Know Your Foe: Oklahoma vs. UTEP
Know Your Foe: Oklahoma hosts UTEP.
The 2026 Oklahoma Sooners season kicks off at home on Friday night with a Week 1 match against the UTEP Miners. UTEP, entering its first season in the Mountain West Conference after moving from Conference USA last year, will be the underdogs in this primetime showdown. UTEP's offensive coordinator duo, Lanear Sampson and Joe Pappalardo, will face off against OU's Brent Venables, hoping to introduce new challenges for the offensive-minded head coach.
The UTEP offense will rely on new quarterback EJ Colson, a transfer from Incarnate Word, as they aim to improve their rushing attack from the previous season. On defense, UTEP's new defensive coordinator Kyle Beyer, along with co-defensive coordinator Kelvin Sigler, will be matched against OU's Ben Arbuckle, seeking to contain quarterback John Mateer and the rest of the Sooners' offense.
This season-opener should serve as a valuable preseason match for both teams, particularly for the Underdogs, as they prepare for the more challenging schedule ahead.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
