The Oklahoma Sooners have a huge matchup this Saturday night against the Michigan Wolverines. It’s a top 25 showdown between two of the winningest programs in college football history. It’s a game that will feature two teams with strong defenses and exciting quarterbacks, though with varying experience.
Michigan features a defense that’s led by former NFL defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Martindale ran defenses with the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and New York Giants. He’s an experienced playcaller that was very effective for the Wolverines in his first year in Ann Arbor in 2024 when Michigan allowed just 19.9 points per game.
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Martindale’s unit closed the season with strong performances against Ohio State and Alabama. They held the eventual national champions to just 10 points and allowed the Crimson Tide to score just 13 points in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
If the Oklahoma Sooners are going to beat Michigan and earn their first top 25 win of the season, they’ll have to do so with a strong performance from offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the Sooners offense.
Get the Ground Game Going
Running back Jaydn Ott #0 at the University of Oklahoma (OU) first fall open football practice, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.
The Oklahoma Sooners’ rushing attack found success with true freshman running back Tory Blaylock in the game against Illinois State. But that was it. And even his yards were tough to come by. Certainly not a performance that Oklahoma would expect to have against an FCS opponent.
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The Sooners’ offensive line was down three offensive linemen projected to be in their two deep or starters in Michael Fasusi, Derek Simmons, and Heath Ozaeta. Brent Venables said Fasusi and Simmons will be back this week. Star transfer running back Jaydn Ott is also expected to see more playing time this week.
Ben Arbuckle admittedly kept things simple in the Week 1 win and he’ll need to open things up a whole lot more against the Wolverines.
Oklahoma will need a more efficient rushing performance against a tough Michigan defense to win the game.
Quarterback John Mateer was effective and efficient throwing the ball and showed off his legs in the scramble game. Look for the Sooners to include more designed quarterback runs for Mateer this week to take advantage of an aggressive Michigan front seven. But they need the traditional run game to find more success, especially early in the game.
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Win on the ground, win the game.
Attack Downfield
Aug 30, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) warms up before the game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Oklahoma Sooners and John Mateer were fantastic in the intermediate passing game in Week 1. John Mateer was 10 of 14 for 242 yards and three touchdowns on throws that traveled more than 10 yards down the field last week. He was 3 of 5 on throws more than 20 yards down the field.
Front to back, the Michigan defense is talented. Oklahoma has to find some explosive pass plays because it’ll be tough sledding otherwise. The Sooners can’t expect to go on 10 to 14 play drives evey time they have the ball and score touchdowns.
If the Sooners can find some quick strikes along the way or at least some chunk plays to push them into the Michigan half of the field, it’ll make everything else they want to do on offense much easier.
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Win First Down
Aug 30, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks (4) scores a touchdown past Illinois State Redbirds defensive back Cam Wilson (25) during the first half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The best way to have success on third down is to put yourself in a third-and-short situation or simply avoid third down altogether. And that only happens if you’re successful on first down.
The Sooners need to gain four yards or more on first down to put themselves in a good position to keep the ball moving down the field and help avoid third-and-long situations. Oklahoma was just 4 of 10 on third down against Illinois State, a solid performance, but the Sooners won’t want to face a lot of third downs against Michigan’s pass rush. That means they need to have success on first down.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Michigan Wolverines: Offensive keys to the game
