No. 10 Oklahoma hopes offense has progressed with UTEP on tap

After making a late run to the College Football Playoff a year ago, No. 10 Oklahoma opens its season against UTEP on Friday in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners have spent the offseason focusing on improving the offense after averaging just 354.3 yards per game last season.

While Brent Venables worked to improve all position groups with transfers, the most important layer of improvement might be at quarterback, the one spot they didn't dip into the portal in the offseason.

Quarterback John Mateer struggled last season after returning from a broken hand suffered early in the year. The fifth-year senior is looking to put his improvement on display against the Miners.

"I didn't play that well, and toward the end of the year, I don't think I did," Mateer said. "I'm motivated not because of the outside, how people view it. I'm not motivated by the perception. I'm motivated by the way I play in the film. The film doesn't lie, and I cringe when I watch the film. Last year, it's just true, so I get an opportunity to go out and play my best football."

They return plenty of experience up front, though there was some shuffling on the line during preseason camp with the injury to center Jake Maikkula.

After starting games at both tackle and guard as a freshman last season, sophomore Ryan Fodje gets the nod there.

It will also be the first game for Oklahoma's new-look tight ends group under Jason Witten. The longtime Dallas Cowboys star brought in Hayden Hansen from Florida and Rocky Beers from Colorado State.

On defense, the Sooners return the bulk of the unit that powered last season's run to the playoffs.

That includes middle linebacker Owen Heinecke, the former walk-on who broke into the starting lineup in early November and became perhaps Oklahoma's best defender down the stretch. Heinecke (12 TFLs, five sacks in 2025) was granted a temporary injunction over the offseason, making him eligible this season.

The Sooners' entire starting defense Friday will likely be made up of players who began their collegiate football careers at Oklahoma.

"I love that," Venables said. "It speaks volumes."

While the Sooners are coming off a 10-3 season and a trip to the CFP, UTEP is coming off a 2-10 season. The Miners have not had a winning season since 2021. UTEP is looking to take a significant step forward in its third year under Scotty Walden.

The Miners added quarterback EJ Colson Jr. from Incarnate Word, who threw for 2,142 yards last season, accounting for 19 touchdowns.

To hang in the game, UTEP needs to protect Colson.

"They get after the quarterback," Walden said of the Sooners' defense. "They don't have to bring six or bring seven to get home. ... They can rush four but they can give you the illusion or the simulation that they're going to bring more."

It's still unclear if UTEP safety Solo Barnes, who had 66 tackles and a pair of interceptions last season, will be eligible for Friday's game despite being granted a temporary restraining order last week.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Walden said.

--Field Level Media