The Michigan Wolverines will be heading to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night in what could be an entertaining and competitive matchup.
Here’s a look at the 2025 Oklahoma team ahead of the showdown versus Michigan.
A head coach looking for a signature season
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is in his fourth season as head coach and has a 23-17 overall record and zero bowl wins. Venables has had just one winning season and Oklahoma finished the 2024 campaign with a 6-7 record.
A less than ideal projection
ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index) projects the Sooners to finish the regular season 6-6 this year.
Despite ESPN’s projections, there’s excitement about Oklahoma this year with key additions made via the transfer portal that has their offense doing a 180 compared to the lackluster output last season. Oklahoma got off to a good start in their season opener, beating Illinois State 35-6.
An electric QB and a great partnership with the OC
Oklahoma may have struck gold via Washington State in two ways — they landed Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer as well as his offensive coordinator there, Ben Arbuckle.
Washington State was an exciting offense to watch in 2024 — Mateer passed for 3,139 yards with 29 passing touchdowns and was incredibly productive as a runner with 826 yards on the ground and 15 rushing scores. Mateer led the nation in total touchdowns with 44. The Mateer/Arbuckle era at Oklahoma got off to a hot start in Week 1 against Illinois State with Mateer throwing for 392 yards with three passing touchdowns as well as a rushing score. Mateer could be a dark horse Heisman candidate, but how he fares against Michigan will greatly influence that trajectory.
Key transfer portal additions on offense beyond Mateer
- Cal transfer running back Jadyn Ott rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2023 and after injuries derailed his ‘24 season Ott will be looking to gain steam as the Oklahoma season rolls along. Brent Venables said that Ott will have a bigger role against Michigan after playing just four snaps last week. Venables also called Ott one of the most explosive players in the country.
- Southern Illinois transfer wideout Keontez Lewis had himself a heck of a debut for Oklahoma, tallying nine receptions for 119 yards with two touchdowns.
Offensive line issues last season
Oklahoma allowed 50 sacks last season, ranking No. 130 in the nation. However, they’ve returned five starters this season and it could be a unit trending in the right direction.
Key playmakers on defense
Oklahoma ranked No. 19 in total defense last season and has strong talent on that side of the ball once again this season. The Sooners allowsed just 151 total yards to Illinois State and to 1-of-11 on third down.
- Defense end Mason Thomas led Oklahoma last year with 9 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.
- Linebacker Kip Lewis had two pick sixes last season.
- Last year defensive tackle Jayden Jackson was the first true freshmen to start on the defensive line in a season opener since Tommie Harris in 2001. Jackson had 30 tackles (three for loss) and two sacks last season.
- Safety Robert Spears-Jennings had 66 tackles last season, ranking second on the team.
Potential area of weakness on defense
Oklahoma was dominant last week, but Illinois State was still able to run on the Sooners effectively. Illinois State rushed for 117 yards against Oklahoma. Michigan rushed for 201 yards against New Mexico last week. Oklahoma was much more effective against the pass last week, allowing just 34 passing yards.
Michigan vs Oklahoma outlook
The quarterback matchup of Michigan’s Bryce Underwood and Oklahoma’s John Mateer could lead to figurative fireworks going off on the field. However, the rushing attacks for both teams will loom large and look to gain its footing in this one. Oklahoma is a 5.5-point home favorite and looks better than the 6-6 team they were last year, but they haven’t proved anything yet — their drubbing of a lowly Illinois State team isn’t exactly a good way to evaluate how good they are. While it’s easy to give Oklahoma a slight edge because they have a quarterback like Mateer, this could also be a game where Bryce Underwood becomes known nationally if he’s able to outduel a talented peer.
Source link
