OUInsider Roundtable: Breaking down the Michigan matchup

It’s just week two, but the game that could be the biggest of Oklahoma’s season is here.

The Sooners host No. 15-ranked Michigan at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for a primetime showdown on ABC. ESPN’s College Gameday will be on hand for what is shaping up to be the marque game of the weekend.

All eyes will be on Owen Field.

OUInsider’s Jesse Crittenden and Bryan Clinton breakdown the biggest factors heading into Saturday:

What was your takeaway from the Illinois State game?

Bryan: This is a boring answer, but it was a win, and the Sooners came out of it relatively healthy—so I’ll take it. Did the defense set a new single-game sack record? No. Was I concerned about the offensive line? Without a doubt — but it would be foolish to write the book on an offense that was playing without three of its presumed starters along the offensive line, its most explosive running back in Jadyn Ott, and with what I’d imagine was about 10% of the offensive playbook. We learned that Oklahoma might have a dude at quarterback and the defense should be as salty as anyone in the country. That’s already a lot better than the scouting report we had this time last year.

Jesse: There isn’t that much to take away from a 32-point win, particularly in a game the Sooners were expected to win handily. Outside a couple of busted plays in the first half, the defense was mostly dominant. John Mateer and the receivers showed enough explosiveness to warrant some excitement regarding the ceiling of the offense.

However, the game did nothing to address what is likely the largest concern for OU fans: The offensive line.

How concerned are you about the running game?

Bryan: On a scale of 1-10, probably a six. I’m not sounding the alarms by any means, but it wasn’t the performance you would’ve expected against an FCS opponent. It feels like an eternity since Oklahoma had an elite offensive line, and I’m not suggesting that it has the pieces in place to be that in 2025. However, this unit was atrocious last season, and Bill Bedenbaugh’s group has to be better than what we saw last week. It’s not abnormal for his unit to take a few games to get things going at full-tilt, but there’s limited grace for the O-line after what we saw a year ago. There is good news, though. Having a quarterback of John Mateer’s skillset certainly helps create some mismatches in the run game. It might not be the traditional way, but having a true dual-threat quarterback has paid dividends for Oklahoma in recent years, and it might just be the ticket to success while the offensive line gels.

Jesse: Definitely concerned, but not panicked (yet). It’s difficult to know how much stock to put into the performance as a whole, considering the notable absences of Derek Simmons, Heath Ozaeta and Michael Fasusi. Also, for the offense to reach its ceiling, Jaydn Ott has to be seeing the bulk of the work at running back. Plus, the offensive line graded out well in pass blocking.

But it was concerning to see the lack of push in the running game. Averaging just 3.3 yards per carry against an FCS team isn’t ideal. That concern level only rises considering it’s Michigan this weekend. Jacob Sexton isn’t likely to be available, leaving the Sooners to either start Luke Baklenko or Fasusi at left tackle. Fasusi’s ceiling is incredibly high, but it’s a tough situation for a true freshman who hasn’t logged a snap.

Simply playing Ott more snaps should help things. But expectations should be modest this weekend.

What is most important for the Sooners’ offense against Michigan? Defense?

Bryan: On offense, the Sooners have to take care of the football. You lost the turnover battle 2-0 against Illinois State and still managed to win comfortably. It won’t play out like that against a team like Michigan. Oklahoma shouldn’t have to score 35 points to win this game, but it does need to be efficient and effective when it has the football. The Wolverines are going to try and dominate the time of possession, while OU’s offense might be better equipped to take the top off in the passing game. Whatever the game plan is, Mateer and Co. will need to take care of the rock.

Defensively, Oklahoma’s got to make life difficult for freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. He’s got all the talent in the world, and he very well could already be one of the most talented signal-callers in the country. However, at the end of the day, he’s still a freshman making his first collegiate start on the road. The Sooners’ defense will need to change the post-snap picture and bring pressure from all over the field. Lucky for them, there’s not a guy in the country that’s got a better track record with that than Brent Venables.

Jesse: Unless the offense is able to efficiently run the ball, the offensive line is likely going to struggle against Michigan’s front seven. That’ll put a lot of pressure on Ben Arbuckle to run the offense in a way that keeps Michigan off balance. Look for Arbuckle to implement a lot more creativity when it comes to the Sooners’ formations and schemes, particularly with pre-snap motion. The Sooners have to keep Michigan guessing.

While it’ll certainly be important to generate pressure on Bryce Underwood, the Sooners really have to key-in on Justice Haynes. The former Alabama transfer totaled nearly 160 yards and three touchdowns last weekend against New Mexico. The Sooners can’t allow Haynes to take the pressure off Underwood and control the pace of the game.

Where does this game stack up among other prominent OU non-conference games in recent memory?

Bryan: Given what’s at stake, it’s the most important non-conference game Oklahoma’s played in the last 10 years. The home-and-home series with Ohio State was huge, but the Sooners were viewed as an established and thriving blue-blood at that time. Now, it feels like the narrative around Norman has shifted, leaving people wondering where OU fits among the big boys.

The best way to put it, is this is an “ROI” game for Oklahoma. The Sooners have backed their football program and given it all the resources it needs to find success at the highest level—and it’s time to see some return on that investment.

This game is an opportunity to right some wrongs, set some records straight, and get some respect back for one of the proudest traditions in college football. A win against Michigan proves that things are headed in the right direction. It proves that there’s validity to the cultural overhaul that we’ve seen under Venables. It sets the stage for the Sooners to start climbing back toward the top of the college football world.

Jesse: This isn’t a must-win game in the traditional sense. There’s a world where the Sooners lose on Saturday and still have a good season. It’s early in the year and this isn’t a conference game.

But does anyone really believe that’d be the case?

The Sooners need to win this game, both for generating momentum for the rest of the season while also giving Brent Venables a signature win. The Sooners haven’t won many big games in Venables’ tenure, and their record against ranked teams is suboptimal. At some point, Venables needs something to point to as proof of concept. There’s something here, and it’s worth building on.

The Sooners are at home and can compete with Michigan, talent-wise. It’s a marque game in primetime on ABC. It’s one of the biggest recruiting weekends in recent memory. Win this game, and the arrow will be pointing all the way up. Lose, and the questions and the pressure will only increase dramatically for this program.

It’s the biggest game of Venables’ tenure.