Oklahoma Sooners Practice Report

In our final Practice Report of the bye week we take a look at some of the good things that are happening inside the OU football program as they begin their critical stretch run. Kobie McKinzie missed the Tennessee game. But Owen Heinecke was there to step up and even earned SEC Player of the Week honors. And that offensive line continues to come together even though they are insanely young. And Eddy Pierre-Louis has been a big part of this resurgence on the offensive line. We spoke with "EPL" this week as well as Brent Venables and his teammates like Michael Fasusi on how important his play and his energy have been for the line.

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It's a bye week, and as happened during the first bye week of the season, Brent Venables held an interview inside Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Venables talked about his thoughts on the first college football rankings and how the Sooners are handling a second bye week. Venables' likes the double bye weeks? The offensive line performance with so many young faces was also something Venables was happy to talk about following the Sooners first practice since the Tennessee game. And the rest should be good for John Mateer as well, who looked very good in the second half against Tennessee. He'll need to have another big performance if the Sooners hope to upset Alabama in nearly two weeks in Tuscaloosa. So his rest, recovery and healing is paramount.

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During the second half against Tennessee, you may have noticed the Sooners looked like an offense everyone thought they could have this season. John Mateer had his most productive outing since he had his hand surgery. He also regained his form as a powerful and dynamic runner. Xavier Robinson also is starting to shine at the running back position. But it's the young offensive line that might be one of the biggest reasons the offense seems to be gaining it's footing. Two true freshman at tackle? Sophomore Eddie Pierre-Louis at guard? That's not going to be easy. And it hasn't been, but now it's starting to look like it should.

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As Tennessee approaches, Ben Arbuckle continues to work to get his offense and John Mateer on track. The offensive line also got a big boost when true freshman Ryan Fodje played well as a member of the starting offensive line last week against Ole Miss. But if the Sooners don't clean up major mistakes in special teams and penalties, this season will enter a desperate mode heading down the home stretch. None of this is easy, but the Sooners have to find a way to stop making it harder than it needs to be.

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The last three weeks have not been the greatest for John Mateer since his return from hand surgery. Whether it's identifying receivers, struggling with accuracy or making plays with his legs, Mateer hasn't looked the same as he did early in the season. As the Sooners get set for another major SEC battle with Tennessee this weekend, Mateer, Arbuckle and head coach Brent Venables talked about the issues facing this OU offense. This program is looking for a turnaround with a brutal four-game slate to finish the season.

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Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer talked openly about his recovery from hand surgery this week, including how he manages his rehab and his ability to throw the football as he continues to get more and more healthy. As Mateer continues to get better, he's also starting to rebuild his relationship on the field with Javonnie Gibson, who was a bigger part of the gameplan Saturday against South Carolina. And it appears Xavier Robinson is finally starting to separate from the pack behind Tory Blaylock as the Sooners continue their efforts to build a running game on offense.

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The first practice report of a huge week starts on defense as Brent Venables and Reggie Powers talk about the Cheetah position and why it is playing so well. And what does the future hold for Kendal Dolby? Is he looking to redshirt? Or even transfer? The OU run game has John Mateer smiling after they racked up over 170 yards against South Carolina. It's also been a great season for Tate Sandell as OU's placekicker up to this point.

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As the Sooners get ready to take on South Carolina following an emotional loss to rival Texas, Brent Venables has a message for his team: There's still a lot left to play for. At 5-1, the Sooners have the toughest stretch in front of them on the 2025 schedule. First off, the Sooners need to get healthy on the offensive line and there were positive updates in that area early in the week. The defensive is looking for a bounce back performance after giving up more rushing yards than normal against the Longhorns. And the future of Jayden Gibson at Oklahoma has finally been determined. It's the Oklahoma Sooners Practice Report. It's time to move on to South Carolina.

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As Oklahoma gets set to take on South Carolina, Brent Venables finds himself in a social media war with the Big 12 Conference. But around here, more people are concerned with the lack of run game being displayed by the OU offense. And as this team heads on the road in the SEC, these games are often one score games. Is the running game going to continue holding OU back from being on top of those one score games? Or will they start to figure this thing out. Oh, and the health of the offensive line is also something we'll be paying close attention to this week. And how is John Mateer bouncing back this week after a tough performance against the Longhorns? Is he healthy yet?

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While we've already talked a lot about John Mateer's availability for Saturday's Red River Rivalry, there are a lot of other matchups that will go a long way in deciding this year's edition. OU's defensive line would appear to have a huge advantage over a Longhorn offensive line that has been struggling all season. And what about Brent Venables vs. Steve Sarkisian? Can the Sooners find some continuity at the running back position? And it also appears the Sooners can lay claim to the edge on special teams as well. We hear from coaches and players on the matchup in today's Practice Report.

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