ANN ARBOR, MI — Oklahoma knows what it’s going to get on Saturday. 

Michigan dropped out of the AP Top 25 after it’s miraculous victory over Western Michigan, but the No.11 Sooners (1-0) know the Wolverines (1-0) will play like they have a point to prove on Saturday.

OU defended its home field a year ago in the battle of the blue bloods, but Michigan’s tumultuous offseason led to a coaching change and a slight shift in identity.

Oklahoma’s new-look offense will face its first major test on Saturday, while the Sooners again look to contain Wolverine quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Here are the three matchups the Sooners need to win to roll on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, FOX):

TEs Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers vs. NB Smith Snowden

Oklahoma’s tight end additions were one of the stories of the offseason, but it was still surprising to see just how much usage the Sooners got out of their new additions against UTEP. 

On the first drive alone, Oklahoma deployed 12, 13 and 14 personnel. 

Florida transfer Hayden Hansen played a big role in the ground game, while Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers delivered a highlight hurdle to leap into the end zone. 

Tight ends coach Jason Witten had to love what he saw from his unit, and they have a chance to dictate how Michigan will defend the OU offense on Saturday. 

“They did well, and we're going to need to continue to improve,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “They work in cohesion with the offensive line, both in running protection. It's good to get stuff on tape. Now it's not theory; it's video evidence. We are doing well.”

The Wolverines started defensive back Smith Snowden as a hybrid nickel back/linebacker, a similar role to what Reggie Powers III plays for the Sooners. Snowden is listed at 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, and he spent three years playing for head coach Kyle Wittingham at Utah. 

He knows the defense inside and out, but if the OU tight ends can translate the physicality they displayed against UTEP to The Big House, Michigan may have to opt for a bigger body in the box. 

Oklahoma has to run the ball effectively to prompt that change, but if the Sooners a an have success on the ground, suddenly Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris and Elijah Thomas will find more space to operate in one-on-one situations — which theoretically should give quarterback John Mateer simple reads and a couple of easy pitch-and-catches for big chunk plays. 

Some of the Sooners’ biggest plays could come as a result of success at the line of scrimmage, which is an element the OU passing attack has sorely missed over the past two years. 

OTs Ryan Fodje and E’Marion Harris vs. DEs John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols

Oklahoma’s plan all week has been to ramp center Jake Maikkula and do-it-all offensive lineman Ryan Fodje up for Saturday’s battle. 

Maikkula brings experience to the heart of OU’s offensive line, while Fodje can kick outside to left tackle to fill in for Michael Fasusi, who was heavily favoring his right side in his 17 snaps against UTEP. 

The left side of OU’s projected starting line against Michigan — Fodje, guard Eddy Pierre-Louis and Maikkula — all experienced massive road atmospheres in Oklahoma’s wins at Tennessee and Alabama last November. 

E’Marion Harris is a veteran of the SEC from his time at Arkansas, so the noise in The Big House won’t represent his first experience in a massive, hostile atmosphere. 

Harris’ experience at right tackle will be especially important when true freshman Noah Best is lined up beside him at right guard, as Best will be navigating his first-ever collegiate road game on Saturday.

With experience in hand, Fodje and Harris need to hold up to both open up rushing lanes and give Mateer enough time to scan the defense and push the ball downfield. 

Michigan’s defense wasn’t the problem against Western Michigan, though it did still allow a 20-play drive that lasted nearly an entire quarter. 

If Oklahoma can win up front, it can control the pace of the game — and the level of engagement from the crowd — in the Sooners’ first road trip of 2026.

LBs Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke vs. RBs Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter

The Wolverines struggled to run the ball effectively against Western Michigan. 

Michigan finished with 106 rushing yards, led by Underwood’s 47 yards on nine rushes. It even took the Wolverines four efforts from inside the 5-yard line on their opening touchdown drive to punch the ball in the end zone.

Though Western Michigan successfully played keep-away, the Michigan defense was able to ensure that the game never got too far out of reach, so the Wolverines didn’t have to abandon the run until the final drive. 

Oklahoma’s defensive line should be disruptive, but the penetration of Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke — especially early in each set of downs — could put the Wolverines behind the chains and force Underwood to don a SuperMan cape. 

The veteran linebacker duo will be tasked with getting everyone lined up against an offense that will undoubtedly have more shifts and wrinkles, then they’ll have to have great eye discipline and be sure tacklers. 

Those are all things Lewis and Heinecke excelled at a year ago, and the performance of Heinecke in particular played a key role in bottling up Michigan’s rushing attack last year, save for one 75-yard touchdown run. 

A repeat performance on Saturday would allow Venables to dig deep into his bag of tricks to try and confuse and disrupt Underwood, who failed to impress in the opener prompting questions around his job security earlier in the week. OU’s defense hopes to force Underwood to win from the pocket.

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