great confidence,” Venables said. “And after the blistering that we took last week, to see our guys respond with the humility and toughness and the respect for the game, that's the kind of stuff that you can't put a price on, and I value that probably more than anything.”
Bowen has 41 tackles and three interceptions on the season, including a pick-six. He ranks fourth in the SEC in interceptions and second in defensive touchdowns.
Road ahead looking easier
With a multi-touchdown win over a ranked opponent, the Sooners can build some confidence, heading into the final three games of the season, which include two road trips.
The Sooners will face No. 19 Mississippi (6-3, 4-3), Texas A&M (4-5, 1-5) and Missouri (6-3, 3-3) to close out the season, with the last being on the road. All three of those teams lost this weekend.
The Sooners are looking to build off one of their best offensive performances of the season, which was led by an offensive coordinator who has been on the job for less than seven days.
“It was fabulous in every way,” Venables said. “It was just … affirmation of really good game control, understanding of offensive structure (and) defensive structure just working really well.”
