West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

Ep. 449 - Ben Arbuckle is Out. Who Should OU Hire Next? Lee and Grant react to Brent Venables showing Ben Arbuckle the door. They look back at what went wrong during Arbuckle’s 21 games at OU and examine whether his biggest problem was John Mateer, an ineffective running game or a much larger dysfunction within OU’s offensive operation. Jason Witten takes over as interim offensive coordinator, creating one of the strangest situations of the Venables era. The guys discuss what Witten can realistically change in a matter of days, whether OU could make a quarterback change and why Kevin Wilson wasn’t elevated instead? Then the guys turn toward the future and discuss what Oklahoma needs from its next offensive coordinator. Chip Kelly headlines an early group of possible candidates as the guys debate whether Venables needs his offensive version of the role he once filled for Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Finally, the Sooners head to Gainesville as a 6.5-point underdog against Florida. The guys go through the injury report, what they want to see from OU’s defense after the South Carolina debacle, expectations for Witten’s first game calling plays and whether OU can pull off a surprise in The Swamp before closing with another round of college football picks against the spread. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — Opening Take: Why Ben Arbuckle’s offense failed at Oklahoma 06:03 — Reacting to OU firing Ben Arbuckle 10:58 — Could Oklahoma make a quarterback change? 16:07 — Is Ben Arbuckle actually a good offensive coordinator? 23:08 — The numbers from Arbuckle’s 21 games at OU 26:26 — Jason Witten named interim offensive coordinator 27:50 — Why wasn’t Kevin Wilson given the job? 34:09 — Could Jason Witten become the full-time OC? 37:08 — What does all of this mean for Brent Venables? 41:15 — Venables’ eye-opening comments about fixing the offense 45:39 — Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator search begins 46:24 — What does OU actually need from its next OC? 52:52 — Is Chip Kelly the ideal candidate? 1:14:48 — Final thoughts on the early OC candidates 1:15:07 — Oklahoma-Florida preview 1:18:27 — What does OU’s defense need to show? 1:19:07 — Oklahoma and Florida injury report 1:22:13 — Can OU win in The Swamp? 1:33:51 — Weekly picks against the spread 1:47:09 — Picks recap Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast.

Ep. 448 - OU Gets Embarrassed Again by South Carolina. What Now? It was one of the worst games of the Brent Venables era as OU fell to South Carolina 42-25 on Owen Field Saturday. After carrying the team for much of the season, OU’s defense was finally overwhelmed by a good SC offense. We don’t talk much about the game, it’s mostly about the state of the program. Lee and Grant examine Venables’ 36-24 record, OU’s struggles against P4 competition and the mediocre results since joining the SEC. They also revisit the contract extension and massive buyout that could make a coaching change difficult, while asking what responsibility belongs to Oklahoma’s administration and whether simply hiring another offensive coordinator can realistically solve the program’s problems. We read your “3-Word Reviews” as fan apathy seems to have hit a new high. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — South Carolina embarrasses Oklahoma 42-25 02:35 — Is this Brent Venables’ worst Oklahoma team? 05:15 — Another disastrous offensive performance 08:00 — Grant: the loss barely felt surprising anymore 12:02 — Is Oklahoma football at an inflection point? 14:49 — The “Lincoln Riley gutted the program” argument 17:03 — Venables’ record against P4 teams 17:34 — Oklahoma’s troubling SEC numbers 19:39 — Can a new offensive coordinator actually fix this? 20:04 — The Venables contract and $50M-plus buyout problem 25:48 — Another losing season is now very possible 27:00 — Who is responsible for the contract extension? 32:50 — Listener three-word reviews begin 34:22 — Has apathy taken over the OU fan base? 36:46 — What happened to Michael Fasusi? 41:28 — Are fans focusing on the wrong fixes? 43:34 — Mateer, Arbuckle and distrust in the offensive staff 48:00 — Ivan Carreon finally gets his opportunity 48:57 — OU loses despite winning the turnover battle 3-0 50:03 — Grant goes down the list of all the teams ranked ahead of OU in SP+ 1:02:53 — The atmosphere at Owen Field and fans leaving early 1:10:53 — Breaking down OU’s defensive breakdowns 1:16:48 — Looking ahead to Florida Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast.

Ep. 447 - What if OU Wins Out? + South Carolina Preview As OU enters game 8, the guys take stock of a Sooners defense that remains very good , but has clearly taken a step back from last season. Why isn’t Brent Venables’ defense forcing more turnovers, what happened to the dominant run defense and pass rush, and are opposing offenses simply playing differently against OU? The guys also answer a listener question: what would it actually mean if OU wins out and finishes 9-3? The South Carolina preview includes the latest injury report (hopefully Peyton Bowen can play!), the importance of Michael Fasusi and whether John Mateer can put together another turnover-free performance. The Sooners should have a path to win at home, but nothing is predictable with this team. They finish with a look at the national scene and weekly picks against the spread. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — Opening Take: Why isn’t OU’s defense forcing more turnovers? 05:02 — Are opponents changing how they attack Brent Venables? 09:10 — Revisiting our preseason defensive predictions 14:20 — How far has Oklahoma’s run defense fallen? 16:19 — Is OU’s defense actually elite this season? 20:58 — Listener question: What if Oklahoma wins out? 25:34 — Would a 9-3 finish prove the offense actually improved? 27:23 — Sustainable success vs. another defense-driven run 29:44 — Are expectations being lowered under Brent Venables? 34:19 — Is Venables searching for his “head coach of offense”? 42:30 — Oklahoma-South Carolina preview begins 43:24 — Injury report: Peyton Bowen and other key Sooners 54:34 — Breaking down LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina’s offense 57:50 — Can OU’s offense build on Mississippi State? 1:00:26 — The simplest key: John Mateer must protect the football 1:01:16 — Should Oklahoma beat South Carolina? 1:05:47 — How Grant sees the game playing out 1:11:03 — Around college football 1:24:04 — Weekly picks against the spread Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast.  

Ep. 446 - Mateer’s Best Game at OU? Sooners Beat Mississippi State OU’s back in the win column and the offense actually looked pretty good for a full game. Lee and Grant break down John Mateer’s best performance as OU’s quarterback, the season-high 467 yards, a much-improved running game and whether Ben Arbuckle finally found a version of the offense that can work. The guys also discuss the impact of Michael Fasusi’s return at left tackle, strong performances from Isaiah Sategna, Rocky Beers, Tory Blaylock and Lloyd Avant, and the dramatic difference between Mateer’s conservative first half and much more aggressive second half. They also debate the controversial Beers no-touchdown call and why Oklahoma still failed to turn a dominant statistical performance into a comfortable blowout. The defense was great again, OU dominated, but still only won by 8 points. Plus, listener three-word reviews, Tate Sandell’s rough day, Oklahoma’s bizarre win-loss pattern and an early look toward South Carolina. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — OU beats Mississippi State 23-15 05:21 — Was this John Mateer’s best game at Oklahoma? 07:06 — A tale of two halves for Mateer and the offense 10:13 — Oklahoma finally establishes a running game 11:07 — Michael Fasusi’s return changes the offensive line 15:59 — Mateer’s first-half vs. second-half numbers 20:14 — OU dominated, so why was the game still close? 24:39 — Is there finally something for the offense to build on? 29:23 — Isaiah Sategna, Rocky Beers and OU’s top pass catchers 30:06 — Was Rocky Beers’ end-zone play actually a touchdown? 38:30 — Defensive standouts against Mississippi State 45:20 — Three-word reviews and what the win really means 53:17 — What’s going on with Tate Sandell? 55:44 — Is Oklahoma’s defense still elite? 1:04:03 — OU’s bizarre win-loss-win-loss streak 1:05:19 — Early look at South Carolina 1:09:05 — Could Oklahoma still reach the SEC Championship Game? 1:26:10 — Final thoughts and looking ahead Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast.

Ep. 445 - What Would It Take To Bench John Mateer? + Mississippi State Preview What does it mean to remain invested in Oklahoma football when you no longer believe in the people leading the program? Grant tackles that question in his opening take. Then Lee and Grant turn to Oklahoma’s broken offense. John Mateer will remain the starting quarterback against Mississippi State, we hear from Ben Arbuckle and would making a change actually matter? The guys also react to Arbuckle’s explanation for why Ryan Fodje remained on the field for many snaps after injuring his foot against Kentucky. What does this say about the coordination and leadership of Oklahoma’s offense. Then it’s a preview of OU-Mississippi State, including the uncertain status of Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor, Oklahoma’s depleted offensive line, what the defense needs to do and whether the Sooners can simply avoid enough mistakes to win in Starkville. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — Opening Take: What happens when a fan stops believing? 05:50 — Brent Venables misses the weekly press conference 06:58 — Ben Arbuckle explains why Mateer is still QB1 09:29 — Why a quarterback change probably won’t fix OU 11:01 — The strongest argument for trying Whit Neubauer 11:52 — Do you trust OU’s quarterback evaluation? 15:15 — Should Ben Arbuckle be worried about his job? 18:07 — What if Whit Neubauer actually looked better? 19:02 — Comparing Oklahoma’s QB situation with Texas 20:34 — What would it take to bench Mateer? 21:56 — Ben Arbuckle explains why Fodje stayed in the game 22:41 — Grant: the Fodje situation symbolizes the bigger problem 23:28 — Why Arbuckle’s explanation is a bad look 27:01 — Leadership and communication breakdowns 29:42 — Oklahoma’s offensive-line outlook vs. Mississippi State 30:09 — Could Michael Fasusi finally return? 31:10 — What OU’s offensive line may look like 34:30 — Oklahoma-Mississippi State preview begins 35:16 — Will Kamario Taylor play? 39:05 — Why OU should win if Mississippi State starts its backup QB 40:31 — How Venables may defend Jeff Lebby’s offense 41:38 — What Oklahoma’s defense needs to show 42:56 — Can OU generate more organic pass rush? 45:20 — What Oklahoma’s offense needs to show 45:30 — Can OU simply finish drives and avoid turnovers? 46:39 — Breaking down Mississippi State’s defense 47:46 — The simple formula: don’t turn it over 48:10 — Score prediction discussion 51:18 — Weekly picks against the spread 52:20 — Indiana at Michigan, Tennessee-SC, Iowa-Minn, Ole Miss-Texas 59:16 — USC at Wisconsin 1:00:14 — Picks recap 1:00:49 — Final thoughts on Starkville Subscribe to the West of Everest YouTube channel Follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and please leave a five-star rating and review if you enjoy the podcast.