Why did OU football leave OL Ryan Fodje in game despite injury? Ben Arbuckle explains
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NORMAN — In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s loss to Kentucky, questions swirled around why Oklahoma left offensive lineman Ryan Fodje in the game so long when he was clearly injured.
Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was asked to further clarify Tuesday.
“Whenever he got a little bit banged up there at the end, I was told that the injury couldn’t get any worse,” Arbuckle said. “And again, with some of the limitations that we did have, had him out there.”
Down Michael Fasusi, Heath Ozaeta and Eddy Pierre-Louis, OU was already trying to piece together a battered and bruised unit. But once Fodje got hurt in the third quarter, the Sooners’ offense fell apart.
He gave up two sacks in the fourth quarter during a critical drive before OU ultimately pulled him.
“On some plays, he did some really good things; it’s not like it was bad every single play,” Arbuckle said, “but whenever some of those things showed up where we had to get him out of the game, we made that call, made that decision to get him out of the game and put the next man in there.”
Here are a couple more takeaways from Tuesday’s press conferences:
OU football still believes QB John Mateer gives best chance to win
With less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and Oklahoma trailing Kentucky 14-13, Sooners quarterback John Mateer forced a pass over the middle of the field.
In the biggest moment of the game, Mateer, a fifth-year player, made yet another catastrophic mistake.
Interception. Pick six.
Moments later, when OU got the ball back, Mateer threw his third interception of the game. Ballgame.
In the days since the Sooners’ 21-13 loss, which dropped them to 3-3, it's fair to wonder what it would take for OU to bench Mateer and try Whitt Newbauer or true freshman Bowe Bentley.
The Sooners still believe in Mateer. And the answer remains pretty simple.
OU believes Mateer gives the best chance to win each Saturday.
“Like I’ve said multiple times, we have to eliminate backbreaking errors and catastrophic errors,” Arbuckle said. “For all the good that he does, we have to eliminate those.”Despite the Sooners' hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff being far-fetched, OU appears to be riding with Mateer for the rest of the season.
Outside of the interceptions — one of which was tipped — Mateer put together one of his better halves as a Sooner last Saturday. Arbuckle believes he could put his pupil in a better position.“Ultimately, I’m the one who calls the play out there,” Arbuckle said. “I’m the one who designs it, and if something bad happens, I believe it falls back on me. John’s the one out there playing, making the decision in the real moment whenever it happens.
“But in the real moment I have to be better and I have to take accountability for whenever one of those back-breaking mistakes happen.”
OU associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates, who filled in during Tuesday’s press conferences as Brent Venables dealt with flu-like symptoms, has tried to keep Mateer’s spirits up.
Whether it’s through a text message or when he runs into him in the facility, Bates makes sure to share a positive message.
“These young men go through so much and they're failing on a big stage in public whenever they do fail, and they're succeeding on a big stage, too,” Bates said. “But they're learning to deal with it all. And these are 19 to 22 year olds. So the ground to pour into somebody is very big.”
But is seeing what the Sooners have in Bentley worth trying? He only attempted one pass against UTEP and struggled in OU’s spring game.
Arbuckle is still pleased with the development he’s seen from his young backup.
“The more and more experiences that happen, even if he isn’t the guy in the game right now, he’s very aware and hyper-focused to what’s going on,” Arbuckle said. “Been proud of the continued development that I see from him. He doesn’t like to settle for anything. He’s always ready, and he’s one of those guys who’s a competitor, and he wants to play football as much as the next guy.”
Things can change but for now, Mateer is the Sooners’ starter.
“Throughout everything that he’s done, the player that he is, the preparation that he has, we believe that John Mateer gives us the best chance to win,” Arbuckle said.
Brent Venables is ‘ultimate leader’ during rough patch
Bates knows Venables as well as anyone.
OU’s fifth-year defensive tackles coach has worked with him since 2017 dating back to their Clemson days.
Venables has come under a lot of heat through six games this season following his contract extension and middling results on the field.
Bates has undoubtedly had opportunities to leave but his belief in his head coach and what he’s building has never wavered.
“He's the ultimate leader,” Bates said. “He comes in and he sets the thermostat every day and that's win, lose or draw. He's always on 10 and he's always in attack mode, always looking at us, trying to self-scout us.”
It’s not every day Bates speaks to the media. He offers a lot of perspective with how much experience he has both with Venables and away from him.
He could easily be a head coach or defensive coordinator some day with his track record of developing defensive linemen.
But not unlike Venables himself over the years, Bates has reverted to loyalty and is waiting for the chance that feels right. It’s those qualities of Venables that keep him believing in his vision for this team despite this season’s struggles.
“I look at adversity as opportunity,” Bates said. “You don't know who you are until you go through it. Been through it a lot, not just in football, but in my life, and I've seen Coach V go through it, and I know what he’s made of.
“I know that when we're at war, he's swinging with everything he's got.”
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. 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 adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why did OU football leave OL Ryan Fodje in game despite injury? Ben Arbuckle explains
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