Game Primer: OU at Michigan

Saturday, September 12

Ann Arbor, Mich.

11 a.m. CT

University of Oklahoma

Michigan

September 10, 2026 | Football

Game Center Game Notes

#11 Oklahoma

Michigan

Saturday, Sept. 12 / 11 a.m. CT / Michigan Stadium

FOX / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• Two of college football's all-time powerhouse programs meet for just the third time when No. 11/11 Oklahoma plays at No. RV/24 Michigan on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at Michigan Stadium. The game, OU's first in Ann Arbor, will be televised by FOX with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft announcing.

• 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 1,366th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth nationally with their .723 all-time winning percentage (961- 351-53 record), trailing Ohio State (.736), Alabama (.734), Notre Dame (.733) and Michigan (.732). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 717 wins (27 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).

• This marked the 27th straight season for Oklahoma to be ranked in the preseason AP poll. OU has been ranked 20th or better in each of the last 27 preseason polls and 10th or better in 21 of the last 26. It has also ended seven of the last 11 seasons ranked in the AP top 10

• The SEC, which went 16-0 in week 1, led the country with its nine teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. The Big Ten ranked second with eight preseason top-25 teams and was followed by the Big 12 with four and the ACC with three. The other team is Notre Dame (independent). The SEC also led the nation with five preseason top-10 teams and seven top-15 squads

• Oklahoma is coming off a 10-3 season in which it went 6-2 in the SEC and earned the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff (lost 34-24 to No. 9 seed Alabama in Norman). Michigan went 9-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten before falling 41-27 to Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

KEY STORYLINES

• Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between Oklahoma and Michigan, with OU winning the first two (14-6 in 1976 Orange Bowl to win the 1975 national title and 24-13 last season in Norman).

• Oklahoma has played just one game in the state of Michigan. In Bud Wilkinson's first game as the Sooners' head coach, they beat Detroit 24-20 on the night of Friday, Sept. 26, 1947, at University of Detroit Stadium. Wilkinson, a College Football Hall of Famer who engineered a still-FBS-record 47-game winning streak, posted a 145-29-4 (.826) record at OU from 1947-63 and won AP national titles in 1950, 1955 and 1956.

• Oklahoma went 4-0 in true road games last season, winning 42-3 at Temple, 26-7 at South Carolina, 33-27 at No. 14 Tennessee and 23-21 at No. 4 Alabama. OU held those teams to an average of 297.5 yards (4.3 per play) and 55.8 rushing yards (223 yards on 129 carries; 1.7 per carry).

• Fifty-one percent of the defensive players on OU's depth chart (18 of 35) are in at least their third year in the program. Conversely, 16% of the offensive players on the depth chart (five of 32) are in their third year or more. Fifteen offensive players on the depth chart are first-year Sooners and 12 are in their second seasons.

• All 11 of the Sooners' defensive starters against UTEP began their college football careers at OU.

• In its 13 games last season, OU registered five touchdown passes of at least 30 yards. In last week's opener against UTEP, the Sooners had three such plays (34, 40 and 48 yards).

• Oklahoma's 2025 defense was its best under Brent Venables, who is now in his fifth season as head coach. The Sooners led the nation last year in sacks per game (3.5) and tackles for loss per contest (9.4), and paced the SEC in scoring defense (15.5 ppg), total defense (272.5 ypg), rushing defense (77.3 ypg), passing defense efficiency (115.8 rating) and first downs allowed (194). In the 2026 opener against UTEP, the unit picked up where it left off by not allowing a point and limiting the Miners to 198 total yards (3.5 per play), 86 passing yards, 2.9 yards per rush and just 10 first downs.

• Forty-eight of Oklahoma's 114 players (42%) are newcomers (26 freshmen, 22 transfers).

• Fifty-two percent (25 of 48) of the Sooners' newcomers this season are on offense, while 22 are defensive players and one is a special teams player. All 16 transfers on the week 1 depth chart played in the opener vs. UTEP: running back Lloyd Avant (Colorado State), receivers Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State), Trell Harris (Virginia) and Parker Livingstone (Texas), tight ends Rocky Beers (Colorado State), Hayden Hansen (Florida) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee), offensive linemen E'Marion Harris (Arkansas), Fred Hinton (Eastern Kentucky), Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech) and Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), as well as linebacker Cole Sullivan (Michigan), defensive linemen Danny Asaili (Arkansas), Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) and Bishop Thomas (Georgia State) and defensive back Dakoda Fields (Oregon).

RECAPPING THE WIN OVER UTEP

• Fifth-yard senior WR Isaiah Sategna III scored two touchdowns (one on an 88-yard punt return), fifth-year senior QB John Mateer passed for 225 yards and three touchdowns and the defense allowed just 198 total yards as No. 10 Oklahoma shut out UTEP 51-0 on Friday night in Norman.

• Sategna, named SEC Special TEams Player of the Week, totaled a career-high 215 all-purpose yards, including 115 yards on two punt returns. He also had 76 yards on four catches and 24 yards on the opening kickoff return. He scored on a 34-yard reception in the third quarter to put OU up 34-0. His 88-yard punt return was the seventh-longest in OU history (longest since 2013).

• Mateer completed 11 of 17 passes (65%; no interceptions). His 234.1 passer rating was his best at OU. In order, his TD passes went to sixth-year senior TE Rocky Beers (40-yarder), Sategna and fifth-year senior WR Trell Harris (48-yarder). Beers (43 yards) and Harris (61 yards) each made two catches.

• Junior RB Lloyd Avant scored the game's first TD on a 1-yard rush on OU's opening possession. He had a game-high 79 yards on 15 carries. Junior QB Whitt Newbauer scored on a 3-yard rush in the fourth quarter.

• OU, which led 21-0 after the first quarter and 27-0 at halftime, scored on its first eight possessions (not including Sategna's punt return). Its first of two punts in the game came with 9:55 left in the fourth quarter

• Fifth-year senior K Tate Sandell, who won the Lou Groza Award last year, made both of his field goal attempts (from 33 and 32 yards) and all five of his PAT attempts. Junior K Liam Evans made his first career field goal try (from 34 yards in the third quarter) and provided the PAT after Newbauer's TD.

• Oklahoma outgained UTEP 401 to 198 in total yards (231 to 86 in passing), and limited the Miners to a 15% third-down conversion rate (2 of 13). The Sooners averaged 6.9 yards per play and 19.3 yards per completion.

• Junior DB Reggie Powers III and sixth-year senior LB Owen Heinecke each logged a game-high seven tackles. Senior DL Adepoju Adebawore and freshman LB Dane Bathurst each had one of OU's four sacks. Bathurst, senior DL Taylor Wein and junior DL Wyatt Gilmore each had 1.5 of OU's 10 tackles for loss.

• Eight players (six offensive, two defensive) made their first OU starts: Adebawore, Avant, Beers, Trell Harris, Powers, fifth-year TE Hayden Hansen, fifth-year OL E'Marion Harris and freshman OL Noah Best.

• Best became the first OU true freshman to start a season opener at center since J.R. Conrad in 1992.

NORMAN, OK - September 04, 2026 - Oklahoma Wide Receiver Trell Harris (#11) 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

OU-MICHIGAN SERIES HISTORY

• Oklahoma is 2-0 all-time vs. Michigan, winning the 1976 Orange Bowl 14-6 to earn the 1975 national title and posting a 24-13 home victory last season on Sept. 6 in Norman.

2025 RECAP

• No. 18/24 Oklahoma held No. 15/13 Michigan to 288 yards and 12 first downs in posting a 24-13 home win in front of 84,107 spectators. The Sooners limited the Wolverines to nine completions on 24 attempts. The 37.5 completion percentage was the lowest by an OU opponent since the 2023 season.

• The Sooners, who snapped Michigan's nine-game streak of holding opponents to 17 or fewer points, converted 10 of 18 third- and fourth-down plays (56%) while holding UM to a 3-for-15 performance (20%).

• Quarterback John Mateer accounted for 344 total yards and three touchdowns. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards and a TD while rushing 19 times for 74 yards and two scores.

• With the Sooners leading 21-13 in the fourth quarter, Mateer led a 16-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 8:27 and resulted in a field goal with 1:44 left to seal the victory.

• OU outgained Michigan 408 yards to 288. UM's only TD came on a Justice Haynes 75-yard rush on the first play of the second half to cut OU's lead to 14-7. UM totaled 71 yards on its other 31 carries (2.3 average).

• Michael Fasusi became the first OU freshman to start at left tackle in his first career game. He played 66 snaps and allowed just one quarterback pressure on 33 pass-blocking plays.

1976 ORANGE BOWL RECAP

• Barry Switzer's 1975 Sooners posted a 14-6 Orange Bowl win over the Wolverines on Jan. 1, 1976, to claim their fifth of seven AP national championships. It was OU's first bowl game under Switzer, and second national title (the 1974 Sooners were prohibited by the NCAA from playing in a bowl game but still were crowned AP national champs).

• Under the direction of head coach Bo Schembechler, Michigan became the first Big Ten team to play in the Orange Bowl. It was also the Wolverines' first time facing a team that ran the "Wishbone" offense.

• No. 1-ranked Ohio State lost 23-10 to UCLA in the Rose Bowl earlier in the day, opening the door for No. 3 OU to claim a national title, as No. 2 Texas A&M had lost 20-0 to USC in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 22.

• OU fumbled four times and lost three, but outgained Michigan 345-202 in total yards. The Sooners surrendered 169 rushing yards and just 33 passing yards. The Wolverines completed only two of 20 pass attempts and threw three interceptions. Their first completion came with under 40 seconds left in the game.

• The Sooners' touchdowns came on a 39-yard end-around by receiver Billy Brooks in the second quarter and a 10-yard keeper by quarterback Steve Davis on the first play of the fourth quarter. Michigan's only score came on a 2-yard rush by Gordie Bell after OU fumbled at its own 2, but the two-point conversion failed.

• Davis, playing in his final collegiate game, rushed 19 times for 55 yards and completed 3 of 5 passes for 63 yards. His record as OU's starting quarterback improved to 32-1-1, the same as Switzer's as OU head coach.

• The dominant Oklahoma defense was led by brothers Dewey and Lee Roy Selmon. The consensus firstteam All-America defensive linemen combined for 23 tackles. Dewey Selmon's 13 tackles still stand as the most ever by an OU defensive lineman in a bowl game.

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 championships 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

• For the third straight season, Oklahoma's schedule is among the nation's most challenging. The Sooners' strength of schedule is 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 the campaign.

• OU is scheduled to play four of the top 10 teams in the AP preseason poll and six of the top 25 squads: No. 3 Georgia (away), No. 5 Texas (neutral site), No. 8 Texas A&M (home), No. 9 Ole Miss (home), No. 16 Michigan (away) and No. 25 Missouri (away). Oklahoma will also face Florida (away), South Carolina (home) and New Mexico (home), all of which received votes in the preseason AP poll.

AYE AYE

• For the second straight season, 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 PierreLouis, junior defensive lineman David Stone and senior defensive lineman Taylor Wein. Lewis and Mateer were captains last season.

NEW ASSISTANT COACHES

• The 2026 Oklahoma coaching staff features five new assistant coaches, four on offense and one on defense. In January, head coach Brent Venables announced former NFL tight end great Jason Witten as tight ends coach, and in February hired Deland McCullough as running backs coach and LaMar Morgan as cornerbacks coach, filling open positions on the staff. OU also promoted former offensive analyst John Kuceyeski to quarterbacks coach, longtime college offensive coordinator and former head coach Kevin Wilson to assistant head coach for offense and former defensive analyst Xavier Brewer to assistant secondary coach.

• Witten is a former All-Pro tight end who played 17 seasons in the NFL and guided two state championship teams in his five-year tenure as a high school head football coach in Texas. Over his 17-year NFL career, Witten compiled 1,228 receptions for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns. A two-time first-team All-Pro selection and an 11-time Pro Bowler, he ranks fourth all-time in NFL receptions and 22nd in yards among all receivers (second among tight ends in both categories). After retiring from the NFL following the 2020 season, he served as head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, and led the Warriors to consecutive state championships in 2023 and '24.

• McCullough is a veteran of college and NFL coaching who won a Super Bowl title with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Since becoming a full-time running backs coach in 2011, he has mentored backs who have produced 17 seasons of 1,000 or more yards from scrimmage. He spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and the previous three at Notre Dame, and also spent time at Indiana and USC.

• Morgan is a 14-year college assistant coach who coordinated defenses for two years at Louisiana-Lafayette from 2022-23 and spent the 2024-25 seasons at Michigan, where he served as defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach.

• Kuceyeski, who served as an OU offensive analyst last season, spent the previous two years at Washington State (offensive quality control role in 2023 and quarterbacks coach in 2024) working with current OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and QB John Mateer.

• Wilson was OU's offensive coordinator from 2002-10 under head coach Bob Stoops and rejoined the Oklahoma staff as special assistant to the head coach/offensive analyst in 2025. He was promoted to assistant head coach for offense this spring. Wilson has more than 40 years of coaching experience, including eight as a head coach and 16 as an offensive coordinator. He served as head coach at Tulsa from 2023-24 following six seasons as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Ohio State (2017-22), and was also Indiana's head coach for six seasons (2011-16).

• Brewer played at Clemson from 2008-12, including his final season with Venables as defensive coordinator. He served as a defensive graduate assistant at Clemson for two seasons and coached cornerbacks at ULMonroe in 2021 before rejoining Venables' first OU staff as a defensive analyst.

SIX SOONERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

• Six Sooners — three on defense, two on special teams and one on offense — earned 2026 preseason AllAmerica recognition.

• Fifth-year kicker Tate Sandell is a first-team preseason All-American by the Associated Press, The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN, USA TODAY and Walter Camp, and a second-team honoree by Phil Steele and Sporting News. Sandell won OU's first Lou Groza Award in 2025 en route to first-team All-America honors. He set the OU and single-season SEC records for most consecutive made field goals (24). His eight makes of 50-plus yards and 16 conversions of 40-plus yards also set school records.

• Fifth-year long snapper Ben Anderson is a first-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele following a second-team All-SEC season as a senior in 2025. Also a two-time semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award for the nation's best long snapper, he has handled all the team's long snapping duties the last three years.

• Junior defensive lineman David Stone is a first-team preseason All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, Phil Steele and Sports Illustrated and a second-teamer by Sporting News and Walter Camp. Stone played in all 13 games (two starts) last season and registered 42 tackles, the most on the team among defensive linemen. He also tallied 8.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and six QB hurries.

• Fifth-year linebacker Kip Lewis is a first-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele and second-team selection by USA TODAY. Lewis led the team last season with 76 tackles and totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and four pass breakups.

• Senior defensive back Peyton Bowen is a second-team preseason All-American by Sports Illustrated. Bowen, a 2025 All-SEC Second Team selection by the league's coaches, started all 13 games at safety last season and totaled 47 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups. In his 39 career games, he has compiled 117 tackles (3.5 for loss), two interceptions and 12 pass breakups.

• Fifth-year wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III picked up fourth-team preseason All-America honors from Phil Steele. Sategna was a first-team All-SEC pick by the media and a second-team selection by the coaches at both wide receiver and return specialist in 2025. He led OU and ranked second in the league in receptions (68) and third in receiving yards (965) and receiving touchdowns (eight) last season.

COLUMBIA, SC - October 18, 2025 - Oklahoma Linebacker Kip Lewis (#10) during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

PRESEASON ALL-SEC HONOREES

• Ten Sooners were named to the coaches' and media preseason all-SEC teams. On both lists, fifth-year senior kicker Tate Sandell (placekicker and kickoff specialist) and fifth-year senior long snapper Ben Anderson were named to the first team. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III was a second-team selection as a wide receiver and return specialist. Fifth-year senior linebacker Kip Lewis, fifth-year senior punter Grayson Miller, senior defensive back Peyton Bowen, senior defensive lineman Taylor Wein, junior defensive back Eli Bowen, junior defensive lineman David Stone and sophomore offensive lineman Michael Fasusi were all named to the second team. Sategna was also listed on the coaches team as a second-team all-purpose player.

• Sandell (Lou Groza Award and a first-team All-American), Sategna (at both wide receiver and return specialist) and Miller were first-team All-SEC selections last season by both the coaches and media.

• Anderson, Peyton Bowen and Wein earned 2025 second-team All-SEC honors, and Eli Bowen was a third-team pick.

NOTING THE OFFENSE

• 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 combined for 66 career starts: fifth-year senior Jake Maikkula (started 10 games at center last season), senior Heath Ozaeta (16 career starts), junior Eddy Pierre-Louis (seven career starts, including each of the last six games) and sophomores Michael Fasusi (has started 11 games at left tackle) and Ryan Fodje (started each of the final six contests at right tackle or right guard last season).

• Three offensive line transfers have combined for 42 career starts: fifth-year senior E'Marion Harris (Arkansas) has made 25 career starts, 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.

• Fifth-year quarterback John Mateer returned for his second season as OU's starter after accounting for 3,316 total offensive yards and 22 touchdowns in his 12 games last season (missed the Kent State game due to a right thumb injury that required surgery). 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 Jett Niu (did not play as a freshman) also returned, while freshman Bowe Bentley was a consensus four-star and top-8 QB prospect nationally.

• Junior Xavier Robinson (421 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season) and sophomore Tory Blaylock (team-high 480 rushing yards and four TDs as a freshman) are OU's top returning running backs. The Sooners brought in a pair of transfers in junior Lloyd Avant (Colorado State) and Ben McCreary (Incarnate Word), while freshmen Jonathan Hatton Jr. (No. 5 running back prospect in the country) and DeZephen Walker were both four-star recruits in the class.

• 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. OU also signed a pair of freshmen in Ryder Mix and Tyler Ruxer.

• Fifth-year senior Isaiah Sategna III headlines the returning group of wide receivers. He is OU's only returning wide receiver with at least 10 catches last season, but the Sooners brought in a trio of transfers in fifth-year standout Trell Harris (Virginia) and juniors Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State) and Parker Livingstone (Texas). Harris caught 59 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns last season, while Livingstone registered 516 yards and two scores at Texas in 2025. Those four receivers combine with returning senior Jer'Michael Carter, juniors Ivan Carreon and Jacob Jordan, sophomores Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas and incoming freshmen Daniel Odom, Xavier Okwufulueze, Jayden Petit and Jahsiear Rogers to provide a deep and talented receiving corps.

NOTING THE DEFENSE

• Oklahoma boasted one of the absolute best defensive units in the country last season on its way to the College Football Playoff. The Sooners ranked first nationally in sacks (3.5 per game) and tackles for loss (9.4 per contest), third in rushing defense (77.3 yards per game) and opponent third-down conversion rate (28.2%), sixth in total defense (272.5 yards per game), seventh in scoring defense (15.5 points per game) and 32nd in passing defense (195.2 yards per game). OU also ranked 10th nationally with its three defensive touchdowns. OU returns six defensive players who started at least six contests last season.

• Defensive success begins up front, and the line could once again be 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 47.5 career tackles for loss and 22.5 career sacks. Returning juniors Nigel Smith II and Wyatt Gilmore and sophomore Trent Wilson could join the rotation this season. Fifth-year senior Bishop Thomas (transfer from Georgia State) and junior Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) join the ranks of newcomers, along with freshmen James Carrington, Jake Kreul, Matthew Nelson and Daniel Norman, who all ranked among the top-60 recruits at their position.

• The Sooners' linebacker corps returns fifth-year senior Kip Lewis, who has made 31 career starts and totaled 212 career tackles (19.0 for loss). Sixth-year senior Owen Heinecke was extremely productive in his breakout 2025 season and has now started each of the last six contests. He ranked second on the team with 74 tackles (12.0 for loss) last year. OU also returns junior James Nesta, who made four tackles in 13 games in a special teams and reserve linebacker role last season, and brought in highly regard transfer Cole Sullivan, who registered 44 tackles in 11 games and three starts at Michigan last season.

• The defensive backfield looks to be stout again with five returners who have now combined for 56 career starts. Senior Peyton Bowen (21 starts), logged career highs of 47 tackles, two interceptions and seven PBUs last season. Junior Eli Bowen has made 17 starts at cornerback, including nine last season when he recorded 24 tackles, two interceptions (including an 87-yarder for a TD in a win at No. 4 Alabama) and four pass breakups. Sophomore Courtland Guillory started 11 games at cornerback in 2025. Including senior Jacobe Johnson, who has three career interceptions in 38 games (two starts), junior Reggie Powers III, who has played in 26 career games and made 42 tackles (3.5 for loss), and junior Michael Boganowski, who has 40 tackles in 27 career games (two starts), six defensive backs have seen action in a total of 166 career games.

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.

• Miller set an OU record for punts longer than 50 yards last season. Ulrich started last season as OU's punter before giving way to Miller due to an injury. Anderson will be OU's long snapper for the fourth straight year.

• The Sooners also return kicker Liam Evans, a junior from Moore, Okla., who has made his only career PAT attempt, and sophomore Preston Tarpley, who is in his second season in Norman. OU brought in kicker Trace Rudd, a five-star prospect by Kohl's Kicking, as part of the 2026 signing class.

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 (717) than any other program (next most is 690 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 and is tied for third with 272 victories.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,482 points scored. Boise State (13,134) is second and Oregon (12,966) third.

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma cornerbacks coach LaMar Morgan and junior linebacker Cole Sullivan each spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at Michigan. Morgan was defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach. Sullivan, who played in 23 games, logged three tackles (1.0 sack) and a fumble recovery at OU last year

• The Sooners are 15-6 all-time as the No. 11-ranked AP team (7-4 in true road games). Oklahoma last played as the 11th-ranked AP team last season when it earned a 23-21 road win at No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 15. OU was also ranked No. 11 last season when it defeated No. 22 Auburn 24-17 at home on Sept. 20.

• Oklahoma has won its last 90 games when holding opponents to under 21 points. Its last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).

• OU leads all SEC programs with its 923 all-time AP poll appearances. Alabama ranks second (908), Texas third (807), Georgia fourth (696) and LSU fifth (687).

• In their 27 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 226-49 off turnovers. In their 12 losses during the same span, they have been outscored 108-27 off turnovers.