Oklahoma Confident in O-Line 'Growth' Before Michigan Battle

Oklahoma wasn’t at full strength in its opener. 

Offensive linemen Michael Fasusi, Heath Ozaeta and Derek Simmons were all held out of the game, and starting left tackle Jacob Sexton exited the game after two drives. 

Running back Jaydn Ott, who transferred from Cal to serve as OU’s feature back, appeared to be given a light load by the coaching staff after sustaining a minor shoulder injury in fall camp, too. 

He played just one drive at running back late in the third quarter, and otherwise the Sooners rolled out veteran Jovantae Barnes, true freshman Tory Blaylock and sophomore Xavier Robinson. 

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh tinkered with a few different combinations, but Venables expressed confidence in the line with No. 14 Michigan rolling into Norman next weekend. 

“It (was) pretty good,” Venables said. “We didn’t have everybody available tonight, so I thought, overall, top to bottom, it was solid. And a lot to build from it.”

Blaylock finished as the team’s leading rusher with 44 yards on the ground. 

Mateer was second on the team with 24 rushing yards, and Robinson totaled 17 yards on eight carries. But the Sooners averaged just 3.2 yards per carry after Illinois State’s lone sack of the night was subtracted from OU’s rushing total. 

“A lot of guys didn’t play. Some guys played their first game out there. Some guys who are transfers came in,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “… It can get tough whenever you’re mixing and matching out there… I think it’s going to propel them into their work this week and build an even tighter bond, tighter chemistry.”

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Later in the game, veteran Febechi Nwaiwu was moved from right guard to left guard, opening up a spot for freshman Ryan Fodje at right guard.

Stanford transfer Jake Maikkula eventually replaced starter Troy Everett at center, too, giving the line a more physical look for the final quarter. 

“I thought they did well,” Venables said. “I think there’s good chemistry there. They practice a lot with that group of players.

“… Jake’s really athletic. We’ve been bragging on Fodje for a little while now. And Febechi is a seasoned vet who can do a lot of things, and he’s playing his best football. So it was good. We really feel that we’re in a really good, strong position interior-wise.”

The Wolverines (1-0) held New Mexico to 50 rushing yards on 28 attempts in their Week 1 matchup on Saturday. The Sooners will have to make big improvements up front to supplement Mateer’s passing game with a strong rushing attack this weekend.

But Arbuckle is confident the offensive line can make those necessary improvements by 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. 

“It’s football, right? You may not have some guys, you may have some guys,” Arbuckle said. “But you gotta go out there and figure it out. 

“I’m excited to watch this tape because I think there’s going to be a lot of growth from it.”