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Oklahoma K Zach Schmit Was Called Into Action and Earned Redemption Against Auburn

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Oklahoma K Zach Schmit Was Called Into Action and Earned Redemption Against Auburn


AUBURN, AL — There’s always a road back. 

Oklahoma kicker Zach Schmit endured a tough two years. 

In 2022 and 2023, the Oklahoma City product connected on 27-of-39 field goals, including a host of crucial kicks late in tight games. 

As a result, Brent Venables brought Tyler Keltner in from Florida State to compete with Schmit, and Keltner won the starting job. 

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But life has many twists and turns. 

Keltner had to miss OU’s trip to Auburn, putting Schmit back in the spotlight for the Sooners’ first SEC road game. 

And Schmit was nails. 

He was trotted out for a 24-yard kick after an illegal motion took a touchdown off the board late in the third quarter to cut the lead to 14-10. 

Then Venables needed Schmit to make one more kick, a 39-yarder, to heap the pressure back on Auburn. 

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Schmit came through again, extending OU’s lead to 27-21, forcing the Tigers to go the length of the field. 

Payton Thorne came crashing back down to earth after the turnover-prone Auburn quarterback enjoyed a smooth first three quarters, and the Sooners hung on for a crucial road victory to head into the bye week 4-1 on the year and 1-1 in conference contests. 

“A great story of redemption,” Venables said after the win. “…  We needed him every step of the way. Him nailing that. We’re up by three and now up by six and Auburn has no timeouts. A field goal and everything changes in their play selection. Who knows?

“… But it didn’t matter. Zach was ready.”

When he stepped up for his crucial kick, his own story of redemption was the farthest thing from Schmit’s mind. 

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“It was another opportunity to step up and help the team,” Schmit said. “Like I told them in the locker room, I’m not worried about my own success in this game. But my main goal is to help the success of the team.

“… For me, it’s about the redemption of this team, making sure we bounce back from the Tennessee loss and making sure we go into this bye week with a lot of headway, 4-1 and in a good position. That’s what it’s about to me.”

Regardless of how things play out on the field every Saturday, Venables is a big believer in who Zach Schmit is. 

This week, he was named as a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, college football’s academic Heisman. 

Schmit’s a fighter, too. 

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Though he didn’t win the placekicking job out of fall camp, he battled with Keltner throughout the spring and the summer to help the team. 

“I was really thankful for his courage that he has shown,” Venables said. “He could have easily just quit, wasn’t on scholarship. He’s going to be incredibly successful in the business world. … Really, a cool moment to celebrate him and a great example for all of us.”

Schmit hasn’t run from his struggles, either. 

He’s aware of everything, the good and the bad, which has only given him a bigger appreciation for Venables. 

“Through the ups and downs, he’s been by my side consistently,” Schmit said. “He always tells us that he’s in the A-gap with us. A lot of people in the media can see that and say that’s kind of cliche, but for him it’s what he means. 

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“He took a lot of flak because of me, but to continue to have trust in me and faith in me and put me back out this week shows me the type of man he is. Not even head coach, but just the man and the father figure (he is) for this team.”

The Sooners won by six points, a pair of field goals.

Saturday’s heroes — Kip Lewis, Michael Hawkins Jr., J.J. Hester and Schmit — soaked in the locker room scenes before OU left Auburn to get back to work during the bye week.

“It was awesome,” Schmit said. “…  Especially when you win on the road in a (hostile) environment, especially coming back from 21-10. I’d assume every one wrote us off at that point, so to be able to do that shows what type of team we have in that locker room. 

“It’s just one big family.”

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Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In

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Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In


PORTAL TRACKER 

Oklahoma State’s newly constructed staff got on the board Saturday, picking up portal commitments on offense and special special teams, so how about some defense?

Three Big 12 defenders have been linked with Oklahoma State via the transfer portal over the past few days, including a pair of former OK Preps standouts. Here’s a look.

Kanijal Thomas, CB, Kansas State

Thomas is an Oklahoman, playing his high school ball at Del City. He visited Stillwater on Saturday, according to On3.

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He was a redshirt sophomore for the Wildcats in 2025, playing in seven games as a true freshman in 2023 before an injury saw his sophomore season end two games in.

Thomas played in eight games at K-State in 2025, finishing the year with five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble. According to PFF, he gave up four catches for 21 yards this season on seven targets.

Now listed at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, Thomas was a three-star prospect coming out of Del City in the 2023 class. He picked K-State over offers from OSU, Texas Tech, Iowa State and others.

Maurion Horn, CB, Texas Tech

Another Oklahoma kid, Maurion Horn has spent the past four seasons in Lubbock, where he has played in 30 games during that time. According to 247Sports, Horn will visit Stillwater on Monday.

He started all of Tech’s games in 2024, finishing that season with 56 tackles, three tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He played in seven games and dealt with some sort of injury, appearing on Tech’s availability report in Weeks 4, 14 and 15.

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Horn has been targeted 88 times in his career, per PFF, where he has allowed just 47 catches.

He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of Broken Arrow. He ended up picking Tech over offers from OSU, OU, Texas, Baylor, Arkansas and others.

Braylon Rigsby, Edge, Texas Tech

Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Braylon Rigsby will join his Texas Tech teammate in Stillwater on Monday, according to 247Sports.

He’s played in 26 games across the past two seasons in Lubbock, accumulating 25 tackles and three tackles for loss during that time.

Per PFF, Rigsby has 21 QB pressures in his career to go with two QB hits.

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He hails from Woodsville, Texas, which is near the Louisiana border. Rigsby was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, coming in as the No. 861 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.



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Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma

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Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma


Elite Delta Force captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife about 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

It happened in the Caracas, the capitol of Venezuela.

Social media posts how strikes ordered by President Trump into Venezuela and its military bases.

News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell said the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America has not always been smooth and adds so many dominos will fall as a result.

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“Venezuela is the beachhead for our adversaries that’s Cuba and Russia and China and Iran and it looks as if this latest situation where that they were assembling Iran swift attack boats that was sort of the last straw,” said Mitchell.

Retired war correspondent Mike Boettcher said the planning on capturing Maduro began in mid-December.

He adds Venezuela is a massive oil supplier whose oil has been taken off the market for years because of sanctions.

He has concerns about what comes next.

“That disrupts a lot of things.It even has an effect on the war in Ukraine, as Russia, you know, has used higher oil revenue because Venezuela’s oil was off the market.Oil prices went up.It helps fund the war in Ukraine,” said Boettcher.

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The ramifications could even reach Oklahoma.

“China gets a 30 percent discount on the oil.If Venezuela goes for a more legitimate government and the sanctions are lifting, then they’re flooding the oil markets and that means bad news for the Oklahoma economy,” added Mitchell.

Following the capture of Maduro, President Trump said the U.S. will take control of the oil reserves in Venezuela.

Sources also say there are plans from the current administration to recruit American companies to invest billions of dollars in their oil industry.

A verified video shows the current state of Venezuela after the military operation.

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Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal

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Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal


Oklahoma State EDGE Kyran Duhon plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. Duhon was a member of the 2024 recruiting class.

Duhon spent one year at Oklahoma State, logged 16 total tackles (eight solo) across nine games. He began his career at UTEP, where he had a productive true freshman season, Duhon finished 2024 with 43 total tackles, including seven sacks and two PBUs.

At UTEP, his one season there resulted in second team All-Conference USA honors. He was also named to the On3 True Freshman All-America Team as well as the the Conference USA All-Freshman team.

However, Duhon’s stay in Stillwater didn’t go as expected. Oklahoma State finished the season with a 1-11 record, which included the Cowboys firing longtime head coach Mike Gundy after a 1-2 start. Doug Meacham was named interim head coach but ended the year 0-9.

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Eric Morris has since been named as the program’s next head coach. He comes from North Texas, which finished with an 11-2 record and a trip to the American Conference championship game this past season. However, it doesn’t appear that Duhon will be sticking around during the changing of the guard at Oklahoma State this offseason.

Before college, Duhon was the No. 1,706 overall player in the class, and was recruited as the the No. 165 linebacker during the cycle, per the Rivals Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was ranked as the No. 242 overall player out of Texas.

Once the NCAA transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, players can officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and go on to initiate contact with their preferred schools. The portal will be open for 15 days and close on Jan. 16.

Notably, players who are on teams competing in the national championship game are allowed five extra days to make their portal decision. The College Football Playoff championship game will be played on Jan. 19, so the players on those teams will be allowed until Jan. 24 to enter the portal and choose their next school.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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