Paul Finebaum: Oklahoma win vs. Michigan gave Brent Venables 'breathing room' on hot seat

After three rather disappointing seasons at the helm, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables entered the 2025 regular season with some bubbling hot seat talk regarding his future in Norman. But after Saturday night’s 24-13 win over visiting No. 15 Michigan, the Sooners coach can breathe a little easier.

Dual-threat Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, the Sooners’ prized offseason transfer, shined in primetime by combining on 344 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns Saturday night, including 74 yards and two rushing scores on 19 carries.

It was a validating performance for Venables, who overhauled the entire Oklahoma offense this past offseason, including bringing in Mateer and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State after a second 6-7 season in his first three in Norman. And while Paul Finebaum wasn’t necessarily impressed by the level of competition he saw from the Wolverines, ESPN’s Mouth of the South acknowledged Saturday night’s win was vital for the narrative around Venables.

“That would not be considered one of their toughest games of the year, but in terms of statement, it was probably the most important game of the year. Only because had they not won, that would’ve been the story of the day, and Brent Venables would be on everybody’s hot seat list,” Finebaum said on Sunday morning’s The Matt Barrie Show podcast. “Instead (Venables has) got some room to breath and you need that. Like (Auburn’s) Hugh Freeze a week ago, beating Baylor probably looks a little better today than maybe it did even eight days ago. But everybody has that big game, and for Venables, that was GameDay, primetime, against a major opponent, and they delivered.

“And I think that’s going to give him some (breathing) room. The schedule is still insane, but he’s got some juice going, he’s got some fuel and he really needed it badly. And John Mateer looked very, very good.”

Of course, as important a victory as Saturday night was for Venables and the Sooners, the real test comes when Oklahoma begins SEC play at the end of the month vs. Freeze and Auburn. It’ll be a homecoming for Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold, who spent the prior two seasons in Norman.

John Mateer compliments team despite sloppy play: ‘We didn’t play our best game’

Norman began the day on fire and will finish around the same temperature. Oklahoma took care of business Saturday night against Michigan, securing a massive win for head coach Brent Venables. Quarterback John Mateer had a bit of a coming-out party too, showcasing his talents in front of a national audience.

Even so, Mateer is not fully satisfied with how the Sooners play. He knows Oklahoma has the ability to perform at a higher level despite the win. Still, some high compliments for his teammates after getting the job done.

“We’ve been excited for this game for a long time,” Mateer said postgame with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “I’m proud of these guys. I mean, we beat them and we didn’t play our best game. A bunch of turnovers, a bunch of things we need to clean up. I’m so proud of my teammates.”

Mateer’s legs were why the Oklahoma offense was able to flow Saturday. It’s something he is comfortable with under OC Ben Arbuckle, dating back to the Washington State days. Everyone wondered how it would translate with the Sooners and we got a pretty good answer.

“It’s dangerous,” Matter said. “Plus-one run game is not good for defensive coordinators and they don’t like it. I’m glad Coach Arbuckle trusts the ball in my hands. I’m proud of the o-line, running backs, and tight ends blocking it up.”

— On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.