Oklahoma did exactly what a No. 10-ranked team was supposed to do Friday night.
The Sooners overwhelmed UTEP from the opening possession, scored 51 points, pitched a shutout and got meaningful snaps for a massive portion of the roster. By the time the night was over, Oklahoma had outgained the Miners 401-198, scored on its first eight offensive possessions and sent 84,315 fans home with very little reason to worry.
But a 51-0 win does not mean every stock goes through the roof.
That is the beauty of a season opener. The first game creates a little bit of everything. Some players announce themselves. Others quietly confirm what coaches already believed. And somewhere down the depth chart, there are always a few reminders that development doesn’t stop just because the scoreboard gets lopsided.
So, with one game officially in the books, let’s check the market.
STOCK UP: Lloyd Avant
If there was one player who may have done more for his standing in the running back room Friday night, it was Lloyd Avant.
The junior transfer led Oklahoma with 79 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. More importantly, his production did not feel accidental.
Avant scored Oklahoma’s first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run during the opening possession, but the rest of his night may have been even more encouraging. He showed patience. He found cutback lanes. He consistently kept plays alive after initial contact.
There is a difference between a running back accumulating yards in a blowout and one who looks capable of becoming a dependable piece of the offense.
Avant looked like the latter.
Oklahoma’s offensive line entered the game dealing with unexpected personnel questions, particularly along the interior. That made the performance of the running backs more interesting. Avant did not need every hole to be perfectly clean. He showed a willingness to press the line of scrimmage, make a decision and get north and south.
That’s the kind of running style that can earn a quarterback’s trust and, perhaps more importantly, earn the confidence of the coaching staff.
The Sooners have options in the backfield. There are talented players throughout the room. One game does not settle a season-long competition.
But after Week 1?
Avant’s stock is unquestionably rising.
He entered the season as a transfer trying to carve out a meaningful role. He left opening night as Oklahoma’s leading rusher.
That’s a pretty good first impression.
Stock: BUY
STOCK UP: Owen Heinecke
Sometimes the players with the loudest games aren’t necessarily the players whose stock rises the most.
Owen Heinecke wasn’t the only Oklahoma defender making plays Friday night, but his performance reinforced something important: he continues to become one of the most dependable players on the Sooners’ defense.
He tied for the team lead with seven tackles, added 0.5 tackles for loss and recorded a quarterback hurry.
Those numbers are solid.
The larger story is consistency.
Going back to last season, Heinecke has now recorded at least five tackles in six of his last seven games. He has also registered at least half a tackle for loss in seven consecutive contests.
That is not a one-night performance.
That is a trend.
For a Brent Venables defense, the players in the middle of the field have to be trustworthy. They have to diagnose quickly, fit the run correctly and finish when the opportunity arrives. There is very little room for hesitation.
Heinecke looks increasingly comfortable.
Against UTEP, he was around the football all night. He played with the kind of decisiveness Oklahoma needs from its defensive pillars, and he helped make sure the Miners never established any offensive rhythm.
The competition will obviously get better.
Michigan will make sure of that.
But if you’re looking for a player whose Week 1 performance suggests he is ready for a larger role in the conversation surrounding Oklahoma’s defense, Heinecke belongs on that list.
He may not always be the flashiest player on the field.
He is becoming one of the most reliable.
Stock: STRONG BUY
STOCK UP: Reggie Powers III
If Friday night was supposed to be a measuring stick for Reggie Powers III, the junior passed.
Powers made his first career start and responded by tying for the team lead with seven tackles. He added a tackle for loss and established a new career high in tackles.
Not bad for a first start.
What makes Powers particularly intriguing is what his performance could mean for Oklahoma moving forward.
The Sooners have spent plenty of time talking about depth and versatility on defense. Venables wants players who can handle multiple responsibilities, communicate effectively and make plays when the ball gets into their area.
Powers looked comfortable.
There is something significant about a young player receiving his first start and not looking overwhelmed by the moment. Oklahoma was heavily favored, but season openers still come with nerves, communication challenges and opportunities for young players to make mistakes.
Powers didn’t look like someone playing his first game as a starter.
He looked like someone who belonged.
The seven tackles suggest activity. The tackle for loss suggests he wasn’t simply cleaning up plays downfield. And perhaps most importantly, he was consistently around the football.
Oklahoma’s secondary has plenty of talent.
But opportunities can change everything.
Powers got an opportunity Friday night.
His stock is up.
Stock: BUY
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STOCK STEADY: John Mateer
Let’s make one thing clear:
Calling John Mateer’s stock “steady” is not criticism.
In fact, in Week 1, it might be one of the most positive designations possible.
Mateer completed 11 of 17 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. He finished with a 234.1 passer rating, his best as a Sooner.
He threw touchdown passes of 40 yards to Rocky Beers, 34 yards to Isaiah Sategna III and 48 yards to Trell Harris.
The explosive plays were there.
The production was there.
And Oklahoma got exactly what it needed from its quarterback.
Mateer did not try to be a superhero.
He did not force the football into dangerous windows.
He did not turn a comfortable game into an uncomfortable one.
Instead, he operated the offense efficiently and took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
That’s why his stock remains steady rather than soaring.
There wasn’t necessarily one singular revelation from Friday night. Mateer didn’t need to rescue Oklahoma. He didn’t have to throw the ball 40 times. He wasn’t asked to carry the offense.
He simply did his job.
And he did it well.
Against an opponent Oklahoma was expected to beat comfortably, that’s exactly what the Sooners needed to see.
The questions surrounding Mateer won’t truly disappear until the competition gets significantly tougher. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it—that challenge arrives quickly.
Michigan is next.
That’s when the stock market could become much more interesting.
For now, though?
Mateer did what a starting quarterback should do against an inferior opponent: he took care of business.
Stock: STEADY — HOLD
STOCK UP: Oklahoma’s Defensive Standard
This isn’t about one player.
This is about an identity.
Oklahoma gave up 198 total yards. UTEP managed just 86 passing yards. The Miners converted only 2 of 13 third-down opportunities.
And, most importantly, they scored zero points.
It was the third shutout of the Brent Venables era.
The Sooners generated negative plays throughout the night. Adepoju Adebawore recorded a sack. Wyatt Gilmore produced 1.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. Taylor Wein had five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Peyton Bowen forced a fumble that Wein recovered.
Young players also contributed.
Freshman linebacker Dane Bathurst recorded four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in his collegiate debut. Freshman defensive lineman James Carrington contributed two tackles and half a tackle for loss. Markel Ford recorded three tackles.
The depth showed up.
And that’s important.
Venables has repeatedly emphasized the need to develop more players. Friday night provided an opportunity to see that development in action.
Was everything perfect?
Absolutely not.
Venables himself was critical of Oklahoma’s tackling.
But a defense that can identify mistakes after holding an opponent scoreless is generally in a pretty healthy place.
The biggest test will be whether the standard travels.
A shutout against UTEP is encouraging.
Doing something similar against elite competition is what separates a good defense from a great one.
Still, through one week?
The stock is up.
Stock: STRONG BUY
STOCK DOWN: The Fourth-Quarter Rotation
This needs to come with an important disclaimer.
We’re not talking about panic.
We’re not talking about a major problem.
And we’re certainly not suggesting that Oklahoma’s backups somehow ruined a 51-0 victory.
But if we’re doing a legitimate stock report, we have to acknowledge what happened late in the game.
The Sooners’ deep rotation allowed UTEP to create a brief fourth-quarter scoring threat.
For most of the night, Oklahoma’s defense controlled everything. Then, with the game firmly in hand and the roster heavily rotated, the Miners found some momentum (by way of an Oklahoma turnover) and moved into threatening territory.
The Sooners eventually preserved the shutout.
That matters.
But the sequence also provided valuable film.
The issues were the kind you would expect from a young and inexperienced rotation. There were moments of imperfect communication. Tackling wasn’t as clean. Pursuit angles occasionally lacked the precision that Oklahoma’s first-team defense displayed earlier in the game.
That’s understandable.
It is also not acceptable if Oklahoma wants to become the team it believes it can be.
And that’s the important distinction.
A 51-point victory can hide things if you allow it to.
Venables won’t.
The standard doesn’t change because the starters are on the sideline.
If anything, the fourth quarter may have provided the coaching staff with some of the most valuable film from the entire game. Young players and reserves received meaningful snaps, and now the coaches have a clear picture of what needs to improve.
That’s what games like this are for.
The backups don’t need to be perfect.
They do need to continue developing.
So this isn’t a SELL EVERYTHING situation.
Consider it more of a reminder that depth isn’t established simply because a player is listed on the roster.
Depth has to be developed.
And Oklahoma still has work to do.
Stock: SLIGHT DIP — HOLD
THE WEEK 1 VERDICT
Oklahoma’s stock market opened with a very healthy day.
The Sooners dominated an opponent they were supposed to dominate. The offense was efficient. The defense was suffocating. Special teams delivered one of the night’s biggest moments.
Isaiah Sategna III’s stock could probably be listed somewhere in the stratosphere after 215 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Lloyd Avant announced himself as a legitimate factor in the backfield. Owen Heinecke and Reggie Powers III showed why Oklahoma’s defense could have multiple emerging difference-makers.
And John Mateer?
He calmly handled his business.
There are still questions.
The offensive line will face significantly tougher competition. The run game can become more consistent. Venables wants better tackling. And the young players in the deep rotation have plenty of development ahead.
But that’s the point.
Oklahoma didn’t need to be perfect Friday night.
It needed to look like a talented football team with a high ceiling.
For the most part, it did.
Now comes the real test.
Because stock prices can change quickly in college football.
And next week, Oklahoma gets a much more expensive measuring stick.
Michigan awaits.
