MAJOR PROBLEMS for Oklahoma | MICHIGAN LOSS | Sooner Smiths Live #53

SoonerSmiths Live #53 — Michigan Loss Recap Hosts: Chad Smith &amp; Tierani Smith | OklahomaVOCFB Tone: Frustrated, even-keel, not “sunshine puppies.” They repeatedly say they are not bashing John Mateer as the sole problem and that the defense is not the issue. Core thesis: Oklahoma abandoned a working offensive identity from UTEP, overcomplicated things for Mateer, and did not play to personnel strengths against a legit Michigan defense. Final: Michigan 17, Oklahoma 10. Opening / Frame (~2:00–5:00) Show delayed because Grammy had the living-room volume maxed while watching the baby. Not a happy-go-lucky show. “What we saw Saturday is a potential 6-6, 5-7 team.” Most worrying: “a little bit of front-running” on offense. Creative and heavy personnel vs teams they can line up and beat; reverts to “John Mateer do everything” vs real competition. Michigan defense graded as upper-third SEC-level, not average. The identity they built vs UTEP — then abandoned (~5:00–18:00, 46:00–1:02) What worked Week 1: Heavy/full personnel, under-center play-action, tight ends creating strain, easy defined reads for Mateer, moving the ball side-to-side. What happened vs Michigan: Lloyd Avant 8 yards on the first play. Instead of another run (Urban Meyer standard: two first downs to start a big game), they throw a go-route RPO to Sategna. Next series: another 6–7 yard run, then they leave the run. 12 personnel used some (~40%), but not in a way that created momentum or helped the tackles who were getting whipped. No 4-tight / wing / short-yardage packages they showed vs UTEP. “You work so hard to build an identity… and you kind of show the framework of it in game one, and you don’t build off that at all.” Tornado-shelter analogy: they built the shelter all offseason, then sat on the porch when the first real storm hit. Chad: Ben Arbuckle is the No. 1 fault. Scheme put players in bad spots. “How does a guy like Elijah Thomas… not get one target?” Spring/fall camp hype as “made in the lab,” Jeremiah Smith-type athlete — unused even from the 1-yard line. Over-forcing Isaiah Sategna on 1-on-1 go/back-shoulder situations that are not his strength. One of Mateer’s few good throws hits Sategna in the chest/belly before he turns. Rocky Beers called a legitimate weapon — best TE look since Mark Andrews through two games — not utilized enough. Hashtag that stuck: HTBO / HCBO — “Hand the B off.” Gabe quote featured in chat. John Mateer — limitations + scheme mismatch (~12:00–20:00, 1:05+) Tierney (works with kids): KISS method. “Keep it simple, stupid.” Arbuckle appears to be running “keep it complicated.” When given options, Mateer “almost always chooses the wrong option.” Give him defined reads (rollouts, play-action off the run, hurry-up so he doesn’t have to process as much). Strength is mobility, not standing in and solving six problems on one snap. “You can’t make somebody something they’re not.” Under pressure he reverts to bad habits. He did not play well. Missed layup throws elite D1 QBs typically hit. One INT, several more turnover-worthy plays (they cite ~6 TWPs this game after 5 vs UTEP). Vision example: failed to follow Pierre-Louis outside on what should have been a TD; instead ran into a safety. Not the processor Baker/Kyler were, and he doesn’t have that supporting NFL talent around him. They are not calling for a benching. Leash is long. Would take blowout losses to Georgia + Texas + Kentucky before Neubauer or anyone else sees meaningful snaps. Randy in chat: don’t turn it into Mateer-bashing; watch the O-line one play at a time. Hosts agree the line is a real problem and they hadn’t even gotten to Mateer’s individual issues yet. Offensive line &amp; chemistry (~15:00–17:00, 22:00) Tackles getting whipped. Best fix when tackles struggle: extra tight ends to help block. They didn’t commit. Four different starting groups by Game 4. Last year they used nine combinations through 10 games. O-line is the most chemistry-dependent position group. Fosuji return should help (can slide to guard; he played RT in high school, LT is a different animal). Michigan’s two NFL-caliber ends (John Henry Daly and No. 8) made it worse. “Wiping with the other hand” / “brushing teeth with the opposite hand” — flipping sides is awkward. Need a “come to Jesus” meeting with Jason Witten, Coach McCullough, Kevin Wilson, Emmitt Jones, etc. Witten didn’t come to Norman so TEs would be underused; McCullough didn’t come so RBs averaging 6.5 YPC in the first half get five touches.<