Oklahoma's Improved Special Teams Failed to Make a Positive Impact at Texas Tech

The OU special teams units were better overall in 2022, but struggled in multiple phases on Saturday night in Lubbock.

Oklahoma’s special teams were ordinary in Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech.

Dropping its sixth game of the year, OU left plenty on the field in the 51-48 loss in overtime at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock.

From the start, the Sooners (6-6 overall, 3-6 Big 12) failed to execute in the third phase of the game.

Texas Tech (7-5, 5-4) return man Jordan Brown popped a 67-yard kickoff return on the first play of the game to set the Red Raiders up at the Oklahoma 35-yard line.

“We had some good plays,” OU coach Brent Venables said of the special teams play after the game. “But it’s been a unit that’s performed really well all year and tonight, I did not think we executed on a number of plays very well.”

Oklahoma defensive lineman Jordan Kelley erased the coverage bust on the next play, forcing a fumble, but the opening kickoff was an early indication of the night to come on special teams.

For the most part, the improved emphasis on the third phase of the game has helped the Sooners this season.

Entering the final game of the season, OU was 2-for-2 on fake field goal attempts, converting one of those efforts into a key touchdown against the Iowa State Cyclones.

Up 14-0 in the first quarter against the Red Raiders, the Sooners tried a third fake field goal.

The play appeared to be set up for tight end Brayden Willis to catch the ball and turn upfield for a touchdown, but the reliable playmaker dropped the ball and handed Texas Tech its first jolt of momentum.

Oklahoma tight end Brayden Willis dropped a pass from punter Michael Turk on a fake field goal in the first quarter against Texas Tech / Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma has been more aggressive on kickoff returns this year, returning 24 kicks as opposed to the 12 kickoffs the Sooners were permitted to return last year.

That aggression hasn’t necessarily resulted in more efficient play, however. The Sooners are averaging 20.04 yards per return this year, which is virtually the same as OU’s 20.33 yards per return in 2021.

There have been major improvements in punt returns this year.

The Sooners average 13.27 yards per return, the 14th-best mark in the country, a much better result than the 5.75 yards per return Oklahoma posted in the final year under Lincoln Riley.

But neither of those areas were a positive for Venables’ team on Saturday night.

In the first quarter, Marvin Mims had an 18-yard punt return wiped off the board by a holding call on true freshman Jaren Kanak.

Jeff Lebby’s offense still scored on the drive, but the OU offense had to start its march on its own 7-yard line instead of the getting going from the Oklahoma 31-yard line.

Before halftime, the kickoff return team cost the Sooners even more field position.

Jalil Farooq mishandled a kick he tried to fair catch, meaning Oklahoma took over at the 8-yard line instead of the 25.

On Texas Tech’s next kickoff, the Sooners again bungled the fair catch, and Gavin Freeman recovered a muffed kick to set OU up at the 14-yard line.

Finally, a pair of field goals turned the game decisively in favor of the Red Raiders.

As Texas Tech kicker Trey Wolff lined up to try and send the contest into overtime with eight seconds left on the clock, Venables burned a timeout to try and ice the kicker.

Though not an uncommon strategy in football, there was just one problem with the decision — OU blocked Wolff’s first field goal attempt as the referees were whistling the play dead for the timeout.

Wolff then stepped up and knocked through his second effort, sending the game to overtime.

In the moment, Venables hoped the magnitude of the kick would get the best of Wolff, as the Red Raider kicker had already missed an extra point on the night.

“I thought, there’s an opportunity for him to think about it,” Venables said. “Hadn’t been great on the day as far as the field goals. Thought there’s an opportunity to try to get in his head. It’s a pressure moment, a big kick, and we blocked the first one.”

Zach Schmit, Wolff’s counterpart on the OU sideline, was unable to step up and convert his pressure kick in OT. The Sooner kicker missed his fifth field goal of the season on Oklahoma’s offensive possession in overtime.

OU’s sideline thought the kick passed through the uprights, but Venables said after the game that the result of the field goal was not reviewable by the officiating crew.

“I wasn’t watching, I was kind of hoping in the back,” OU running back Eric Gray said. “But after I saw the replay I think it went through. … When they did the replay and it looked like it went over the upright. It was definitely whacky. A weird feeling.”

Plenty went wrong for the Sooners to blow a 17-point lead on Saturday night. No one error can be singled out as the reason why Oklahoma lost the game, but multiple mistakes on special teams did nothing to snap momentum back up for the Sooners to help turn the tide of the game.

"Did not think we played great, obviously," Venables said. "Missed the field goal, did not execute the fake, gave up a big kickoff return, had a penalty on a good return by Marvin — had a holding penalty. Incredibly inconsistent.” 

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