For Sooners, it’s time for deep commitment, whatever that might be

Brent Venables, left, and Ben Arbuckle, center, celebrate Oklahoma’s victory at Tennessee last season. Entering Saturday’s game against New Mexico, they have decisions to make. (OU Athletics Photo)

For a sportswriter, one like me, anyway, these are the best times, the most exciting times, the you-don’t-know-what’s-going-to-happen times.

Is Ben Arbuckle one more dud away from giving up his offensive coordinator post or, at least, play-calling duties?

Or two or three away?

Or more?

Will Oklahoma bite the bullet it’s never wanted to bite with John Mateer, give up on all it thought he might become and embrace the limited player he’s portrayed himself to be?

Will the Sooners, with their bigger bodies, greater speed and more stars by their names kind of do what they did against UTEP, which is not run the ball very well, not throw the ball particularly much and not gain many yards, yet by sustaining clock-eating drives, getting a turnover or two, perhaps a big play from special teams, throw up a lopsided score anyway, that may do little for a critic like me but very much for Sooner Nation?

Or will it crater?

Because New Mexico is not a bad team.

It won nine games last season, it has defeated its first two opponents this one, Central Michigan — a team I’ve heard of — and Mercyhurst — a team I’ve not — by a combined score of 118-14 and claims a coach who’s won at least nine games in three of his five head-coaching seasons, who’s never had a losing season.

That is, just the type of program capable of sneaking up on a Power Four entry, especially one like OU, which appears lost for answers, unsure of itself, without identity, without an offensive line it can count upon, without a running back who strikes fear, or a quarterback capable of doing no harm.

Really, it’s the best.
Not for you, but for me.

Because I have no expectations, which is so rare as to be exciting; because anything might happen, which fills me with anticipation like the Red River Rivalry does for fans every season; because two games into the year, every game’s become a referendum.

Yes, being the Sooners, it’s kind of always like that, but still not like this.

This is 2005, when Bob Stoops kept throwing Rhett Bomar out there to play quarterback when it should have been Paul Thompson all along.

This is 2011 when Josh Heupel selected Trevor Knight over Blake Bell to succeed Landry Jones at quarterback and neither of them, though each had an opportunity, could keep the job.

This is every season after Mike Stoops proved he was no longer an effective defensive coordinator, yet kept the job until an Oct. 6, 2018, 48-45 loss inside the Cotton Bowl.

It is Lincoln Riley’s final season, when even as OU mostly kept winning, something seemed off the whole time and nobody could figure it out, the Sooners clearly underperforming until Bob Stoops took them back over for the Alamo Bowl, in which they led 30-3 over Oregon in the third quarter before settling on 47-32.

Only this time, even if the ceiling remains a spot in the playoff, the floor is far lower than each of those campaigns.

So what will they do?

No idea.

What should they do?

For good or bad, in victory or defeat, whatever they decide, they should be decisive.

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If the days of turning Mateer loose, or trying to turn him loose, are now over, then dive into what that must mean with conviction.

Run the ball, find a running back who will run it more than the others because he’s proven himself better than the others.

Run Mateer.

Don’t try to get him killed but make it part of the game plan rather than not running him until it’s a last resort, which is what it looked like against Michigan.

Commit to it and see what happens. When the line knows it will be run blocking the whole game, maybe it will run block better.

Do the thing you’ve not wanted to do because it’s what you’ve decided you must do. Sure, it might mean diving on your sword, admitting existential defeat, but it doesn’t matter. This is the fix you’re in so do what you’ve got to do.

Or don’t.

Or, instead, commit the other way.

Throw the ball 30 or 40 times. Start with the easy stuff, because surely Mateer won’t miss every screen he throws for a second straight week against a weaker opponent. Begin there and then open it up.

Yes, run the ball, maybe decide on a back, and for God’s sake, give Jonathan Hatton a chance, but rely on Mateer because one, you really, really believe in him and, two, if you’re to go where you want to go at the end of the season and you know he’s got to be the mover, then embrace it now, risk the downside and do it.

Just do it.

And yeah, when you’re doing it, however you’re doing it, whatever you decide, maybe lean heavily into assistant head coach for offense Kevin Wilson because his track record on that side of the ball is miles and miles better than Arbuckle’s, head coach Brent Venables’ and likely the equal of Venables’ defensive prowess, too.

Pick a path.
Follow it.

Doesn’t mean you’ll win the game, though it would appear to offer the best shot.

And if it doesn’t, and continues to not, and it becomes clear you’ve chosen the wrong path, it will at least make future decisions easier.

So there you go.
Bet on yourself.

Choose the best way to do it and don’t waver.

I’m just a sportswriter, but tell me I’m wrong and defend it.

Bet you can’t.

All that or tread through Saturday and install the wishbone.

You get an off-week after Georgia, Barry Switzer’s still kicking and lives dang near across the street.

You could do it.

Be decisive now.
Or do that later.

It’s got to be better than last week.

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