Why Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle Believes the Offensive Progressed 'Faster Than Anticipated'

Having quarterback John Mateer around has expedited the process, as he’s already spent a couple of years working with Arbuckle, but the foundation laid by the offense during winter workouts translated nicely to the practice field throughout the spring. 

“These guys have done really well with it before spring ball, the installations we did in some meetings and some walkthroughs and some OTAs – really came to life here in spring ball,” Arbuckle said. “Everything they learned there was able to directly translate here in spring ball. That allowed us to progress at even a faster pace than I anticipated. Now with a lot of the offense in, it’s just getting better, refining those little details on every single play. 

“And the installation, the big part of it, was the quarterbacks knew it before we started spring ball. That was the biggest thing because they could help everybody out. The receivers, running backs, tight ends with where they’re supposed to go, protection calls for the offensive line. It’s been a fun spring install.”

Mateer said Arbuckle’s practice philosophy helps everyone get on the same page quickly. 

“We’d rather you play fast and make a mistake then play slow and do the right thing,” said Mateer, “because if you play slow and do the right thing, you’re not even doing the right thing. As long as they play fast, the offense will work. And playing fast and obviously doing the right thing is ideal. And they’re getting there and they’re doing a good job.”

The energy Arbuckle brings to every practice helps keep the intensity and pace up, which is something Arbuckle said he brings to the building every day. 

“If I expect those players to be out there flying around and be urgent and be highly detailed, I better be that same way, too,” Arbuckle said. “And I bring it to the nth degree. Those players are going to know Coach Arbuckle — that he loves football, maybe even more than them. He loves being out there at practice because he knows that’s where the real, the mesh, the chemistry of the team happens. 

“I’m going to bring it every day at practice. They kids do, too, feed off it and it’s a lot of fun.”

Now the offseason enters a new phase. 

Summer workouts take the place of practices, meaning all the improvement and work done off the field will have to come from the players conducting their own walk-throughs. 

Mateer is confident that his unit will continue to grow throughout the summer, however, and that they’ll be that much better as they fire up fall camp in August. 

“A lot of the growth in the offseason comes in the summer,” Mateer said. “… You build a structure of leaders and followers and you really build a culture. Because when the coaches aren’t there, if everybody wants to goof off and the leaders want to goof off you’re not going to get anything out of practice. That’s not going to happen here. We’re gonna have good practices without the coaches and we’re going to get better. 

“The summer’s about investing; You have so much time, you don’t have classes and then you can just do whatever you want. As long as you choose to play football and get better at football, it’s great.”