OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and head coach Brent Venables held their weekly press conference Tuesday. The Sooners, who beat Illinois State 35-3 last week, are now preparing to play Michigan at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Gaylord Family — Memorial Stadium in Norman on ABC.
Here are key takeaways that arose during the press conference:
Necessity of improving the running game
OU's run game was weak against Illinois State.
The Sooners recorded only 103 rushing yards in their first game — less than Illinois State's 117 and Michigan's 201 in its season opener against New Mexico. OU could not even rush as well as a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team and is set to play a much tougher defensive line against Michigan, which ranks top 10 in Pro Football Focus's rankings.
According to Arbuckle, Michigan's defense demands OU to be at its sharpest.
"They're physical; they're stout. They're well coached," Arbuckle said. "They understand their gap integrity, and they do a really good job at the point of attack. ... We have to bring our best."
After the Illinois State game, Arbuckle studied the game film and developed an understanding of how the Sooners can improve, which will require the whole offense to perform better.
"After reviewing the tape on the run blocking again, I don't think it's all just offensive line. It's not all tight ends. It's not all running backs. Whenever you talk about running the ball, it's really all 11 players on the field being on the page at the same time," Arbuckle said. "Everything goes into (it). ... (We need to be) hitting the hole whenever it's there, hitting the crease when it's there. It's not just one specific position group in the run game."
As the Sooners look to improve the aspect of their offense, Arbuckle feels confident in senior running back Jaydn Ott's status, who has had health issues throughout fall camp and only recorded one carry in game one.
"He's in a great head space. ... I'm excited for this week and watching him get to go," Arbuckle said.
Venables, on the other hand, gave a deeper update, saying he is at near perfect condition now.
"He's one of the more explosive players in college football," Venables said. "He was banged up in camp, but he looks to be close to 100%."
Ott, offensive line, more — the Sooners will need it all against Michigan.
Venables compares Bryce Underwood to Trevor Lawrence
Venables said that Michigan freshman running back Bryce Underwood is similar to former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who led the Tigers to a national championship in 2018.
"He reminds me a lot of Trevor Lawrence," Venables said. "(He's) just quick, decisive, accurate, poised. ... There's a reason he was the No. 1 player in America."
Underwood, a former five-star recruit, recorded 251 yards in his Michigan debut, a record for a freshman opener at Michigan, and made a clear impression on the former Clemson defensive coordinator.
Venables, a defensive coordinator at Clemson from 2012-2021, contributed to Clemson's 2018 national success and also led the Tigers to a No. 2 scoring defense in 2021 and red zone defense.
Between Underwood and Venables, promising offense and high-level defense are clashing on Saturday.
OU fans have opportunity to make an impact
On Saturday, ESPN's "College GameDay" show will be in Norman for the Michigan matchup, and Venables recognizes the fans' role in the game.
"It's going to be a really exciting matchup. I'm excited for our fans," Venables said. "Our fans have an opportunity to really affect the game tremendously."
The university also opened the North Oval for tailgating before the 2025 season began, and Saturday will be OU's first challenging game with the area as part of the environment.
"I think opening that area (for) tailgating provides more of an opportunity (for) people really to be fully immersed in "GameDay" and what that's all about. ... Our players feed off that emotion," Venables said.
The last time "GameDay" visited Norman was OU's 25-15 loss to the University of Tennessee in 2024. Including the 2024 Tennessee loss, "College GameDay" has visited 41 Sooner games since its debut in 1995, and now, OU is set to welcome Michigan for No. 42.
