OU’s offense has fallen off in the last five seasons under head coach Brent Venables.
Offensively, the Sooners are a far cry from where they were in the Lincoln Riley years. In every season under Riley’s coaching in 2017-21, the team ranked inside the top 12 in points per game, including a top-three scoring offense in 2017-18.
Six games into 2026, the Sooners sit at No. 97 in the nation in points per game. This season is even a stark difference from three years ago in 2023, when current Mississippi State head coach Jeffy Lebby was the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. OU’s Lebby-run offense ranked No. 3 in the nation in offensive points per game.
This story breaks down offensive trends and associated factors in head coach Brent Venables’ tenure at OU, which started with the 2022 season. OU finished 6-7 in 2022, 10-3 in 2023, 6-7 in 2024 and 10-3 in 2025; six games into 2026, the program is 3-3.
Points per game
Yards per game
Rushing yards per game
Red zone scores per game
Sacks allowed per game
Underlying factors
The negative trends on offense can be attributed to a lack of alignment on the offensive staff and a poor player retention rate.
Here is the offensive coaching staff:
• Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski joined OU’s football program in 2025 after success at Washington State.
• Assistant head coach for offense, Kevin Wilson, rejoined the OU staff in the spring of 2025 after being OU’s offensive coordinator in 2002-10.
• Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has been with OU since 2013.
• Wide receivers coach Emmett Jones has been with OU since January 2023.
• Tight ends coach Jason Witten joined in January of 2026 after coaching at the high school level following a 17-year NFL career.
• Running backs coach Deland McCullough joined in February 2026 offseason after coaching in the NFL.
Each member of the offensive staff listed has a different background, and most vary in their tenure at OU. With every offensive assistant coach coming from a different background, each have differing systems – meaning collectively, they have a lack of alignment.
For example, Arbuckle’s 2024 Washington State offense was in the top 15 nationally in points per game with a rushing attack that ranked No. 55, while Wilson's 2008 OU offense was No. 1 in points per game and recorded the second-most rushing touchdowns per game that year. Evidently, Wilson focuses on the run game more than Arbuckle; his team's rushing performance was similar to the strength of its overall offense, while Arbuckle’s 2024 Cougars rushed far worse than the quality of their overall offense.
OU has also had four offensive coordinators in Venables’ five seasons as head coach, including Lebby, Seth Littrell, Joe Jon Finley (interim) and Arbuckle.
However, the defensive coaching staff has strong alignment and stability.
• Associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates, who is in his fifth season with OU, coached with Venables at Clemson in 2017-21.
• Defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis also is in his fifth season with OU and coached with Venables at Clemson in 2017-21.
• Assistant and outside linebackers coach Wes Goodwin, who joined OU prior to the 2025 season, coached with Venables at Clemson, in 2012-14 and in 2018-21.
• Safeties coach Brandon Hall and Venables were both OU assistant coaches in 1999-2005. Hall joined OU with Venables before the start of the 2022 season.
• Assistant secondary coach Xavier Brewer was a graduate assistant at Clemson — under Venables — before he joined OU. Brewer joined OU with Venables before the start of the 2022 season.
The only two outliers listed on the defensive coaching staff are Nate Dreiling and LaMar Morgan, who came to Norman after stints with Utah State and Michigan, respectively.
Clearly, most of the defensive assistant coaches worked alongside Venables before he even became OU’s head coach in 2022, helping the defense build alignment and stability.
OU has also returned less offensive players in the Venables’ head coaching era than on the defensive side. Wide receiver Jacob Jordan was the only player on the offense with more than two years at the program that recorded a snap against Kentucky. The defense had 11 of those players with snaps on Saturday.
The alignment and retention on defense has paid off too. OU’s defense has developed into a top-10 unit under Venables, a huge improvement from when he started as head coach.
Opposing yards per game
Venables has made OU one of the best defenses in the nation with the help of coach stability and player retention. However, he has failed to apply that same formula to the offense, and the results are ugly.
Avery Shaw, Kennedy Johnson, Tori Pham and Larkin Bock copy edited this story.
