Oklahoma's HORRIFIC Offense | 24 Team Playoff | Sooner Smiths Live #58

**Sooner Smiths Live #58 – Oklahoma’s Horrific Offense | 24-Team Playoff** **Hosts:** Tierani Smith & Chad Smith **Aired on:** OklahomaVOCFB **Core focus:** Post-Kentucky loss reaction, elite defense vs. broken offense, John Mateer/turnovers, O-line injuries, Venables/Arbuckle future, and the 24-team CFP. ### Opening & Setup - **~1:02–2:30** — Intro. “Not fun weekend.” Reacting to Kentucky loss, Jake Kroll SEC Freshman of the Week + Defensive Player of the Week. Offense venting is the main topic. Live Mondays ~7 p.m. CT. Merch mention (Tierani in logo shirt; Chad not). Presented by Fandle. Baby meltdown delay. ### Kentucky Game Reaction & Offense Critique - **~2:34–4:00** — Opportunity wasted: Georgia lost earlier, chance to be tied for first in SEC after Texas momentum. Defense gave up only 13–14 points and still lost by 8. Pick returned to midfield essentially gave Kentucky a free 7. Defense did its job. - **~4:40–5:20** — First drive: Will Stein (ex-Oregon OC) scripted them down the field. Offense responded with nothing, then a late FG. Defense mostly shut them down afterward. - **~5:20–6:10** — Offense is “horrific.” Dead last in nearly everything. Worst turnover margin in college football. Nothing exciting except running the ball on Texas, then abandoning the run vs. Kentucky. - **~6:10–7:15** — O-line issues. Captains not playing. Fasusi looks great but out (AC joint). Fojay injury major. Parents would be livid. Stats: only 5 red-zone appearances since UTEP (10 total). Defense creates more 3-and-outs than it allows scoring drives — elite unit. - **~7:15–8:00** — With a competent offense and no 4 turnovers/game, this could be the #1 team in the country. Reality is far from that. ### Game Flow, Red Zone & Mateer Issues - **~8:00–9:00** — At the game: Driving the ball but “magnetic resistance” near the end zone. Fake FG same play had a false start (3rd-and-2 became 3rd-and-7). Same play without penalty was likely a TD. Frustration with decision-making. - **~9:00–10:00** — Mateer not benched? Room that bad? First half looked like old John (6-for-6 at one point) then collapsed. “Other teams just wait until Mateer messes up.” Fojay exit hurt the line. Human-level empathy for the struggle, but results are brutal. - **~10:00–12:00** — Film watchers see open receivers constantly; Mateer doesn’t. Waiting too long, no anticipation (contrast to the late Texas Satania throw). O-line not perfect even pre-injury. Right tackle giving ~2 seconds on the tip INT. Two things true: better timing needed *and* more protection. - **~12:00–13:00** — Bored/tired at the game. Long drive to Ardmore for niece’s birthday. $20 corn dog energy. Caring less like the Cowboys now — check box score and assume embarrassment. - **~13:00–14:30** — Elite defense (arguably best in country) wasted. Hard to score 2 offensive TDs against them, yet teams put up 21–27 because of OU’s own turnovers (scoreboard-changing ones). Tip pass to Satania — could have been earlier; tackle protection was poor. Mateer used to rebound (Michigan 2024 example); not this year. ### Talent, Play-Calling & QB Room - **~14:30–15:30** — Talent is there: Manny Choice, Satania, Rocky Beers (NFL caliber). O-line beat up/injured is the biggest limiter. Bench Mateer for Witt Neubauer or Bo Bentley? “Show us.” At this point, fewer turnovers might be better even if they struggle to move the ball. - **~15:30–16:30** — Arbuckle too close to Mateer? He’s gone after this year anyway. Writing on the wall for Arbuckle even if they somehow finish 9-3. Venables retention logic: elite defense is locked in; replacing him risks losing that side while still needing an offensive overhaul. ### Coaching Future, Spending & Program Direction - **~16:30–20:00** — Hard to replace a coach who guarantees championship-level defense. Plan: spend heavily on offense (potentially double defense), target a proven high-level OC (maybe Kevin Wilson). Need a “certified ball-knower” who can win in the SEC. Buyout not full $51M if Venables gets another job quickly. Must overpay OC (6.5–8M range) + fire/hire staff + buy proven portal players (not developmental). Fasusi, Fojay, Noah Best retention assumed as foundation; still need center and guard. - **~20:00–23:00** — Balance required. Losing some defensive recruits to load up on offense is acceptable. Expectation was never world-beater offense — just average/top-25 or even last year’s level would have been enough with this defense. Currently dead last / near-bottom in scoring and total offense. Jacob Jordan note: only multi-year offensive player with snaps; small but productive when used. - **~23:00–28:00** — Development gap vs. defense. Coach identities matter; Saban/Kirby self-scouted and adapted (Lane Kiffin example). Last time OU scored 4+ offensive TDs in a conference game: 2023 vs. TCU (Dylan Gabriel + Billy Bowman pick-6). PTSD from Lincoln-era “just get a defense” now flipped to offense. ### 24-Team Playoff Discussion (Major Segment) - **~49:00–52:00** — Opinions mixed. Inevitable because bowls are devalued, NIL makes investment harder without title access, and more schools want a path. 19 at-large + 4 power conference champs + highest G5. 1–8 seeds get byes. - **~52:00–55:00** — Championship consequences matter more than pure win totals. Extra SEC conference game + tougher schedule hurts vs. softer Big Ten/ACC/Big 12 paths. 3-loss SEC team can be better than 1-loss weaker-conference team. Indiana/Miami/Notre Dame schedules cited as soft. SEC floor and talent level higher. - **~55:00–1:00:00** — Hot teams at the end of the year (South Carolina/Texas 2024 examples) get more runway. 24-team format can “save” big rivalry games. Views still follow stakes (Alabama-Oklahoma numbers vs. lower-seed playoff games). Momentum doesn’t carry the same way with portal. - **~1:00:00–1:09:00** — Miami remaining schedule mostly non-ranked; one loss should eliminate them. Big 12 teams look better because they face weaker fronts. OU would likely be undefeated or 1-loss in the Big 12 with this roster. 24-team helps power-conference teams that play real schedules. ### Closing - **~1:10:00–1:16:00** — Zeno (dog) picks segment: OU–Mississippi State, Ole Miss–Texas, Houston–Utah, Indiana–Michigan, Tennessee–Auburn. Record tracking. Calls to action: like/subscribe on YouTube, comment, share on X. Views up this season. Sign-off: hope for OU win vs. Mississippi State, then South Carolina on Halloween. “Boomer.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.