The Oklahoma Sooners dropped to 1-1 in the 2026 season after a 17-10 loss on the road against the Michigan Wolverines. OU failed their first test of the season and played poor, sloppy football in a bad loss.
Expectations were sky-high entering the season, but just two games into Year 5 under head coach Brent Venables, the Sooners saw their season crumble in Ann Arbor. All of the offseason talk and hype that surrounded Oklahoma fell flat in the Big House.
Firstly, though the defense was much better in the second half, the Sooners did not look like a Venables-led defense in the first half. After riding the defense to 10 wins and a spot in the College Football Playoff last season, this year's defense isn't nearly as good, at least not yet. In addition to a loss on their record, the OU defense will also be without their heart and soul for a large chunk of time, as linebacker Kip Lewis was injured in the loss.
Despite only giving up 17 total points, Oklahoma's defense tackled poorly, didn't force any turnovers, and was outflanked often in the first half. The second half was far better on that side of the ball, but the Sooners still lost because of their anemic offense.
All offseason, the Sooners talked about being better at running the ball and more committed to it. That lasted one game, as Oklahoma actually looked worse on offense on Saturday than they did last year. They abandoned the running backs in the running game, and the multiple-look structure-wise largely went out the window.
#defense
Expectations were sky-high entering the season, but just two games into Year 5 under head coach Brent Venables, the Sooners saw their season crumble in Ann Arbor. All of the offseason talk and hype that surrounded Oklahoma fell flat in the Big House.
Firstly, though the defense was much better in the second half, the Sooners did not look like a Venables-led defense in the first half. After riding the defense to 10 wins and a spot in the College Football Playoff last season, this year's defense isn't nearly as good, at least not yet. In addition to a loss on their record, the OU defense will also be without their heart and soul for a large chunk of time, as linebacker Kip Lewis was injured in the loss.
Despite only giving up 17 total points, Oklahoma's defense tackled poorly, didn't force any turnovers, and was outflanked often in the first half. The second half was far better on that side of the ball, but the Sooners still lost because of their anemic offense.
All offseason, the Sooners talked about being better at running the ball and more committed to it. That lasted one game, as Oklahoma actually looked worse on offense on Saturday than they did last year. They abandoned the running backs in the running game, and the multiple-look structure-wise largely went out the window.
#defense
11 hours ago
