Oklahoma's Offensive Line Issues Won't Magically Disappear With Coordinator Change

The Sooners have struggled to protect both Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr., which has put a strain on OU's ability to move the football.

South Carolina Gamecocks defensive tackle T.J. Sanders sacks Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold in Norman. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma quarterbacks have spent most of the 2024 season under siege. 

The Sooners rank 132nd out of 133 FBS programs in sacks allowed after surrendering nine sacks to South Carolina in last week’s 35-9 debacle. 

This week could get ugly again. 

OU (4-3, 1-3 SEC) is preparing to take on No. 18 Mississippi (5-2, 1-2), who is tied for seventh in sacks per game. 

The offensive coordinator change this week may have brought new energy to the practice field, but it will do little to help a group that has allowed Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. to get sacked 29 times through seven games. 

“If you watch film, it’s here or there,” center Troy Everett said on Tuesday. “It’s one play or one thing. It’s like 'that' much. It’s nothing major like guys going the wrong way or anything. Little technique, details. We have to do our job.”

Those issues, one bust here or there, have persisted all season. 

First, Oklahoma’s offensive line needed to get healthy. 

Then as Branson Hickman, Everett and Jake Taylor returned to the lineup, Bill Bedenbaugh was forced to tinker with his unit because it offered little more resistance than a revolving door. 

The names involved won’t change this week, meaning the offensive line will continue to look within to try and take a leap forward in Oxford (11:00 a.m., ESPN). 

“You don't reinvent the wheel in a week's period of time,” Venables said on Tuesday. “You just get better at the basics, and we've got to get a lot better. That's where the focus is, is make an improvement and put guys in a position to help them have some success, too."

The Sooners were forced to dip into the portal to fill multiple spots this last offseason. 

Those returns have been poor. 

Right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, who has played the most snaps for Oklahoma’s offense this season, has struggled to make the jump from North Texas to the SEC.

Michigan State transfer Spencer Brown has been used sparingly at right tackle after looking lost against Temple, one of the worst teams in the country, in Week 1. 

USC transfer tackle Michael Tarquin was a steady presence, until Bedenbaugh randomly yanked him against Texas after one bad rep. 

“In a perfect world, you have high school guys that you develop on that side of the ball, that group, the best performing groups typically are ones that have spent a lot of time together,” Venables said. “And if you went back and looked at all the guys that we've had over the last several years there, we’ve had a lot of turnover.”

Venables hasn’t started a season with the same pair of right tackles yet at Oklahoma as Bedenbaugh has produced draft picks, but the talent behind the Anton Harrison, Tyler Guyton and Walter Rouse was unable to develop over the past few years. 

“Ideally, you have that position built up of foundation of high school guys that have been in the program and have developed over the course of time,” Venables said. “We’ve probably missed on some guys. Several years ago, we didn’t have this amazing group of backups that were ready when guys left. You want to build that, if you’re building that appropriately. So everything matters when you’re building that.”

At some point this year, the Sooners will have to make a decision — persist with the veterans who have proven they can’t compete in the SEC or turn the page and start to hand reps to younger guys.

Eddy Pierre-Louis and Eugene Brooks could be candidates for increased playing time as the season winds down, but tossing that duo into the fire might not be in the cards this weekend. 

First, an uptick in action on the road against an excellent defensive line could be a bad recipe to build confidence early in a career. 

Second, there are redshirt considerations for a talented freshman like Pierre-Louis. 

Pierre-Louis saw action against Temple, meaning he can only appear in three more regular season games and maintain his redshirt. Venables said on Wednesday the coaching staff has yet to settle on what they want to do with Pierre-Louis’ redshirt this year, meaning OU may have to be selective about which of the remaining five regular season games he enters. 

“Eddy has done a lot of great things. Unfortunately for Eddy, he didn’t get here until the summer,” Venables said. “There’s just so much to learn. It’s one of the positions on any football to transition straight out of high school. It takes a special guy… Eddy has gotten better as the season has gone on. We’ve gone back and forth about using that redshirt. 

“… We’re really excited. He’s been running with the 2s, gotten a ton of valuable reps in practice. Expeditiously you see him getting better as the season has gone on. More confident, more aggressive, physical. It’s been noticeable for coaches on both sides of the ball in the last two weeks where you’ve seen the light has really go off for him.”

All that means is it’s likely OU will roll out the same unit that has struggled mightily in 2024, and Bedenbaugh will continue to play musical chairs up front until the Sooners find a combination that can protect the quarterback — even if it sacrifices continuity by playing multiple lineups each game. 

“A lot of people see that like it’s hard to gel with one group, but we are a very close team in there,” Everett said. “It’s not any different. It doesn’t feel like it ever changes. When we go out there, I’m confident with everyone that comes out there for the offensive line. I have confidence in all of them.”