Three Quick Takeaways From No. 18 Oklahoma's Win Over No. 15 Michigan

Oklahoma’s defensive turnaround in 2024 didn’t get the national attention it deserved due to the team’s overall record. 

For those who weren’t paying attention last year, they found out the Sooners’ defense is legit on Saturday night. 

The Wolverines were shut out in the first half, allowing an OU offensive line with four new starters from last week’s first group to grow into the game. 

Oklahoma did allow a 75-yard touchdown run on the first offensive snap of the third quarter, but instead of crumbling, the defense galvanized. 

A muffed punt set up Michigan’s second scoring drive. 

The Wolverines finally put together a field goal drive without any other help to pull within one score. 

Then the defense stood tall. 

True freshman Courtland Guillory made a physical play downfield on a second down snap, then linebacker Owen Heinecke tipped a ball to force the Wolverines to punt with 10:11 left in the game. 

Michigan’s offense wouldn’t see the ball until the other side of the two-minute timeout. 

The Wolverines were held to 288 total yards in an outstanding defensive showing in prime time. 

Mateer Crucial in the Ground Game

Ben Arbuckle wasn’t ever afraid to run Mateer at Washington State. 

The seven carries for Mateer last week were more indicative of the vanilla game plan against Illinois State than the role Mateer would play in OU’s rushing attack. 

But Mateer proved he could run for tough yards against an SEC-style defense against Michigan. 

He carried the ball 19 times for 74 yards, including a pair of rushing touchdowns, but Mateer was the answer to nearly every question asked of Arbuckle’s offense. 

The fourth quarter opened with a crucial third-and-3, and Mateer rolled straight ahead for 11 yards. 

He spun out of tackles for loss behind the line of scrimmage to keep the Sooners on schedule, and he totaled 19 rushing yards on OU’s final long offensive possession that ran 8:27 off the clock and put OU up 24-13.

The Sooners’ offensive line will need to continue to improve to propel the running game, but Mateer can carry the load in the meantime. 

Special Teams Almost Costly

The Sooners had a chance to knock out the Wolverines in the third quarter, but Oklahoma was unable to play a clean game on special teams. 

Things started with a questionable decision by Isaiah Sategna. 

Up 21-7, OU stopped Michigan’s offense deep in its own territory, but Sategna opted to field a punt with a Wolverine right in his face. 

He muffed the punt, and Michigan took over at OU’s 31-yard line. 

The Wolverines had to settle for a field goal, but then Oklahoma’s kickoff team compounded the issues. 

Jaydn Ott mishandled a kickoff, forcing the Sooners to start their next drive from the 7-yard line. 

Even though OU was able to pick up a first down, Michigan got to start its next drive in an area of the field where the coaching staff felt comfortable allowing Bryce Underwood to take a shot downfield. 

The chain of events gave the Wolverine offense some confidence after a shaky first half. 

In the fourth quarter, new kicker Tate Sandell missed his first kick for the Sooners, a 42-yard attempt, that would have put OU up 24-13 with 12:32 left in the game. 

The defense bailed everyone out, but the final score didn’t reflect the flow of the game largely due to the miscues on special teams.