Notepad: Sooners OC Ben Arbuckle to call plays from the sideline
NORMAN — Ben Arbuckle prefers to be on the sidelines during games. That won’t change at Oklahoma.
The Sooners’ offensive coordinator confirmed Tuesday that he will call plays from the sidelines this season, starting with Saturday’s season opener against Illinois State (5 p.m. ESPN+). OU analyst John Kuceyeski and OU tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley will assist Arbuckle from the press box
It’ll be a contrast compared to the Sooners’ previous offensive coordinators, Jeff Lebby and Seth Littrell, who called plays from the press box. For Arbuckle, there’s just a difference being on the field. Prior to that, former OU head coach and offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley called plays from the sidelines.
“I think (it’s) the immediate communication and interaction I can have with the guys,” Arbuckle said. “Whether there’s an adjustment that needs to be made or something really good happened right there, and you got to tell them, ‘OK, hey, this happened; we got to keep doing this. Get ready for this.’ The immediate communication that I can have, and you can also get a sense for your players when you’re down there. Are they too high? Are they too low? You can do something about it immediately, other than being in the box and having to necessarily rely on everyone else down there.
“For me, personally, just being a quarterback guy, I like being able to look John (Mateer) in the eyes and talk to him. I think that’s really important. I think direct communication and getting on the same page is really important. So, that’s why I like being on the field.”
Brent Venables pleased with battle at MIKE linebacker
A prominent battle during preseason camp came at middle (MIKE) linebacker between Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho. When the depth chart was released Monday, McKinzie was listed first with an “OR” next to his name, with Omosigho listed right below him.
While the competition was fierce, Omosigho and McKinzie both pushed each other to be better.
“Both of them have improved,” Venables said. “Sammy had a transition of going outside to inside and he played all outside in high school as well. (He’s) super athletic as you all know and transitioning inside. Sometimes it happens overnight and a lot of times it doesn’t ever happen… I love the work that Sammy has put in and helping get Kobie better, but that group, as I said after the spring, I was a little bit…I didn’t feel great. I knew our numbers were what they have been. And my fingers crossed for (Kendal Daniels) and how quickly he could pick things up, and the quicker he could, the more it would help us look at how everybody could fit together.
“But Sammy and Kobie, they’ve had this great maturity of the competition and they pull for each other. I love that. It’s not a thing I take for granted.”
No injury updates
There were a few key players missing from the depth chart. Notably, Eli Bowen and Kendel Dolby weren’t listed at either cornerback spot, and Javonnie Gibson and Jayden Gibson were missing from the wide receiver depth chart. Taylor Tatum was also not listed at running back.
Venables was asked specifically about Dolby and Bowen, and he said there were no updates on their availability.
The depth chart indicates all four players will be unavailable against Illinois State. Dolby and Tatum were limited through most of fall camp, while Javonnie Gibson continues to recover from the broken leg he suffered in the spring. Bowen hasn’t participated in team activities and has been wearing a boot.
There remains optimism that Dolby, Tatum, Bowen and Javonnie Gibson will return soon. Jayden Gibson’s status remains unclear.
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