OU scraped by against New Mexico at home in a 14-6 win at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
OU (2-1) recorded as many interceptions against New Mexico (2-1) as touchdowns. Head coach Brent Venables summed up the performance in the opening words of his postgame press conference: “That was ugly.”
Here are five things to take away beyond the scoreboard:
Ben Arbuckle seemingly on the hot seat
Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is coaching for his job moving forward. Fans even chanted, "Fire Arbuckle" during the game.
The Sooners currently sit bottom of the Southeastern Conference in total offense three games into the 2026 season. OU struggling on offense with Arbuckle as its play-caller is not a new development either; the Sooners ranked 12th in the SEC in yards per game in 2025.
The Sooners relied on their defense and timely, explosive plays from fifth year wide receiver Isaiah Sategna to win games a year ago. They had an unsuccessful run game (ranked at No. 104 in the nation) and a quarterback battling an injury, with John Mateer undergoing hand surgery.
There was hope in the offseason that the Sooners would improve with Mateer being healthy and transfers brought into the offense. But matters have only gotten worse, and Arbuckle did not express confidence in the rushing attack or the pass game following Saturday’s narrow victory.
“We got to put our head down and nose on the grindstone and go back to work and really figure out what we're really good at, what our identity is going to be,” Arbuckle said. “Ultimately, I think it's going to come down to being a tough, physical team.”
No trust in running backs
Arbuckle initially stuttered when he was asked about the running back hierarchy on Saturday. Then he spoke with little confidence in any of them.
Junior running back Lloyd Avant led in rushing yards against New Mexico with only 27 on eight carries. Freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr. had the second most carries from a running back in the game with six, only amounting to eight rushing yards.
Four Sooner backs recorded carries against New Mexico, with three having at least two, establishing little trust in any of them individually. The backs are frequently rotated, and the Sooners often turn away from running after just a few plays, like the two that started the game before Mateer’s first interception.
“The backfield hierarchy, I think (Lloyd Avant's) probably taking the most snaps,” Arbuckle said. “(Jonathan Hatton Jr.) was going to play quite a bit during UTEP, and, for just circumstances, didn't really play all that much until tonight. … And we just got to continue finding who the guy in that room is. … We got to get someone rolling with some consistency (and) get somebody rolling in some rhythm.”
David Stone as expected
Junior defensive lineman David Stone entered the season expected to go in the top 15 of the 2027 NFL Draft, and he has backed up his preseason hype.
Stone finished with a career-high eight tackles against the Lobos and made critical defensive plays to help OU to the win.
He contained the Lobos for no gain before their first field goal. Following Mateer’s second interception, Stone combined on a tackle for loss on second down and a sack on third down to hold the Lobos to another field goal. Stone also stuffed New Mexico running back Scottre Humphrey on fourth-and-1 with 2:58 left in the game.
"I knew we needed it,” Stone said. “They were getting really close to the end zone, and the game's on the line.
Tight end room continuing to be a positive
OU’s tight end room, led by Jason Witten, continues to shine for the Sooners.
Fifth year tight end Hayden Hansen broke several tackles from New Mexico Defenders to score the first touchdown of the game. He finished with 49 receiving yards on three receptions, with sixth year tight end Rocky Beers adding 34 receiving yards on two receptions. Beers recorded 94 receiving yards against Michigan and had a touchdown against UTEP.
“Their coach is pretty good, so they know where to be,” Mateer said. “We have a great relationship, and I know where they're going to be. And they play fast, and they block really well. So it brings a dual threat in that.”
Offense sparking concern with brutal road ahead
OU now has a trip to Athens to play No. 2 Georgia (3-0) right in front of them.
The Bulldogs’ defense has performed the best among SEC teams three games in, with an offense that is currently top three in the conference.
The Sooners will face No. 1 Texas (3-0) in Dallas the following game, which took down then-No. 1-ranked Ohio State (2-1) in its second game of the season. OU will play Kentucky (2-1) after the Longhorns, and the Wildcats just defeated No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1) in College Station.
“We're going to need to make improvements,” Venables said, “if we're going to have a chance to win games against the teams that we're going to play.”
