Another game, another loss for the Oklahoma Sooners. This time, it was the Missouri Tigers who got to line up and defeat the new punching bag of the SEC.
No, third-year head coach Brent Venables won’t be fired this season, primarily due to the large buyout in his contract that is simply too big to eat this year. But make no mistake about it: his seat is as hot as anyone’s in college football in 2025, and it should be.
OU used to win their conference. Now they can’t win any conference games. They used to compete for national championships, but now they won’t even make a bowl game. Oklahoma had their chances to win this game against a backup quarterback, and the Sooners of old would have walked away with a victory.
But this is a new era, the Venables era. It’s an era where OU consistently snatches defeat out of the jaws of victory. One has to wonder how many more games his time in Norman will last, as this is just the latest chapter in a lost season.
Here are our grades for Oklahoma versus Missouri. Spoiler alert: There were very few passing grades on the evening.
Quarterback: F
This one is pretty easy. It (probably) can’t get much worse than this.
Jackson Arnold’s inability to perform basic quarterback tasks like hold on to the football or complete forward passes meant the Sooners were once again impotent when they possessed the ball.
Arnold threw for just 74 yards on 24 attempts, averaging just 3.1 yards per passing attempt. On the ground he wasn’t much better either, running for 45 yards on 17 attempts. Take away the 26 yard scramble at the end of the game and the numbers look a lot worse at 16 carries for 19 yards.
With his penchant for back-breaking turnovers, poor decision-making, and awareness, Arnold did more to help Missouri win this game than he did for Oklahoma.
Could you make a QB change? Sure, but it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Oklahoma doesn’t currently have a quarterback on the roster that can be called upon to win games at the Power Four level.
Will Oklahoma be looking for a transfer quarterback in addition to an offensive coordinator this offseason?
Running Back: B-
If there’s one silver lining about OU’s offense, it’s that freshmen running backs Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson showed some promise in a tight game. Robinson and Tatum combined for 81 yards on 17 carries, for more than four yards per carry on the day, led by Robinson’s nine carries for 56 yards. In his most significant action, Robinson averaged 6.2 yards per carry against a good Mizzou run defense.
Unfortunately, Arnold’s struggles and Joe Jon Finley’s unwillingness to ride the running game kept them from having a bigger impact.
Wide Receiver: D
One would think getting Deion Burks and Jalil Farooq back would help open up the offense. That didn’t happen. Though Burks led the team in receiving, he had a costly fumble on what would have been a third-down conversion. Farooq was only targeted three times and had two catches for 11 yards. Like running back, it’s challenging as a wide receiver when the quarterback is struggling to see the field or let it rip.
Tight Ends: D
It’s rinse and repeat every week for this position group. They can do some nice things occasionally, but they can’t make enough of a positive impact to overshadow their obvious weaknesses.
Somehow, their position coach has been promoted to offensive coordinator, and they’re way too big of a part of the game plan each week. Go figure.
Bauer Sharp is a fine player, but there’s no reason the Sooners need to be throwing to him or giving him the ball behind the line of scrimmage. He had a 43-yard reception from Luke Elzinga on the fake punt. His other four receptions went for zero yards, and he had a carry for minus-7 yards.
When OU does find the next OC, it will (hopefully) feel like taking ankle weights off when it comes to play calling. This year, the Sooners are fielding their worst offense (by far) since 1998.
Offensive Line: C
Down their three best offensive tackles, it was another ugly performance from the OU offensive line. Pro Football Focus only credited the Sooners offensive line as responsible for three of the pressured dropbacks and just one of the three sacks. This is a group that’s been improving each week despite the injuries and when Joe Jon Finley actually leaned into the run, the Sooners found some success, especially in the second half with Xavier Robinson.
Offensive line has to continue to improve. It’s been a sore spot this season. With Alabama and LSU on the docket after the bye week, the two SEC powerhouses have to be licking their chops.
Defensive Line: C-
Oklahoma’s defense held the Tigers to 2.9 yards per carry in the game. It was once again a strong effort in the run defense department, but they struggled to get pressure for much of the game. Ro Mason Thomas had a sack, but on a critical third-and-16, the Sooners opted to rush just three and Missouri triple-teamed Thomas, allowing Drew Pyne an opportunity to get the ball downfield to Luther Burden. Overall, they didn’t do a good enough job getting pressure on Pyne late in the game, which didn’t do the rest of the defense any favors on Missouri’s game-tying drive in the final two minutes.
Linebacker: C-
The Sooners held up for longer than most other OU defenses would have this season without the help of the other half of the team. That being said, the tread wore off the tires at the worst possible time. The Tigers were gifted short fields on several occasions throughout the game. Oklahoma’s defense made them work, but couldn’t get off the field on key third downs in the second half.
Oklahoma had a chance to close out the game and get to a bowl. Instead, the defense allowed a touchdown drive that took less than a minute. Then, Arnold and the offense took care of the rest, but in favor of the opposition.
Secondary: F
When Missouri had to have it, all the Tigers had to do was throw the ball up to Luther Burden (a former OU commit) and Theo Wease (a Sooner for four seasons). Leading by a touchdown, there was absolutely nothing the Oklahoma secondary could do to stop the Tigers in the two-minute drill. Whether they were in position (Eli Bowen and the safeties) or not (everyone else), the Sooners secondary struggled down the stretch.
Special Teams: B-
Special teams led the way for the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half, pushing OU to a 9-3 lead. Zach Schmit was 3-of-3 on field goals, including a 56-yarder that had plenty of distance. Luke Elzinga and Bauer Sharp executed a perfect fake punt that put the Sooners at first-and-goal at the 10-yard line.
Elzinga had three punts and averaged 44.4 yards per punt with one downed inside the 20.
A horrible muffed punt by Peyton Bowen gave the Tigers free points. Bowen has struggled for the most part in his return role, which has kept the Sooners from creating anything positive in the return game.
If not for the muffed punt, special teams could have had a great day.
Coaching: F
I believe Brent Venables is a good man and a good defensive coordinator. But time is running out for him to prove he’s a good head coach. Under Stoops, the Sooners rarely dipped below double-digit wins. Now, Oklahoma can’t find a way to stumble into a bowl game.
When Lincoln Riley left, and Brent Venables was hired, he promised discipline, toughness, and excellence. Right now, he’s 0-for-3. The Sooners make way too many mistakes to win games in the SEC. Even when they have a chance, they find a way to mess it up.
The single biggest decision of Venables’ time as OU’s head coach will be the offensive coordinator hire. If that goes well, it could save his job. If it goes south, he’ll be gone. The Sooners can’t keep playing with half a team. The result will look exactly like Saturday night.
As things currently stand, Oklahoma doesn’t have good enough coaches or players to compete in the SEC. We’re about to find out over the next year how seriously OU’s people calling the shots take winning.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma vs. Missouri Report Card: Quarterback, Coaching fail Sooners
