Oklahoma was supposed to beat UTEP on Friday night.

The No. 10 Sooners were favored heavily. They were playing at home in front of another sellout crowd. They had more talent, more depth and significantly more expectations.

So, the 51-0 final score wasn’t necessarily the surprise.

It was how Oklahoma got there.

The Sooners didn’t sleepwalk through a season opener. They didn’t struggle for two quarters before their talent eventually overwhelmed an inferior opponent. Instead, Oklahoma scored on its first eight offensive possessions, created explosive plays in all three phases and held UTEP to just 198 total yards.

It was, in many ways, exactly what a top-10 team should look like against an overmatched opponent.

And with Michigan looming next week, Oklahoma’s performance provided plenty to discuss.

Here are five takeaways from the Sooners’ dominant opening-night victory.

1. Isaiah Sategna III Might Be Oklahoma’s Most Dangerous Player

There are explosive players.

Then there are players who can change a game every time they touch the football.

Isaiah Sategna III looks like he belongs in the second category.

The senior wide receiver put on an all-purpose clinic against UTEP, totaling a career-high 215 all-purpose yards and scoring twice.

His biggest moment came early.

Oklahoma had already taken a 7-0 lead when UTEP was forced to punt. Sategna fielded the kick and immediately turned the game into a track meet, racing 88 yards for a touchdown.

Just like that, it was 14-0.

The return was the seventh-longest punt return in Oklahoma history and the Sooners’ longest since 2013. It also represented Oklahoma’s first punt-return touchdown since the 2023 season opener.

But Sategna wasn’t simply a special teams weapon.

He caught four passes for 76 yards and added a 34-yard touchdown reception from John Mateer.

That’s what makes him so dangerous.

Sategna can hurt opponents as a receiver. He can flip field position as a returner. He can score from anywhere.

Against better competition, Oklahoma is going to need players who can create something out of nothing.

Friday night was an early reminder that Sategna is capable of doing exactly that.

If he continues to produce at this level, Oklahoma may have one of the most dynamic all-purpose weapons in college football.

2. John Mateer Played Exactly the Way Oklahoma Needed Him To

John Mateer didn’t need to win the game by himself.

That’s a good thing.

One of the most encouraging aspects of Oklahoma’s offense was the way Mateer allowed the game to come to him.

The Sooners established the running game. They created favorable situations. And when opportunities presented themselves down the field, Mateer made UTEP pay.

The result was an efficient stat line: 11-of-17 passing for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

More importantly, he didn’t turn the football over.

Mateer’s touchdown passes went to Rocky Beers, Sategna and Trell Harris, covering 40, 34 and 48 yards.

Those explosive plays are going to be a major component of Ben Arbuckle’s offense.

But Oklahoma doesn’t need Mateer playing hero football.

In fact, the opposite is true.

The Sooners need their quarterback to make good decisions, protect the football and take advantage of the opportunities created by the players around him.

That’s exactly what Mateer did against UTEP.

Brent Venables praised his quarterback’s approach after the game.

“Play like you want your quarterback to play,” Venables said. “Take what’s there. Good decisions. Protect the football.”

That doesn’t mean Mateer has arrived or that every question surrounding Oklahoma’s offense has been answered.

Michigan will present a dramatically different challenge.

But for an opening game, Mateer checked every important box.

Efficient.

Explosive.

Disciplined.

And most importantly, clean.

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3. The Offensive Line Passed Its First Major Test

The offensive line situation was arguably the biggest storyline entering Friday night.

Late injuries created concerns about Oklahoma’s depth, particularly on the interior. Suddenly, the Sooners were facing a situation nobody expected just days before the season opener.

Then true freshman Noah Best walked onto the field.

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

That’s a remarkable statistic considering the importance of the position.

Center isn’t a spot where you can simply hide a young player.

Communication matters. Protection calls matter. Identifying defensive fronts matters.

And the moment matters.

Best handled it.

Oklahoma allowed zero sacks against UTEP, and the offensive line helped create enough room for Lloyd Avant to rush for a game-high 79 yards on 15 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.

Avant also scored Oklahoma’s first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run during the opening possession.

Now, let’s be realistic.

Michigan’s defensive front will be a much more significant challenge.

One good night against UTEP doesn’t mean Oklahoma’s offensive line concerns have disappeared.

But the Sooners needed Friday night’s group to get through the opener without chaos.

They did much more than that.

Best gained valuable experience. The offense operated efficiently. Mateer was protected. And Oklahoma established a physical running game.

Considering the circumstances, that’s an extremely encouraging development.

4. Oklahoma’s Defense Has the Right Mentality

The numbers were impressive.

UTEP finished with just 198 total yards and 86 passing yards. The Miners converted only 2 of 13 third-down opportunities.

Oklahoma recorded sacks, forced turnovers and consistently prevented UTEP from finding offensive rhythm.

Owen Heinecke and Reggie Powers III led the Sooners with seven tackles apiece. Powers accomplished the feat in his first career start, setting a new career high.

Taylor Wein recorded five tackles and recovered a fumble forced by Peyton Bowen.

Adepoju Adebawore added a sack.

Wyatt Gilmore recorded a career-high four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Freshman Dane Bathurst made an immediate impression with four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

There were contributors everywhere.

But perhaps the most encouraging defensive moment came late in the game.

Oklahoma had already built an enormous lead when a fumble by Andy Bass gave UTEP possession inside the Sooners’ 18-yard line.

The shutout was suddenly in danger.

For some teams, a 44-point or 51-point lead would be enough to excuse a lapse.

Not Oklahoma.

The defense refused to surrender points.

The Sooners protected the zero.

That’s not necessarily something that will show up in an advanced metric. But it matters from a culture standpoint.

The defense could have relaxed.

Instead, it competed.

That’s the mentality Venables wants from his team.

And while the head coach wasn’t completely satisfied—he specifically criticized the team’s tackling—the defensive standard was evident throughout the night.

The Sooners don’t simply want to get stops.

They want to suffocate opponents.

5. Special Teams Could Be a Major Weapon

The Sategna punt return will understandably dominate the special teams conversation.

It should.

An 88-yard touchdown is the kind of play that can completely change a football game.

But Oklahoma’s special teams performance went beyond one spectacular return.

Tate Sandell was perfect on the night, connecting on field goals from 33 and 32 yards while handling his other responsibilities cleanly.

That’s important.

Championship teams don’t necessarily need special teams to win games every week.

They need special teams to avoid losing them.

Oklahoma’s special teams unit did considerably more than avoid mistakes Friday night.

It created points.

It created momentum.

And it helped establish field position.

Venables has consistently emphasized the importance of getting players from both the offensive and defensive sides of the roster involved on special teams.

That philosophy paid off immediately.

Sategna’s touchdown was the headline, but it took the entire unit to create the lane that allowed him to turn a punt into six points.

Against Michigan and throughout the SEC schedule, special teams could become the difference between winning and losing close games.

Friday night was a strong indication that Oklahoma has the potential to turn that phase of the game into a legitimate advantage.

The Bottom Line

Oklahoma didn’t prove it can beat Michigan on Friday night.

It didn’t prove it can win the SEC.

And it certainly didn’t answer every question surrounding a team entering the season with significant expectations.

But that’s okay.

It wasn’t supposed to.

What Oklahoma did prove was that it could handle an inferior opponent the way a top-10 team should.

The Sooners were prepared.

They were physical.

They were explosive.

They protected the football.

They created turnovers.

They got contributions from veterans, transfers and freshmen.

And they played complementary football across all three phases.

Perhaps the most important statistic of the night wasn’t 51 points.

It was eight consecutive scoring possessions to open the game.

Oklahoma didn’t give UTEP an opportunity to believe.

The Sooners took control immediately and never let go.

Now comes the real measuring stick.

Michigan is next.

And after a nearly flawless opening night in Norman, Oklahoma will find out exactly how much of what it showed against UTEP travels to Ann Arbor.

One thing is certain, though:

The Sooners couldn’t have asked for a much better start.