Oklahoma
How to Watch No. 21 Oklahoma vs. Auburn
Oklahoma’s first SEC road trip is going to look a bit different than many thought it would at the start of the year.
Saturday’s trip to Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC) was supposed to be Jackson Arnold’s first road test.
When attention turns at ABC at 2:30 p.m. this weekend, it’s unclear Arnold will even lead the No. 21-ranked Sooners (3-1, 1-1) onto the field on their first offensive possession.
OU’s 25-15 loss to Tennessee wasn’t nearly that close due to the offense’s inability to move the football.
The Volunteers completely shut down Oklahoma’s running game, putting all the pressure on Arnold.
His response?
An interception and a pair of fumbles, both of which came directly after his defense handed the him the football, which resulted in Arnold getting benched.
Brent Venables and Oklahoma offensive coordinator Seth Littrell pulled the plug on the former 5-star recruit in favor of true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., and while the offensive line didn’t magically improve, Hawkins was able to move the ball a bit in the second half.
Hawkins completed 11-of-18 passes for 132 yards and a score, a much better showing than Arnold’s 7-for-16 for 54 yards and an interception.
The result?
Venables has a quarterback battle on his hands, and one that likely will alienate his first marquee offensive signee.
Getting a young quarterback ready for a first road start, regardless of who starts, will be difficult enough.
Littrell will have to throw a quarterback out there with no running game to support him and continued offensive line issues, which can quickly blow up just as it did against the Volunteers.
Oklahoma’s defense proved it could contain one of college football’s most explosive offenses.
The Sooners bottled up Tennessee’s running game and forced a pair of turnovers of their own.
It wasn’t enough, but that unit can keep OU in games.
Now it’ll be over to Venables and Littrell to find a way for the offense to score enough points to prevent a disastrous season with a bye week and a matchup against No. 1 Texas looming to start October.
Auburn isn’t without its own flaws.
The Tigers have swung from veteran quarterback Payton Thorne and Hank Brown.
Hugh Freeze’s team needs a win to close out Auburn’s lengthy homestand that started the year, as the Tigers won’t play at home again until November.
Auburn just lost to Arkansas 24-14 two weeks after falling 21-14 to California, and Freeze’s second season is already on the brink.
Whoever leaves Jordan-Hare Stadium without a victory will have plenty to sort out in the weeks to follow, making the game all that more important for Venables and the Sooners.
The decision between Hawkins and Arnold will dominate the week, but the real question will be if the Sooners can find a way to function on offense, because if not, OU’s first trip through the SEC will be catastrophic.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: Mar. 1, 2026
Steve McGehee reports live from Paycom Center with the latest on SGA’s return after missing nine games, the Thunder’s push to hold the top spot in the Western Conference, and what getting healthy means for OKC’s title hopes.
Oklahoma
How Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy ‘Put More Around’ John Mateer During Offseason
Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy experienced great success during his first year in Norman.
Nagy, who joined OU’s staff in February 2025, oversaw the Sooners’ scouting staff as Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. He also helped OU sign a top-15 2026 recruiting class and land several key transfer portal players after the 2025 season.
Though the wins outweighed the losses in Nagy’s first year, the Sooners’ general manager knew that there was much to fortify during the offseason.
Oklahoma’s offense sputtered late in the season, as the Sooners scored fewer than 25 points in each of their last four games.
For Nagy, a major focus was surrounding OU quarterback John Mateer with quality talent.
“(We wanted to) just really put more around John Mateer,” Nagy said on The Dari Nowkhah Show on KREF on Friday.
Nagy and his scouting team added plenty of pieces from the portal that should elevate Oklahoma’s offense.
The Sooners signed three portal wideouts — Trell Harris (Virginia), Parker Livingstone (Texas) and Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State) — after the 2025 season to join returning receivers Isaiah Sategna, Jer’Michael Carter and Jacob Jordan.
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Sategna, who transferred to OU from Arkansas after the 2024 season, served as Mateer’s safety net in 2025. The receiver finished the year with 965 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches.
Harris and Livingstone are both proven producers at the Power Four level, and Nagy believes that those two will make OU’s receiving corps stronger in 2026.
“Those two, we’re very excited about both of those guys,” Nagy said.
Nagy also did plenty of work to ensure that OU’s run game improves in 2026.
The Sooners added three tight ends — Hayden Hansen (Florida), Rocky Beers (Colorado State) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) — from the portal. They also added three transfer offensive linemen: Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), E’Marion Harris (Arkansas) and Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech).
OU will have its two top running backs from the 2025 squad, Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock, back in 2026.
For those two to reach their full potential, the Sooners’ blockers will have to regularly open up running lanes — and Nagy is confident that they will.
“We have to run the ball better, there’s no way around that,” Nagy said. “Our job is to create more competition in every room in the offseason. I feel like we’ve done that.”
On the show, Nagy revealed that the Sooners added nearly 9,000 collegiate snaps to their roster during the offseason.
The general manager believes that both sides of the ball will be stronger as a result of his scouting team’s offseason efforts and their collaboration with OU’s coaching staff.
“I’ve tried to be really intentional with our communication,” Nagy said. “There’s a common goal: We’re trying to win a national championship. This is a true partnership, and we all have the same goal in mind. It’s going to continue to evolve and get better.”
Oklahoma will open its 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5.
Oklahoma
Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion
Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time OSSAA wrestling state champion
Elgin’s Ritson Meyer beat Coweta’s Aiven Robbins 8-7 in the Oklahoma high school wrestling Class 5A 215-pound finals on Saturday, Feb. 28, becoming a four-time state champion.
The loss was on Ritson Meyer’s mind all week as he prepared for his final state wrestling tournament.
A senior 215-pounder at Elgin, Meyer isn’t used to getting beaten, but he got a wake-up call when he lost against Coweta senior Aiven Robbins by five points in their regional championship match.
For Meyer, it set in that winning his fourth state championship wouldn’t be an easy task.
“I lost to him last week and I’m not a loser, so it was eating on me all week in practice,” Meyer said. “So (in) practice, I really leveled up everything. Everything about it.”
Meyer and Robbins met again on Saturday, this time with the Class 5A state championship on the line.
Intensely focused from the start, Meyer came out aggressive. And although it was another great match, Meyer did just enough to etch his name in the state history books.
Meyer held on to beat Robbins in an 8-7 decision in the new OG&E Coliseum as he claimed his fourth state championship, while Coweta won the team title.
An Abilene Christian football signee, Meyer’s wrestling days are over, but he leaves the sport with satisfaction.
“I came out here — even though it hurt, even though I was tired — I got it done,” Meyer said. “I’m so happy. I got to celebrate with my parents, my family, my friends. It’s a crazy feeling.”
A standout running back and linebacker on the gridiron, Meyer helped his team win the Class 4A state title in football as a junior before Elgin lost to Tuttle 23-20 in the 2025 championship game in December.
It’s a different sport, but that loss fueled Meyer’s wrestling season in a way.
“I like to tell people that wrestling is like offseason football,” Meyer said. “I can’t go out, lose. Everybody wanted me to win this. I won it for the whole entire community. First four-timer at Elgin. And that football (loss) really did eat me alive. It didn’t feel good at all, and I didn’t want that same feeling again.”
Meyer had a great start against Robbins on Saturday and never trailed, but Robbins battled to set up a great finish and both were gassed when it was over.
“I just gave it my all,” Meyer said, “and I got it done.”
This article will be updated.
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at@nicksardis. Sign up forThe Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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