Overview
- Oklahoma fell to No. 14 after a 23-6 Red River defeat in which QB John Mateer returned from hand surgery, threw three interceptions, the offense mustered 48 rushing yards, and the line allowed five sacks, marking a third time in four years without a touchdown vs. Texas.
- At his Oct. 14 news conference, Brent Venables said, “This isn’t the old Big 12 days where Oklahoma destroys everybody every single week except one game of the year,” in explaining SEC week-to-week difficulty.
- Roughly an hour later, the Big 12’s official X account replied, “Coach Venables lost eight Conference games in his two seasons in the Big 12,” a post that drew widespread attention.
- Junior safety Peyton Bowen publicly called for accountability, saying, “Nobody played their best game, and a lot of people played their worst game.”
- Now 5-1, Oklahoma visits South Carolina next before a demanding SEC run that includes Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU, with coaches emphasizing fixes to the offense.