Oklahoma pulled off one of its grittiest wins of the season Saturday night in Knoxville. They knocked off No. 14 Tennessee 33-27 in a game that kept College Football Playoff hopes alive for the Sooners. John Mateer threw for 159 yards and ran for 80 more, including what turned out to be the game-sealing touchdown with under two minutes left. But it was sophomore running back Xavier Robinson who really carried the load. Shannon Sharpe made sure to be the voice for the RB, as the final play became a talking point that goes way beyond just another Oklahoma win.

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe had some thoughts about what happened next on his show, and he didn’t hold back. “The Sooners did what the Sooners do. Man, if I’m that running back, I’m mad,” Sharpe said, laying out exactly how Robinson should feel about the sequence that followed. After Tennessee cut the lead to 26-24 on a touchdown with 1:56 remaining, the Sooners recovered the onside kick and seemed poised to just run out the clock. Robinson cut through the massive hole and had the chance for a 43-yard touchdown run. Except he didn’t score.

The running back slid down at the 1-yard line, sacrificing his own stats for the good of the team to keep the clock running with Tennessee still having timeouts. Instead of Robinson, it was John Mateer on the very next play who ran the ball and scored a touchdown. Sharpe shared his displeasure with this entire thought process. 

“I go down at the one-yard line thinking we’re going to take a knee, and then the next play you let the quarterback run it,” Sharpe continued, capturing the frustration anyone in Robinson’s cleats would’ve felt. “Hell, if I knew that, I’d have run it in. That was like a 50-something-yard run because he went right up straight. So a 43-yard run or a 44-yard touchdown. I think I’ll take the 44-yard touchdown.” Sharpe had a point.

Robinson had made what looked like the ultimate team-first play, assuming Oklahoma would just take a knee in victory formation. Instead, Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle called John Mateer’s number on the very next play. The quarterback waltzed into the end zone untouched for a 1-yard score that pushed the lead to 33-24. Sharpe wrapped up his take by adding, “Plus we up three. That puts us up 10. Look, if we can’t hold a lead, if we can’t hold a lead with a minute left, that’s on us.”

Mateer has been struggling for a minute now. Previously, the QB1 numbers took a hit, and the team lost since his thumb surgery. It could be that Venables wanted to help him get his confidence back, and that’s why he did what he did. Robinson’s choice to go down showed incredible football IQ and maturity for a second-year player. The Sooners were only up by two points at that moment. So running another play did add insurance with the touchdown. It was a nine-point game.

Oklahoma could’ve easily just taken a knee twice and forced Tennessee to use their timeouts. Instead, they risked a fumble, a bad snap, or some other disaster on a goal-line play that didn’t need to happen. Robinson handled it with class post-game. But you’d have to imagine there’s at least a little part of him that wishes he’d just scored the touchdown. Shannon Sharpe certainly would’ve, and most running backs would too.​

Venables takes the blame for a near-disaster

Brent Venables isn’t one to hide from mistakes. And he made sure everyone knew who was really at fault for that late-game interception that nearly cost Oklahoma the win. At a crucial stage, the Sooners went for an RPO. Mateer could’ve handed off the ball, but instead, he went for a throw and was intercepted. “We were very, very fortunate; the last one there could have been catastrophic,” Venables told reporters after the game.  He didn’t make excuses or try to pin it on Mateer. Instead, he owned it.

“We have to be smarter there from a coaching staff,” Venables said, making it crystal clear that this one was on him and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. “There should be no option whatsoever. Just hand the ball off, every time,” he said, laying out exactly what the play call should’ve been in that situation. The RPO has its place in an offense, but down near the goal line with Tennessee’s defense desperate and needing to let the clock tick?

That’s not the moment for options. You hand off, you let your running back push forward, and you go home with the win. The fact that Venables was this blunt about the coaching error shows he’s learned from past mistakes and isn’t afraid to admit when the staff gets it wrong.​