Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle on New-Look Offense: 'No Replacement for Chemistry'

Before coming to Norman, Arbuckle spent two seasons at Washington State, where he had great success. 

In his first year, he coached Cam Ward, the future No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, who played at WSU in 2023 before finishing his college career at Miami. In 2024, Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer — now a Sooner — teamed up and led an offense that averaged 36.8 points per game.

Arbuckle believes that chemistry starts and ends with the quarterback. He highlighted the importance of a team’s starting signal-caller building relationships with his teammates, especially when entering a new program.

The offensive coordinator believes that Mateer has done his part in instilling a winning culture into OU’s offense.

“Since the day that John got here, he’s been building with those guys,” Arbuckle said. “A lot of em showed up at the same time together.”

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Last year, the Sooners had one of the worst offenses among Power Four teams.

They averaged only 24 points per game, which was the second-worst mark in the SEC. The Sooners fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell midway through the season after they lost three of their first four SEC contests.

Where OU particularly struggled was in the passing game. The Sooners averaged only 175.8 passing yards per game, which was 121st nationally out of 134 FBS squads.

Those struggles, though, weren’t solely the product of poor performance from the receiving corps.

Five OU wideouts — Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony, Jaquaize Pettaway and Deion Burks — missed multiple games due to injuries. Plus, Oklahoma played eight different starting offensive line combinations in its first nine games, which made it hard for quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. to ever find a rhythm.

OU enters the year largely healthy when it comes to those positions.

Wide receiver Javonnie Gibson, an Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer, missed fall camp with a broken leg, but the rest of the Sooners’ wideouts are available for Week 1. Offensive linemen Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta both underwent surgeries during the spring but now are both healthy.

Between the overall health and the addition of a dynamic playmaker like Mateer to the quarterback position, the Sooners were already set up for exponentially better play through the air in 2025.

But Mateer’s bonding with his new receivers and all of his offensive teammates has raised the unit’s ceiling even higher.

“You look at any great receiver, college or NFL… the chemistry they had with their quarterbacks is irreplaceable,” Arbuckle said. “There have been a lot of talented receivers that haven’t done as well as they want to because them and their quarterback aren’t on the same page. I like the work our guys have put in, spring, summer and fall, to get on the same page.”