The Red River Rivalry added yet another chapter of disappointment in the Sooners’ history. 3-34 in 2024, 23-6 in 2025. However, Venables’ boys have shown enough potential, going on a 5-0 streak, until Steve Sarkisian and co. dropped a grounding alert in week 7. Looks like a player still can’t accept that Oklahoma tasted their first loss of the season. And he no longer safeguarded his mates and vented out his anger.

On October 13, Sooners’ insider for On3 tweeted, Parker Thune, “A concise and apt summary of the #Sooners’ Red River Shootout loss, courtesy of junior safety Peyton Bowen…“Nobody played their best game, and a lot of people played their worst game.”” Well, the frustration is real. Venables and Co.’s 23-6 loss marked the third time in four years that his Sooners have failed to score a touchdown against Sarkisian and the Longhorns.

The Sooners’ rushing attack has been flat all season, with little help from their backs or the big men up front. Given the stats from the game, Venables’ running backs couldn’t carry the ball just 14 times. It might not be flashy or efficient, but you’ve got to stay loyal to the run game. Tory Blaylock, considered to be the best running back in Venables’ squad, came up with just two carries in the first quarter. Jadyn Ott, who has struggled to get going all season, had just one carry in the first quarter. 

OU’s offensive line had been better through five games compared to last season. But it took Venables’ Sooners one game to lose their footing. Despite Jaren Kanak’s impressive start to the season catching passes, the tight ends had failed to block successfully. Oklahoma’s biggest spark, a 33-yard burst from John Mateer early in the fourth, was wiped off the board by a holding call on tight end Carson Kent, erasing what could’ve been a red-zone chance down 13–6.

Bowen’s clarification was much needed when fans put only Venables’ quarterback, Mateer, on the hot seat. But the reality is, the Sooners’ run game offered little help with 48 rushing yards, a stark contrast to the Longhorns’ 136. Oklahoma went into the game with a wobbly run game, ranking No.72, which got crushed by the Longhorns’ defense. However, yet then Venables is held accountable for his costly decision involving Mateer. Before things went out of hand, the head took the blame on his shoulders. 

Brent Venables’s John Mateer gamble did not pay off

For the last few days before the game, Venables and the Sooners fans might have lost sleep over Mateer’s health status. The quarterback was still recovering from a hand surgery, performed by the best, Dr. Shin. On the October 8 injury report, Venables was listed as “questionable,” then “probable” on October 10. But then came the good news, which now seems to be the biggest blunder. 

OU Daily tweeted, “Quarterback John Mateer is listed as available in the final SEC injury report.” But hardly did Venables and co. expect Mateer to turn into an interception magnet. Three interceptions in one game, unbelievable for a quarterback who has been running the Heisman race. At 3:37 in the first quarter, the quarterback threw his first interception, the opening act in what would become a full-blown saga. Another came before the half, and the final misfire arrived with 13:40 left in the game.

And with this, Venables’ quarterback made history, not one to be proud of. His three interceptions are tied for the most by an Oklahoma QB against an unranked opponent since Landry Jones (2009), Cody Thomas (2014), Spencer Rattler (2020), and Dillon Gabriel (2022). What fueled the heat was his stats. Under constant pressure from Texas, Mateer failed to throw a touchdown, completing 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and barely moving the chains on the ground with 14 rushes for five yards.

Ben Arbuckle could no longer defend his favorite quarterback. “Ben Arbuckle says John Mateer had good physical and mental reps in practice this week. Says that he felt good about him playing in the game. Says he just wasn’t very accurate and made some bad decisions. #Sooners,” reported George Stoia III. So, how could Venables just move on without taking accountability?

“Not a good day, but we still have a chance to have a heck of a year. A lot of ball still in front of us right now,” the Oklahoma head coach opened up while hoping their luck to turn in the future. But the future does not look quite favorable for Brent Venables and his boys with South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Alabama waiting in the line.