OU football is looking for solutions to improve its offense. Here’s the latest update.

DALLAS — As a sea of Crimson poured out of the Cotton Bowl, the smell of Fletcher’s Corny Dogs and the noise of the Midway filled the air with just under nine minutes left in Saturday’s game.

Nearly half of the 92,100 attendees had seen enough of No. 16 Oklahoma’s offense, which averaged just 3.4 yards per play and failed to score a touchdown in a 34-3 defeat against No. 1 Texas. Sooners head coach Brent Venables understands their frustration. “Obviously, we haven’t been,” Venables said with a chuckle after the game, “very good this season.”

While OU’s offense struggled on Saturday, the bigger concern is whether there are any solutions to turn things around.

The Sooners are currently missing their top five receivers—Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Deion Burks, Jayden Gibson, and Jalil Farooq. Outside of Burks, who was listed as questionable in the SEC’s injury report on Wednesday, there is no clear timeline for their return. The offensive line is also still working to come together after early-season injuries, and 25 players have made their first starts for OU this season.

True freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who became the first Sooner to start in the rivalry game, had just one deep pass attempt. Although offensive coordinator Seth Littrell introduced a few new formations, such as split-draws and horizontal handoffs, he struggled to establish a consistent rhythm in his play-calling.

OU’s upcoming conference schedule is tough: they’ll face South Carolina, Mississippi on the road, Missouri on the road, Alabama at home, and LSU away. So, what strengths can the Sooners rely on offensively? “We’ve got to improve across the board,” said head coach Brent Venables. “I appreciate the leadership, the drive, and the hunger of this team. We need to keep supporting our players, help them understand what to do on every play, and get them to compete effectively, no matter who’s on the other side.”

DALLAS, TEXAS – OCTOBER 12: Michael Hawkins Jr. #9 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw the ball during the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Cotton Bowl Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

As he’s done all season, offensive coordinator Seth Littrell took full responsibility for OU’s poor offensive showing and failure to establish a rhythm. He emphasized that he won’t blame any other coach or player, stating it’s up to him to figure out how to get the Sooners’ offense flowing. Head coach Brent Venables echoed the need to regain momentum when it’s lost during a game. From the 2:21 mark in the first half until the game’s end, OU fumbled twice, punted three times, turned the ball over on downs, and failed to score.

“The issue is the consistency in execution,” Littrell explained. “It’s frustrating for everyone. This is a hardworking group, but we need to translate that execution into the game plan. On Saturdays, you have to perform at a high level, and for whatever reason, we haven’t been able to do that yet. But that’s why you bounce back, work hard, and keep trying to get it right.”

By all indications, the players are fully committed and believe they can turn things around within the remaining six games. So far, no Oklahoma quarterback has thrown for over 200 yards in a game this season. It was always going to be a huge challenge for true freshman Michael Hawkins to lead an upset in that tough environment, and he struggled to find his footing throughout the game.

“There are a lot of young guys out there,” said offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, who, along with head coach Brent Venables, never considered replacing Michael Hawkins during the game. “It’s not just on Mike. We need to do a good job of keeping those guys comfortable and ensuring they understand how we want to execute things.”

Hawkins, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 148 yards, reflected on his performance, saying, “I could’ve come out a little harder. There were small things I saw I could’ve fixed on the sidelines after plays. I’ve got to do better, push through it, and lead my team more effectively. My focus now is coming back stronger, working hard, and leading the team when things go wrong.”

Freshman wide receiver Zion Kearney led OU with four receptions for 45 yards, having entered the game with just one catch for 12 yards all season. Tight end Bauer Sharp was the team’s second-leading receiver with 21 yards. Sharp also weighed in, trying to address the bigger question of how the team can improve.

“A lot of it was us beating ourselves,” said tight end Bauer Sharp. “That’s been a major struggle for us right now.”

It was a familiar atmosphere in the Cotton Bowl’s postgame press area, reminiscent of 735 days ago when the Sooners, missing their starting quarterback, endured their worst shutout loss since 1945. Now, following Brent Venables’ second blowout loss to their archrival in three seasons, with two losses already on the record, numerous injured receivers, and a daunting schedule ahead, the question remains: Where does OU go from here?

The Sooners find themselves facing a difficult “third-and-long” this season and must avoid letting Saturday’s loss derail their progress, much like the offense stalled against Texas. “We need to do a much better job staying composed in those situations,” offensive coordinator Seth Littrell said, “and make sure we stay ahead of the chains.

“We don’t want to be in third-and-long, but we’ve been in that situation far too often.”