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OU football overwhelms UTEP as Lloyd Avant, Rocky Beers shine in debut | Takeaways
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- OU football overwhelms UTEP as Lloyd Avant, Rocky Beers shine in debut | Takeaways
NORMAN — Oklahoma's new-look offense made a statement before it even snapped the football Friday.
The Sooners reiterated all offseason their need for a more effective, more ferocious rushing attack. If that meant bringing in larger packages bolstered by their re-built tight end room, that's what they were going to do.So it was fitting that the first play the 84,315 in attendance at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium saw was out of 12 personnel with two tight ends and one running back resulted in a slippery, 12-yard run by Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant .
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Avant led the way for OU on the ground with 79 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown as the Sooners drummed UTEP 51-0 in their season opener. OU finished with 170 total rushing yards.
OU football vs UTEP highlights: Sooners shut out Miners in 2026 opener
It was the Sooners' first shutout since last season when they defeated Kent State 44-0. They scored on their first eight possessions.
Quarterback John Mateer played clean football and looked more comfortable at the start of his second season with the Sooners, completing 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns.
In addition to Avant, freshman running back and former four-star Jonathan Hatton Jr. flashed with 21 yards on three carries. He broke a 21-yard gain in the second quarter.
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New position coach Jason Witten's tight ends made a significant difference.
Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers — the brother of former Sooners women's hoops star Raegan Beers — scored a touchdown on his first reception, hurdling a UTEP defender on his way into the end zone. Beers took flight from the 6-yard line and landed on the 2-yard line.
While OU's rejuvenated offense shined, it didn't show off too many groundbreaking schemes as it looks ahead to next week's marquee road trip to Michigan.It was clear at times that the Sooners missed their starting offensive linemen. Jake Maikkula, who would start at center, suffered an injury during a scrimmage last month and missed the opener. So did Ryan Fodje, who was assumed to start in Maikkula's place before suffering an injury this week in practice.
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That meant it was true freshman Noah Best time. Best became the first OU true freshman to start a season opener at center since J.R. Conrad in 1992 (that game was at Texas Tech).Maikkula participated in pregame warmups and there is optimism he could return against the Wolverines.
All in all, there was a different vibe about the Sooners' offense.
Here are a couple more takeaways from OU's (1-0) dominant win:
Isaiah Sategna III picks up where he left off
Sategna made a house call in the first quarter.
Following an OU defensive stop, with 7:48 remaining in the quarter, Isaiah Sategna III caught UTEP's punt at the 12-yard line. He stuttered before turning on the jets and taking it 88 yards for a touchdown to give the Sooners their second score of the day.Sategna was OU's most productive receiver in the opener, catching four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He scored again in the third when Mateer found him deep down the middle of the field for a 34-yard touchdown.
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Sategna's 88-yard punt return was the seventh-longest in Sooners history and their first punt return touchdown since the 2023 season opener (Gavin Freeman 82-yarder vs. Arkansas State). It was also OU's longest punt return since 2013 when Jalen Saunders had a 92-yarder for a touchdown vs. Iowa State and the second-longest in a season opener (Antonio Perkins had a 91-yarder at Tulsa in 2002).Sategna returned for his second season in Norman with unfinished business. A year ago, he was 35 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season.
He's well on his way this year.
More: OU football predictions for how John Mateer, Sooners will fare in 2026
Oklahoma's Isaiah Sategna III returns a punt in the first half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the UTEP Miners at the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Sept. 4, 2026.
(SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN)
Danny Saili appears one day after receiving TRO
One day after receiving a temporary restraining order and gaining eligibility, Arkansas transfer defensive tackle Danny Saili recorded a tackle in the win.
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Saili had been practicing with the Sooners, coach Brent Venables said Wednesday.
The 6-foot-1, 280-pound lineman saw action in 11 games last season for Arkansas, registering 10 tackles, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.He helps OU's defensive line depth — a slimmer position group compared to last season. Saili is only temporarily eligible until his injunction hearing.
PJ Adebawore shines in Danny Okoye's absence
PJ Adebawore jumped off the edge before swerving and bursting up the middle through a wide open hole in UTEP's offensive line.
Miners quarterback EJ Colson stepped up in the pocket but before he knew it, Adebawore had him by the legs and on the ground. It was the Sooners' first sack of the season after a 2025 campaign in which they led the nation in sacks per game.
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Adebawore finished with three total tackles.
One of the offseason's most pressing questions was if this was finally going to be the year Adebawore breaks out. It was an encouraging sign when he was listed as a co-starter alongside Danny Okoye when the depth chart was released.
Adebawore held it down as the starter Friday as Okoye didn't play for an unknown reason and wasn't suited up on the sideline.
OU and Michigan kick at 11 a.m. CT next Saturday, Sept. 12, in Ann Arbor on FOX.
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Order "BOOM TIMES: The Oklahoma Sooners ' Epic Charge to the 2026 College World Series Title" at Sooners.ChampsBook.com. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football overwhelms UTEP as Lloyd Avant, Rocky Beers shine in debut | Takeaways
