Sooners open 2026 with a 51-0 shutout of UTEP
vs. UTEP · Mon, Sep 7, 2026 · Record after: 1-0 (0-0 SEC)
No. 10 Oklahoma started the Brent Venables encore season the way a playoff hopeful should: score on the first eight possessions, get John Mateer out early, and post a 51-0 shutout of UTEP at Memorial Stadium. Isaiah Sategna III supplied the splash — an 88-yard punt return and a 34-yard touchdown catch — while the defense limited the Miners to 198 yards and two third-down conversions.
QB Watch
Mateer did exactly what Venables asked: take what is there, protect the football, and stay out of negative plays. He completed 11 of 17 for 225 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, then sat late in the third quarter. The explosive layer showed up immediately — 40 yards to Rocky Beers, 34 to Sategna, and 48 to Trell Harris. Whitt Newbauer closed the night with a 3-yard rushing score and a 6-yard completion. NCAA passer rating: 234.1 on 13.2 yards per attempt.
11-17, 225 yds
Mateer Pass
3 / 0
Pass TD / INT
13.2
YPA
234.1
QB Rating
Offense Report
Ben Arbuckle's unit posted 401 yards (231 pass, 170 rush) and 18 first downs. The Sooners rushed 39 times for 170 yards — about 52 more than last season's per-game average — and finished the opening 76-yard march with a Lloyd Avant 1-yard plunge. The finishing mix was not perfect (three field goals from Tate Sandell and Liam Evans), but the explosive-play margin was lopsided. Oklahoma converted six third downs to UTEP's two and held the ball 30:32.
401
Total Yds
170 / 231
Rush / Pass
18
1st Downs
6
3rd Down Conv.
Defense Report
Venables' defense opened with a shutout. UTEP managed 198 yards, 10 first downs, and 86 passing yards. The Miners twice drove into field-goal range in the first half (50 and 43 yards) and missed both kicks — the only real stress of the night. After halftime, Peyton Bowen forced a fumble that Taylor Wein recovered; two plays later Mateer hit Sategna for 34 yards and a 34-0 lead. From there the front kept UTEP behind the sticks.
0
Pts Allowed
198
Yards Allowed
10
Opp 1st Downs
2 conv.
Opp 3rd Downs
Special Teams
Sategna's 88-yard punt return was Oklahoma's first punt-return touchdown since the 2023 opener and made it 14-0 before the first quarter was half over. He finished with 215 all-purpose yards. Sandell hit from 33 and 32; Evans added a 34-yarder. Coverage and operation were clean enough that the Miners never flipped the field with a return of their own.
88 yds
PR TD
215 yds
Sategna A/P
3-3
FG
0
Blocked Kicks
What's Next
The 1-0 Sooners go on the road to face No. 16 Michigan next Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. CT on FOX. The Big House is the first real measuring-stick of 2026 — a jump from a 14-rated opener to an 88-rated road environment on the strength board. Boomer Ball will publish the next Monday Morning Quarterback after Ann Arbor.
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