The Oklahoma Sooners kicked off their 2026 college football season with a resounding 51-0 victory against the UTEP Miners on Friday night. This impressive win marks the highest point total for the Sooners since the 2023 season, demonstrating their offensive prowess right from the start of the game.
Throughout the offseason, the Sooners emphasized the importance of enhancing their run game, with the tight end position highlighted as a crucial factor in achieving this goal. In their season opener, Oklahoma committed to a run-heavy strategy, frequently utilizing multiple tight ends on the field. The team predominantly operated in 12-personnel formations, which consist of one running back and two tight ends. This approach paid off, as the running game showed significant improvement compared to the previous season, even in the absence of two starting offensive linemen.
After the game, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the tight ends, crediting their development over the past several months. "I think it’s a culmination of a whole bunch of different things," Arbuckle stated. He noted that the strategic use of tight ends was designed to exploit specific defensive weaknesses, while also praising the players for their commitment to improvement. "People don’t put players on the field they don’t trust, and those guys have just done nothing but get better, be consistent, and constantly try and improve in areas that maybe they were weak at at one point and make it a true strength of their game," he added.
The tight end position has not always been a source of reliability for the Sooners, but this season, there appears to be a renewed sense of trust and capability. Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers were the primary tight ends during the game, with contributions from Jack Van Dorselaer and Trynae Washington as well. This depth at the position is essential for Oklahoma as they aim to establish a more effective running game throughout the season.
Despite accumulating just 170 rushing yards in their opener, the Sooners are optimistic about their ground attack moving forward. Arbuckle noted the tight ends' ability to adapt to various schemes and execute plays effectively. "I don’t know the exact number off the top of my head, but we threw a whole bunch of different things at them schematically for those tight ends to sort through, and I thought they did a great job," he remarked.
As the Sooners look to build on this dominant performance, the tight end group will be a focal point in their offensive strategy. With nine tight ends on the roster, Oklahoma is committed to enhancing their running game, and the contributions from this unit will be vital as they progress through the 2026 season.
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