Oklahoma fires Ben Arbuckle, and Jason Witten takes over the play calling

Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday, sources told ESPN, and tight ends coach Jason Witten is expected to take over as interim coordinator and play caller. ProFootballTalk and the Sooners' local TV show OU Nightly also reported Witten will call plays.

The move came two days after a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina dropped Oklahoma to 4-4. The Sooners rank next to last in the SEC in yards per game and touchdowns, per ESPN.

Venables has done this before

This is the second time Brent Venables has fired an offensive coordinator during a season. He dismissed Seth Littrell seven games into 2024. Now he has done it again with Arbuckle, a coordinator he hired from Washington State, where Arbuckle was the youngest primary coordinator in the Power 4 at 27.

That hire came with a quarterback. John Mateer transferred from Washington State to Oklahoma the same month, and he drew Heisman Trophy buzz early last season before a thumb injury. Since the injury he has thrown 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Arbuckle took the blame after Saturday's loss. "Didn't look like we were ready to play," he said. "And I own that 100%." Venables said the offense is fixable, then admitted it is "very reasonable to think the exact opposite of what I'm saying."

Arbuckle was in the second year of a three-year deal paying $1.5 million a year.

The Witten bet

Witten, the former Cowboys tight end, joined Venables' staff as tight ends coach this year, per ProFootballTalk. Handing the play sheet to a coach in his first season on the staff is a gamble at 4-4. With two midseason coordinator firings in three years, the spotlight now moves to Venables himself.

What to watch: Saturday at No. 25 Florida is Witten's first game calling plays. A loss would leave Oklahoma at 4-5, needing two wins against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri to reach six.