As expected, Oklahoma got off to a quick start in Friday’s season opener against UTEP.

John Mateer was efficient, Lloyd Avant ran hard, the defense got a three-and-out, Isaiah Sategna took a punt 88 yards and the Sooners led by two touchdowns almost right off the bat.

By halftime, the lead had swollen to 27, and Sooner Nation seemed satiated — by their quarterback, who didn’t try to do too much, by their running game, who blocked physically and ran decisively, by their tight ends, who made plays all over the field and also got physical in the ground game, and of course, by their defense, which did actually struggle once or twice.

Ultimately, the No. 10-ranked Sooners opened the 2026 season successfully with a 51-0 victory over the Miners.

Now, the real fun of Brent Venables’ fifth season begins.

Next Saturday, in an 11 a.m. (CT) kickoff, Oklahoma visits No. 16 Michigan at Michigan Stadium — The Big House, appropriately, which will be filled with more than 107,000 Wolverine faithful.

That might be the largest crowd ever assembled for an OU game. Currently, that record stands with Baker Mayfield’s 2017 win at Ohio State, which officially drew 109,088. 

Michigan, however, averaged 109,971 per game in 2023 — the year they won the national championship. A significant gathering is expected.

Here’s the Sooners On SI OU stock report for Saturday’s win over UTEP:

UP: Jason Witten and every one of his TEs

The Sooners opened in 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends), then quick shifted to 13. That's new to OU fans, who never saw such a thing in offenive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's first season. But now, it looks like it might be OU's base offense.

It was sophomore Trynae Washington, from nearby Midwest City Carl Albert, who threw a clearing block on Lloyd Avant’s 1-yard TD run to start the game.

On the next offensive possession, there was senior Rocky Beers, a transfer from Colorado State, breaking free in the UTEP secondary and then springing over the final defender to finish a 40-yard touchdown reception untouched.

In the second quarter, senior Hayden Hansen, a Florida transfer, got open and hauled in a 15-yard catch on third-and-5 after Mateer had taken a hit while throwing. 

Beers caught another TD before halftime, but it was nullified by a pass interference penalty against sophomore Jack Van Dorselaer, a Tennessee transfer.

And throughout the game, every one of them was a physical and effective blocker in the run game.

Credit new tight ends coach Jason Witten, the Dallas Cowboy Hall of Fame tight end, for finding, recruiting, retaining and/or developing such a talented group, and credit Venables for making a decision to move on from Joe Jon Finley and then taking a chance on a largely unproven coach. 

UP: WR/PR Isaiah Sategna

All-SEC voters last year didn’t know whether to vote Isaiah Sategna onto the team as a wide receiver or a punt returner, so they did both. They could face similar challenges again this year. 

Sategna’s 88-yard punt return gave OU a 14-lead after just two possessions. It was the Sooners’ first punt runback to the house since Gavin Freeman did it three years ago against Arkansas State.

He also had a 27-yard return in the third quarter, bringing his game total to 115 yards on punt returns.

Sategna added big plays in the passing game as well, including a 34-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. He caught four passes for 76 yards, and finished with 215 all-purpose yards and two scores.

UP: QB John Mateer

Senior quarterback John Mateer overthrew Elijah Thomas by 5 yards on his first throw, then connected on five straight to finish the first quarter with 101 yards and a touchdown.

He was getting hit on a third-down throw to Hayden Hansen and the ball fluttered, but Mateer had enough on the throw to drop it to Hansen for an easy first down. 

Mateer hit Virginia transfer Trell Harris with a 48-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter for a 41-0 OU lead.

Mateer’s final stats were solid: 11-of-17, 225 yards three long touchdowns and no turnovers. He also ran it just three times.

In all, Mateer appeared calm, comfortable and in control of the offense. As the OU ground game seemed to break out, Mateer looked like he was having fun. Next week may be a different animal altogether — he carried the football 19 times against Michigan last season in Norman — but Friday was a good indicator.

UP: C Noah Best

With recent injuries to starter Jake Maikkula and backup Ryan Fodje, it was Noah Best — a true freshman from Midlothian, TX — who seized the starting job this week. It was Best who directed the opening touchdown drive, most of which came on the ground.

Best became OU’s first true freshman to start at center since Ty Darlington in 2012.

Senior Caleb Nitta, a transfer from Western Kentucky, came in to open the second quarter and Best was back on the field in the third quarter as Bill Bedenbaugh continued the search for his best five.

Both Maikkula and Fodje returned to practice this week and both are expected to play against Michigan.

UP: RB Jonathan Hatton

A 6-1, 235-pound true freshman, Jonathan Hatton ran over a defender for a 1-yard gain early in the second quarter, then outran the pursuit (thanks to great blocking by Michael Fasusi and the OU edge blockers) on a 21-yard burst down the left sideline.

It was a humble start to what could become a tremendous career as a Sooner running back.

UP: DE Wyatt Gilmore

Junior Danny Okoye might have drawn the start at defensive end opposite junior Taylor Wein, but he came out apparently injured and didn’t suit up. That allowed senior P.J. Adebawore to step up and stand out, and he played well — and even recorded OU’s first quarterback sack of the season.

In the third quarter, though, it was Wyatt Gilmore, a junior from Rogers, MN, who made a pair of solo tackles, including a 5-yard tackle for loss.

Wein looked like the Sooners’ best defender throughout the night, generating steady pressure in the backfield, tallying 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

UP: S Peyton Bowen

Senior safety Peyton Bowen simply did what he usually does. 

He separated Tavorus Jones from the ball with a punishing hit in the third quarter (Taylor Wein recovered it), nearly had an interception and finished with just two tackles (one for loss) and one pass defensed.

UP: S Reggie Powers

Junior Reggie Powers won the starting job at the hybrid cheetah position and delivered all night plays both consistent and dynamic.

Powers led the Sooner defense with seven tackles (all by the third quarter) and a team-high four solo stops. He also had a tackle for loss and looked knowledgeable, self-assured and aggressive.

DOWN: S Michael Boganowski

Junior Michael Boganowski got the start at free safety and played fine, but at the end of the second quarter, as OU was strategically using timeouts to try to get the ball back before halftime, Boganowski was flagged for excessive action at the end of a tackle for loss.

Boganowski was engaged with a UTEP receiver, and after the play ended, Boganowski was caught with a couple of open-handed shoves to the receiver’s facemask.

Instead of third-and-11 and the potential for more points, the Miner offense got a first down and eventually reached the OU 41 before time ran out.

Boganowski had to watch those last four plays from the sideline, however, as Venables screamed at him almost the entire time. 

Leading 27-0 at the time probably wasn’t the worst time for Venables to turn Boganowski’s aggressiveness into a teaching moment.

UP: LB James Nesta

Junior James Nesta stepped in early for All-America candidate Kip Lewis when Lewis limped off after a pass rush, and although Lewis quickly returned, Nesta got plenty of action.

In the first significant playing time of his career, Nesta compiled three tackles and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter.

UP: QB Whitt Newbauer

Oklahoma held a commanding 44-0 lead when backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer finally got to play.

Newbauer led the offense down the field for a touchdown, highlighted by a 6-yard completion to Texas transfer Parker Livingstone — who was cleared only Saturday after spending time in concussion protocol — and then keeping it himself on a QB power play for a 3-yard TD run.

UP: DE Jake Kreull

True freshman edge rusher Jake Kreull made an immediate impact on the OU defense when he made an immediate impact on UTEP quarterback Raymond Moore. 

Kreull hammered Moore for a sack on third-and-9 (freshman tackle Tank Carrington officially combined with Kreull for the sack), forcing a punt and helping preserve the shutout.

UP, then DOWN: RB Andy Bass

Every Sooner fan cheered when Andy Bass got in the game late.

But on his second possession, Bass lost a fumble that UTEP nearly turned into a score.

Bass has endured three major knee injuries since the end of his high school career, so his ability to even make it back to the field is impressive. But now he knows what Division I game speed feels like, and he’ll want to have better ball security in the future.

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