Game Primer: OU vs. Kentucky

Saturday, October 17

Norman

6:30 p.m. CT

University of Oklahoma

Kentucky

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October 16, 2026 | Football

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Oklahoma

#15 Kentucky

Saturday, Oct. 17 / 6:30 p.m. CT / Owen Field

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KEY STORYLINES

• Receiving votes in both major polls Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 SEC), plays its SEC home opener when it hosts No. 15/17 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised by SEC Network with Dave Neal, Cole Cubelic and Tori Petry announcing.

• OU and Kentucky are each coming off top-10 wins. The Sooners toppled No. 1/1 Texas 27-24 on a walk-off field goal on Saturday in Dallas, while the Wildcats beat No. 10/10 LSU 35-34 in overtime in Lexington, Ky. It was UK's second straight 35-34 OT victory (won at South Carolina the previous week).

• Since the start of the 1999 season, the Sooners are 25-2 (.926) in games immediately following their annual contest against Texas. The lone defeats came in 2014 (31-30 vs. Kansas State in Norman) and 2024 (35-9 vs. South Carolina in Norman). In the 25 wins, OU outscored its foes by 608 points (average of 24.3 points).

• Kentucky's No. 15 AP ranking this week is its highest since the 2022 season, when it climbed to as high as No. 7 after a 4-0 start. Since 1978 when it also reached the No. 15 position, UK has been ranked in the AP's top 15 in four other seasons (2007, 2018, 2021 and 2022).

• The Wildcats are under the direction of first-year head coach Will Stein. Stein was on Texas' staff from 2015-17 as a quality control assistant (wide receivers first two years and quarterbacks in 2017). Texas beat OU 24-17 in 2015 but lost 45-40 in 2016 and 29-24 in 2017. He spent the last three years as Oregon's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helping the Ducks to the College Football playoff in 2024 and 2025.

• Oklahoma is 2-2 under head coach Brent Venables in conference home openers (lost 41-34 to Kansas State in 2022, won 50-20 over Iowa State in 2023, lost 25-15 to No. 6 Tennessee in 2024 and won 24-17 against No. 22 Auburn last season).

• Since the start of the 2000 season, Oklahoma owns the country's best regular season record against AP top-15 teams. The Sooners are 48-19 (.716) in such contests. Ohio State owns the second-best winning percentage (.698; 44-19) and Alabama the third-best (.578; 48-35). The 48 wins are also tied with Alabama for the most nationally. Under Venables, OU is 6-4 in regular season games against AP top-15 foes.

• The Sooners are 11-2 in the Venables era when they score a defensive touchdown, including 4-0 since the start of the 2025 season. The last three such wins came against ranked teams (at No. 14 Tennessee and at No. 4 Alabama last season and vs. No. 1 Texas on Saturday).

• Oklahoma's defense leads the nation by allowing just 12.8 first downs per game, and ranks in the top 15 nationally in seven additional categories: No. 3 in third-down-conversion percentage (22.7), No. 7 in red-zone-conversion percentage (66.7) and passing defense (150.0 ypg), No. 12 in defensive pass completion percentage (54.5), No. 14 in total defense (266.8 ypg) and sacks (3.0 per game), and No. 15 in passing touchdowns allowed (four).

• The Sooners boast a veteran, home-grown defense. In fact, all 14 defensive starters this season began their college football careers at OU.

• Through five games, the Sooners have allowed just 27 second-half points (5.4 average), including only three points in the third quarter (by Georgia after recovering a fumble at the OU 28-yard line and gaining one yard).

• In its two home games, OU has allowed just six points (two field goals by New Mexico). The Sooners beat UTEP 51-0 and the Lobos 14-6. One of UNM's field goals came on a drive that started at OU's 22-yard line following an interception (the Lobos lost two yards on the ensuing possession).

• Linebacker Owen Heinecke, who is in his fifth year at Oklahoma (was on Ohio State's lacrosse team in the 2021-22 school year), has led OU in tackles in four of five contests this season and boasts a team-high 36 stops on the year (4.5 for loss). He was a walk-on his first three years with the Sooners.

• Oklahoma's tight ends combined for one receiving touchdown last season (by the now-departed Kaden Helms), but first-year Sooner tight ends Rocky Beers (40-yarder vs. UTEP; 17-yarder at Georgia) and Hayden Hansen (29-yarder vs. New Mexico) have combined for three this season. Under the direction of first-year tight ends coach Jason Witten, Beers, a sixth-year player who most recently played at Colorado State, ranks second on the team with 22 catches and 284 yards, while Hansen, who played the last four years at Florida, has five grabs for 74 yards.

• Beers ranks seventh nationally among tight ends (second in the SEC) with his 56.8 receiving yards per game.

• In their 28 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 236-52 off turnovers (17-3 this year). In their 14 losses during the same span, they have been outscored 132-33 off turnovers (24-6 this season).

NORMAN, OK - September 04, 2026 - Oklahoma Football Team during the game between the UTEP Miners and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

SOONERS TO WEAR THROWBACK ALTERNATE UNIFORM

• Oklahoma will wear its throwback alternate uniform for Saturday's game against Kentucky. Drawing inspiration from the uniforms of the dominant Bud Wilkinson era, the alternate ensemble features crimson jerseys with white numerals, white tri-stripes on the shoulder sleeves and SEC and Jordan Brand patches. The uniform also includes crimson striping on the sides of the white pants and on the top of the logo-free white helmet. The helmet stripe is painted as opposed to a decal.

• The alternate uniform is representative of the one worn by Oklahoma teams from 1946-56 and closely resembles the "Sooner Legacy" uniform OU donned Aug. 30, 2003, in a 37-3 season-opening home win over North Texas. This is the third straight year OU has worn this specific throwback uniform (also in 2024 vs. Houston and 2025 vs. Kent State).

• Wilkinson coached the Sooners from 1947-63 and compiled a 145-29-4 (.826) record. The 1969 College Football Hall of Fame inductee led Oklahoma to 47 consecutive wins from the 1953 to 1957 seasons, still the longest streak in FBS history. Wilkinson, who compiled a 40-11 combined record against rivals Nebraska (14-3), Oklahoma State (17-0) and Texas (9-8), directed OU to its first three AP national championships in 1950, 1955 and 1956. The 1956 squad is often regarded as Wilkinson's finest, and possibly the best in program history. It went 10-0, posted six shutouts and outscored opponents 466-51.

• Wilkinson is the only individual in NCAA annals to win three national titles as both a player (1934-1936 with Minnesota) and a head coach.

FOR THE FANS

• Stadium gates will open at 4:30 p.m. this Saturday. Approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game (4:20 p.m. this Saturday), OU players and coaches will arrive at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium via team buses and walk to their stadium entrance while being cheered by fans. This year's "Walk of Champions" path again originates from the Jenkins Ave./Brooks St. intersection just northeast of the stadium (view map here). The team will be led by the Sooner Schooner and OU Spirit.

• Once again, the Allstate Party at the Palace will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for fans of all ages, this week running from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Party at the Palace will offer and feature a variety of food and beverage trucks, family-friendly activities, The Franchise pregame radio show and an LED video screen showing games in progress. The one-of-a-kind Red Rocket Ford Model T will also be on display for photo opportunities. Additionally this Saturday, the OU women's basketball team will sign autographs from 4:30-5:15 p.m.

• Fans are encouraged to stay in their seats at halftime of the game as the 2026 national champion Oklahoma baseball team will be honored.

• The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department announced a series of fan experience enhancements ahead of the Sooners' season opener. The expansion of offerings and upgrades to services range from pregame festivities and tailgating to concessions and merchandise opportunities, in-game engagement, exclusive experiences, a digital concierge service and more.

• OU is building on the success of last season's North Oval tailgating experience by introducing a new turnkey tailgating option at Boyd Lawn this fall while keeping the North Oval free and open for public tailgating. The North Oval will once again serve as the centerpiece of OU game day, remaining free for all fans on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans are encouraged to continue bringing their own tents, chairs and tailgating equipment to one of the most iconic gathering places on campus. The new hassle-free Boyd Lawn tailgating packages are available through REVELXP. The premium experience offers fully furnished tailgating setups, allowing groups to simply arrive and enjoy gameday without the work of setup or teardown. For more detailed information on all campus tailgating options, click here.

• OU Athletics and Sooner Sports Properties are producing limited-edition collectible game programs in high-quality print for home football contests against Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Texas A&M – OU's four 2026 SEC home opponents. Souvenir game programs are available for preorder for $20 each, and the 2026 OU Football Media Guide can be purchased for $40 (limited stock). Click here to order.

• New this season, OU Athletics is utilizing Bud, an AI-powered digital concierge available on SoonerSports.com and in the Oklahoma Sooners app. Bud provides immediate answers to common questions about tickets, parking, venue policies, accessibility, lost and found and more. During events, fans can also report incidents such as maintenance needs, spills or safety concerns, all of which will be routed in real time to the appropriate OU Athletics personnel. Fans can also "Share a Win" by recognizing exceptional service or highlighting a positive experience. Bud, powered by the fan engagement and incident management platform Relayed, will be accessible on SoonerSports.com via the chat widget pop-up in the bottom-right corner of the site. In the Oklahoma Sooners app, Bud is accessible on game days via the main navigation area at the bottom of the screen.

• For a full list of OU game day policies, procedures and additional fan information, click here.

OPENING KICK

• The 2026 season marks the 132nd in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference championships and 33 AP top-five finishes. They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied) and 27 11-plus-win seasons, third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, fifth with 59 bowl appearances and sixth with 426 NFL Draft picks.

• Saturday's contest will mark the 1,370th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth nationally with their .723 all-time winning percentage (963-353-53 record), trailing Ohio State (.736), Alabama (.734), Notre Dame (.734) and Michigan (.732). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 719 wins (25 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).

• The SEC leads the country with its nine teams ranked in this week's AP Top 25, and four of those squads are in the top nine. The Big Ten ranks second with six top-25 teams (two in top 10) and is followed by the Big 12 with five, ACC with three and Pac-12 one. The other team is Notre Dame (independent).

• Oklahoma went 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the SEC in 2025 and earned the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff (lost 34-24 to No. 9 seed Alabama in Norman). Kentucky went 5-7 overall and 2-6 in SEC play and did not qualify for a bowl game.

RECAPPING THE WIN OVER TEXAS

• Fifth-year kicker Tate Sandell made a 47-yard field goal as time expired to give Oklahoma a 27-24 win over No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Saturday. It was the second game in program history in which OU scored the winning points as the clock hit zeroes.

• The win was Oklahoma's first over an AP No. 1-ranked team since 2007, stopping a four-game losing streak to No. 1 teams, and its first ever over a No. 1-ranked Texas squad.

• The Sooners scored a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams, and Sandell made two field goals (also a season-long 53-yarder that made the score 17-10 in the third quarter).

• OU's first points came on a blocked punt by junior defensive end Danny Okoye in the second quarter that was recovered in the end zone by junior defensive back Dakoda Fields to tie the game at 7.

• Oklahoma trailed 17-7 at halftime, but scored the first 17 points of the second half to take a 24-17 lead with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter. OU, which netted one rushing yard on 13 carries in the first half, rushed for 80 yards on 12 carries in the third quarter when it held a 9:53 to 5:07 time of possession advantage.

• Junior running back Lloyd Avant scored on a 2-yard rush on the second play of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 17. Two UT possessions later, OU senior defensive back Peyton Bowen picked off a pass by Arch Manning and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown to give the Sooners a 24-17 lead.

• With the game tied 24-24, sophomore defensive back Courtland Guillory intercepted a Manning pass at the OU 39-yard line with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Fifth-year quarterback John Mateer then connected with fifth-year wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III for 13- and 20-yard sideline completions to bring the Sooners to the UT 28, setting up Sandell's game-winner.

• The OU defense forced eight punts, a season-high seven three-and-out possessions and a total of 10 non-scoring possessions of four plays or fewer.

• Sophomore defensive back Trystan Haynes and freshman running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. made their first career starts, and junior wide receiver and former Longhorn Parker Livingston made his first OU start. Haynes registered a career-high seven tackles and his first career pass breakup.

• Bowen was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week, Sandell was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week and the Sooners were named the Pop-Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the week, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

SERIES HISTORY VS. KENTUCKY

• Oklahoma holds a 2-1 series lead against Kentucky, winning matchups on both campuses and falling in the 1951 Sugar Bowl.

• The first series meeting came in OU's fifth-ever bowl game. The No. 1-ranked Sooners went 10-0 in the 1950 regular season under fourth-year head coach Bud Wilkinson to win the program's first AP national title, but fell 13-7 on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl to Paul "Bear" Bryant's No. 7 Wildcats. The loss snapped OU's 31-game winning streak. The Sooners, who fell behind 13-0, fumbled seven times on the day and lost five of them. A fourth-quarter 17-yard TD pass from Billy Vessels to Merrill Green cut the UK lead to six, but the comeback effort was foiled by an interception in the final minute in front of a crowd of 80,206 at Tulane Stadium. OU got 121 rushing yards from Leon "Mule Train" Heath on 20 carries and held Kentucky to seven first downs and 189 total yards.

• The first on-campus meeting came in Oklahoma's 1980 season opener in Norman. Kentucky led 7-0 and the score was tied at 7-7 entering the fourth quarter. Barry Switzer's No. 4 Sooners, who were quarterbacked by J.C. Watts, scored 22 points in the final 15 minutes for a 29-7 victory. OU outgained the Fran Curci's Wildcats 410 yards to 227, including 168-52 through the air. In a game that included nine turnovers (four by the Sooners and five by UK), OU averaged 28.0 yards on its six completions. Oklahoma went on to finish 10-2, go 7-0 in the Big Eight Conference and beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl. The Sooner Schooner was designated as OU's official mascot that season (it first appeared in 1964 vs. USC).

• The most recent matchup was a battle of unranked squads on Sept. 18, 1982, at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky. The Sooners opened the year ranked No. 9 in the AP poll but lost to West Virginia in game one. They rebounded in their second outing by knocking off UK 29-8 behind a Wishbone rushing attack that yielded 365 yards on 64 carries. Quarterback Danny Bradley rushed for a team-high 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns. OU intercepted four passes, including one by Darrell Songy he returned 40 yards for a TD, and held head coach Jerry Claiborne's Wildcats to 268 yards of offense. Switzer's Sooners finished 8-4 overall and 6-1 in the Big Eight and lost to Arizona State in the Fiesta Bowl.

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS

• Oklahoma is 153-17 (.900) at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first year as head coach), giving it just three more home losses than conference titles during the period. It is the third-best home winning percentage in the country over the stretch (Boise State, .908; Ohio State, .901). OU has outscored its foes by an average of 42-17 in those games.

• OU's sellout streak of originally scheduled home contests is 169 games, dating back to the start of the 1999 campaign. Only Nebraska has a longer current streak.

• This marks the 102nd season of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The first game was played Oct. 17, 1925, a 7-0 victory over Drake.

• The first game played at the current stadium site, called Owen Field and named after former head coach and athletics director Bennie Owen (a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame), took place in 1923, before stadium construction got underway.

• The Sooners own a sparkling 431-90-15 (.818) all-time record at the "Palace on the Prairie" and have faced 101 opponents there.

NORMAN, OK - September 19, 2026 - Oklahoma Tight End Hayden Hansen (#89) during the game between the New Mexico Lobos and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Peyton Martin/University of Oklahoma

YEAR THREE IN THE SEC

• Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the Southeastern Conference on July 1, 2024, after 28 years in the Big 12 Conference. OU won half (14) of the Big 12's football titles in its 28 years in the league and posted a 187-61 (.754) record against conference competition (includes an 11-1 record in Big 12 championship games).

• Oklahoma's 14 Big 12 titles were 10 more than the program with the next most (Texas won four). From 2010 through 2023, OU won eight Big 12 titles and was followed by Baylor (three), Kansas State (two) and Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas (one each).

ANOTHER SCHEDULE GAUNTLET

• OU has already faced three top-25 opponents this season (at No. 24 Michigan [coaches poll], at No. 2/2 Georgia and vs. No. 1/1 Texas), and four of its remaining seven foes are ranked in this week's poll: vs. No. 15/17 Kentucky, at No. 16/19 Mississippi State, vs. No. 9/10 Ole Miss and at No. 13/13 Missouri.

• This is the third straight season Oklahoma's schedule is among the nation's most challenging. Entering the year, the Sooners' strength of schedule was ranked as the country's second toughest in ESPN's FPI. OU's 2025 schedule was rated as the most difficult in the nation entering that campaign.

AYE AYE

• For the second straight year, the Sooners have season-long team captains (OU named weekly captains each of Brent Venables' first three years). This season's nine captains are senior defensive back Peyton Bowen, sophomore offensive lineman Michael Fasusi, sixth-year linebacker Owen Heinecke, fifth-year linebacker Kip Lewis, fifth-year offensive lineman Jake Maikkula, fifth-year quarterback John Mateer, junior offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis, junior defensive lineman David Stone and senior defensive lineman Taylor Wein. Lewis and Mateer were captains last season.

Oklahoma safety Peyton Bowen runs past a Texas defender as he returns an interception 42 yards against the Longhorns in a 27-24 OU win at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Oct. 10, 2026.

NOTING THE OFFENSE

• In its 13 games last season, Oklahoma registered 11 touchdown passes of at least 20 yards. Through five games this season, John Mateer has registered six such plays (53, 48, 40, 34, 29 and 22 yards). He also has passing TDs of 17 and 14 yards.

• After converting nearly all of its red-zone opportunities into points last season (34 of 35; 25 touchdowns), OU has scored on nine of its 10 trips into the red zone (90%) through the first five games of this season. The Sooners have scored five red-zone TDs and made four field goals.

• Oklahoma returned 19 letterwinners on offense, including eight players who started at least six games last season, and welcomed 13 newcomers on that side of the ball for the 2026 season. The most returning experience is on the offensive line. Five 2026 Sooners started at least six games last season and have now combined for 78 career starts: fifth-year senior Jake Maikkula (30 career starts, 14 at OU), senior Heath Ozaeta (18 career starts), junior Eddy Pierre-Louis (nine career starts, including eight of the last nine games in which he played) and sophomores Michael Fasusi (11 starts at left tackle) and Ryan Fodje (started each of the final six contests at right tackle or right guard last season and has started the last four games at left tackle).

• Three offensive line transfers have combined for 46 career starts: fifth-year senior E'Marion Harris (Arkansas) has made 29 career starts (five this season at OU), senior Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky) has 10 and junior Fred Hinton (Eastern Kentucky) has seven. The Sooners also signed two freshman offensive linemen in top-35 inside offensive line prospects Noah Best and Deacon Schmitt. Best has started each of the first five games this season (center vs. UTEP, right guard the next three games and left guard against Texas).

• Fifth-year wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III leads the Sooners with 25 receptions for 331 yards and two touchdowns (34 yards vs. UTEP and 53 yards vs. New Mexico). He has four TD receptions of at least 50 yards at OU, including ones of 58, 76 and 87 yards last season. He also has five career 100-yard receiving games, all as a Sooner.

• Mateer, in his fifth year overall and second as OU's starter, has totaled 4,424 offensive yards and 28 touchdowns as a Sooner (3,923 yards and 28 TDs passing and 501 yards and eight TDs rushing). Junior Whitt Newbauer saw action in three games in his first season at OU last year after starting seven games at Mercer in 2024, and played in the 2026 season opener vs. UTEP (completed lone pass attempt and rushed for a 3-yard TD). Freshman Bowe Bentley was a consensus four-star and top-eight QB prospect nationally.

• Junior transfer running back Lloyd Avant (Colorado State) leads OU in rushing through five games with his 236 yards on 52 carries (two touchdowns on rushes of 1 yard vs. UTEP and 2 yards vs. Texas) and has 912 career rushing yards and eight TDs. His 42-yard run in the third quarter vs. Texas was OU's longest rushing play of the season. Junior Xavier Robinson (421 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season; 50 yards on 13 carries this season) and sophomore Tory Blaylock (team-high 480 rushing yards and four TDs as a freshman; 22 yards on 10 carries this year) are OU's top returning running backs. Freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr. (No. 5 running back prospect in the country) started vs. Texas last game and has 55 yards on 19 carries.

• Oklahoma added plenty of size to the tight end room in the transfer portal, bringing in 6-5, 240-pound sixth-year senior Rocky Beers (Colorado State), 6-8, 270-pound fifth-year senior Hayden Hansen (Florida) and 6-4, 250-pound sophomore Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) to go with returning fifth-year senior John Locke Jr., senior Kade McIntyre and sophomore Trynae Washington. Beers leads the group with 22 receptions and 284 yards (two TDs) this season, while Hansen has five catches for 74 yards and a score.

• Sategna is OU's only returning wide receiver who made at least 10 catches last season. Fifth-year transfer Trell Harris (Virginia) has made six receptions for 104 yards and a TD, but has missed the last three games due to injury. Junior Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State), who made his first catch at OU on a 22-yard touchdown play at Michigan, has four receptions for 40 yards and made his first career start at Georgia, while Parker Livingstone (Texas) has six catches for 51 yards so far this season. Harris caught 59 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns last season, while Livingstone registered 516 yards and two scores in 2025. Sophomore Elijah Thomas (four receptions for 38 yards) has started three games this year.

NOTING THE DEFENSE

• Through five games, Oklahoma's opponents have scored on just 15 of their 62 offensive possessions (24%). That includes nine touchdowns (only six on drives of more than 50 yards).

• OU boasted one of the country's best defensive units last season and is off to a strong 2026 start. The Sooners rank third nationally in third-down-conversion defense (22.7%; leads SEC), seventh in passing defense (150.0 ypg; leads SEC) and red-zone defense (60.7%; leads SEC), 14th in total defense (266.8 ypg; fourth in SEC) and sacks (3.0 per game; fourth in SEC), 27th in tackles for loss (6.6 per game), 29th in scoring defense (17.6 ppg; fifth in SEC) and 39th in rushing defense (116.8 ypg). OU has allowed the fewest opponent first downs nationally (12.8 per game).

• OU has been especially strong on third downs since head coach Brent Venables took over defensive play-calling duties prior to the 2025 season, ranking second nationally by limiting opponents to a 26.7% percent conversion rate (only Texas A&M at 24.5% has allowed a lower conversion rate during that span).

• Defensive success begins up front, and the line once again is one of the team's strongest units. The returning group of primary contributors in seniors Taylor Wein and Adepoju Adebawore and juniors Jayden Jackson, Danny Okoye and David Stone have totaled 59.0 career tackles for loss and 27.0 career sacks. Returning junior Wyatt Gilmore and sophomore Trent Wilson have joined the rotation this season, along with fifth-year senior Bishop Thomas (transfer from Georgia State), junior Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) and freshman Jake Kreul. Gilmore has made eight tackles (1.5 TFLs), Thomas has made seven tackles (0.5 sack, 1.0 TFL) and Wilson has made five tackles (2.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack).

• The Sooners' linebacker corps returned fifth-year senior Kip Lewis, who has made 34 career starts and totaled 221 career tackles (19.5 for loss). Sixth-year senior Owen Heinecke was extremely productive in his breakout 2025 season and has now started each of the last 10 contests. He ranked second on the team with 74 tackles (12.0 for loss) last year and leads the squad with 36 stops this season (4.5 for loss, one sack and two QB hurries). OU also returned junior James Nesta, who has made 17 tackles in five games this season (with a pass breakup, a QB hurry and a fumble recovery), including five in his first career start vs. New Mexico, and brought in highly regard transfer Cole Sullivan, who registered 44 tackles in 11 games and three starts at Michigan last year. Sullivan has four tackles and a pass breakup this season, but left the Michigan game early and missed the next two due to injury. He returned vs. Texas.

• The defensive backfield is stout again with six returners who have now combined for 72 career starts. Senior Peyton Bowen (25 starts) logged career highs of 47 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups last season and ranks second on the team with his 24 stops this year (2.5 for loss). He also has a team-high four PBUs and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown vs. Texas. Junior Eli Bowen (21 career starts at cornerback) has notched 12 tackles and two PBUs in his four starts this season (missed the Texas game due to injury) after recording 24 tackles, two interceptions (including an 87-yarder for a TD in a win at No. 4 Alabama) and four PBUs in nine contests last year. Sophomore Courtland Guillory has made 16 career starts (five this season) at cornerback and has three PBUs and registered his first career interception vs. Texas. Junior Reggie Powers III has started each of the first five games this season at the "Cheetah" position and ranks third on the team with 23 tackles (4.0 for loss and 2.0 sacks) and has two PBUs and a QB hurry. Junior Michael Boganowski has 50 tackles in 29 career games (three career starts; two this season) and senior Jacobe Johnson has three career interceptions in 41 games (two starts).

• A pair of sophomore defensive backs have stepped into larger roles this season, as Omarion Robinson has started each of the last three games at safety and Trystan Haynes made his first career start in OU's win over Texas. In five games this season, Robinson ranks fourth on the team with his 20 tackles, has one of OU's three interceptions and a pass breakup and a QB hurry (the hurry was on Guillory's late interception vs. Texas). Haynes has 10 tackles this season, including seven stops and his first career PBU vs. Texas.

A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS

• Oklahoma's special teams have drastically improved since the arrival of coordinator Doug Deakin. After finishing No. 127 in ESPN's special teams efficiency ratings in 2023 (the year before Deakin's arrival), the Sooners jumped to No. 41 in 2024 and to No. 10 in 2025.

• Oklahoma returned all four major players in the kicking game from last season, including reigning Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell and first-team All-SEC punter Grayson Miller. Three-year standout long snapper Ben Anderson and holder Jacob Ulrich are also back this season. Ulrich started last season as OU's punter before giving way to Miller due to an injury, and has served as the team's punter the last two games against Georgia and Texas. Anderson is OU's long snapper for the fourth straight year.

• Sandell, who transferred to OU from UTSA last year, is 5 for 8 on field goal attempts this season and 29 for 35 in his year-plus at OU. He is also 47 for 47 on PATs at OU. After missing three straight field goal attempts (from 41 yards vs. New Mexico, 54 yards at Georgia and 53 yards vs. Texas), Sandell converted from 53 yards and made the 47-yard game-winner over the No. 1 Longhorns as time expired. Miller is averaging 45.0 yards on 10 punts this season, including three of longer than 50 yards (long of 62). He set an OU record for punts longer than 50 yards last season (24). Ulrich has averaged 44.3 yards on 16 punts this season with five of 50-plus yards and a long of 56.

• Isaiah Sategna III ranks third nationally this season by averaging 18.6 yards on his seven punt returns, and took his first punt return of the year 88 yards for a touchdown. He averaged 13.3 yards on 24 returns last year.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (719) than any other program (next most is 694 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 32).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (44), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• Since the start of the 2000 season, OU ranks second with 19 seasons of at least 10 wins.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,546 points scored. Boise State (13,317) is second and Oregon (13,137) third.

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma is 7-8 all-time against teams ranked No. 15 in the AP poll, including 0-4 in games when OU is unranked (the last such occurrence was a 27-25 loss to Colorado in 1998). The Sooners' last game against a team ranked 15th in the AP poll was a 24-13 home win over Michigan last season (OU was ranked 18th).

• OU leads all SEC programs with its 925 all-time AP poll appearances. Alabama ranks second (914), Texas third (813), Georgia fourth (702) and LSU fifth (693).

• Kentucky receiver Nic Anderson (2022-24) and running back Jovantae Barnes (2022-25) each began their careers at Oklahoma. All of Anderson's OU output (38 catches for 738 yards and 10 touchdowns) came in 2023. Barnes played in 29 games at OU, rushing 294 times for 1,281 yards (4.4 per carry) and 12 TDs.