Oklahoma Sooners fans at the win over New Mexico didn’t do Brent Venables and the program any favors, and they could regret it
The Oklahoma Sooners hosted a plethora of players for recruiting. The game probably hurt some of that, and the fans certainly didn’t help.
The Oklahoma Sooners beat New Mexico 14-6 at home on Saturday, and the win may have done more harm than good. The offense was terrible; the fans made sure everyone knew it, and a massive group of recruits saw every bit of it. For a program trying to build momentum heading into SEC play, this was a worst-case scenario on multiple fronts.
This game was supposed to serve as a tune-up. Oklahoma needed to get right before traveling to face Georgia next week, arguably the best team in college football. New Mexico is not a bad team, but the Lobos are nowhere near the level of Georgia or any of the opponents OU will face during SEC play.
The Sooners didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. The offense sputtered for most of the afternoon, managing only 14 points against a Group of Five defense. That won’t instill confidence heading into one of the toughest environments in the sport.
A stacked recruiting visitor list saw it all
Here’s what makes this game even worse for Oklahoma: the Sooners were loaded with recruits on the sideline. OU went all in on this game from a recruiting standpoint. And a long list of high-profile targets watched the offense stall out for most of the afternoon
Among the visitors were 5-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett, five-star cornerback Gabe Osborne, Cooper Witten, Kaeden Penny, quarterback Noah Smith, 2028 quarterback Trey Tagliaferri, and new 2028 commit Connor Arant. Several top 2028 edge prospects and linebackers were also on campus, including Cassell Cruickshank, Major Stokes, David Dotson, Tylan Henderson, and Jay Schell. That is a massive haul of talent to have in the building for a game that went sideways on every level.
The fan reaction made it worse
The poor on-field product was bad enough. The fan reaction made it significantly harder for Oklahoma’s coaching staff to sell recruits on the program. Fans were chanting “Fire Ben Arbuckle” and “Fire Venables” during the game. They were booing quarterback John Mateer. If you’re a recruit sitting in the stands watching it all unfold, it won’t leave a positive impression. Recruits want to see energy and excitement. They don’t want to see a fan base turning on its own coaching staff and quarterback during a home win.
OU went all in on this game from a recruiting perspective, and it backfired in multiple ways. The offense didn’t help the cause, and the fans certainly didn’t either. With Georgia looming next week and SEC play on the horizon, the Sooners now have to hope the on-campus experience outside the stadium was enough to keep those top targets interested — because what happened inside it wasn’t doing Oklahoma any favors.
