NORMAN — It wasn’t Tate Sandell’s day against Mississippi State on Saturday.The reigning Lou Groza Award winner made only three of his six field goal attempts in Oklahoma’s 23-15 road win. The nation’s best kicker a season ago left nine points on the table, turning a potential three-score game into a one-score game.
“It felt like we kicked 30 of ‘em and missed all 30 of ‘em,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said.
Sandell’s performance was head-scratching as he’s been one of OU’s most valuable players the last couple of years. He was 24 of 27 on kicks during his award-winning season last year and entered Saturday’s game 7 of 10 in 2026 with an emotional game-winner against Texas in the Red River Rivalry under his belt.
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It wasn’t that he missed tough kicks, either. The ones he missed against the Bulldogs are usually automatic for him.
Venables’ belief is still sky-high in Sandell but there’s no question he’s going to have to bounce back from the disappointing performance if the Sooners want to go on a late-season run.
“Tate’s got a great body of work,” Venables said. “One of the most talented kickers in college football. He’s been a dude. And he’s got a great résumé, both in game and certainly at practice. He’s a tough guy. He’s not a fragile-minded guy, so keep faith in him. We’ve got other guys that can kick, too, but Tate’s been our guy.”
Perhaps the most concerning thing about Sandell’s struggles is that OU’s offense still ranks near the bottom among Power Four teams. The Sooners might have to continue to rely on Sandell once they reach the red zone as they rank 114th nationally in red zone scoring percentage.
Venables and special teams coordinator Doug Deakin are high on Liam Evans and Trace Rudd if they need to pivot. But Venables is confident Sandell will get back to his usual self.
“Tate will be fine,” Venables said. “I know that’s pretty perplexing, but he’ll be fine. Again, that should’ve been, probably, a four- or five-score win. It wasn’t. Just thankful for victory.”
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OU football stock report
Stock rising
Running back Tory Blaylock: The second-year Sooner is emerging after dealing with an injury earlier this season. Blaylock rushed 12 times for 71 yards in the win and is making a strong case to be RB1.
Safety Peyton Bowen: Bowen made a couple of the biggest defensive plays to help secure a victory, including a fourth-quarter interception. The fourth-year defensive back should be a strong candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award after his clutch pick-six against Texas and the impact he has on one of the country’s best defenses.
Quarterback John Mateer: Mateer played his best game in an OU uniform. He was comfortable and decisive, completing 76% of his passes for a season-high 283 yards and two touchdowns. But the most significant stat was that the turnover-prone quarterback didn’t give the ball away. If he plays like that, the Sooners can win a lot of their remaining contests.
Stock down
Health: While star left tackle Michael Fasusi returned and gave OU a massive boost, the Sooners are still ravaged with injuries. Bowen and Reggie Powers III, two of OU’s best players, came down with injuries against Mississippi State. So did linebacker Cole Sullivan, who was injured early and ruled out for the rest of the game. And the Sooners’ offensive line is still battered and bruised as Ryan Fodje, Heath Ozaeta and Eddy Pierre-Louis all missed the game.
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Mississippi State defensive back Kendel Dolby: Dolby recovered a fumble against OU on Saturday.
Northwestern linebacker Kobie McKinzie: McKinzie collected six tackles, including a sack and a tackle for loss as the Wildcats blew out Rutgers.
UCLA linebacker Sammy Omosigho: Omosigho was all over midseason All-American lists last week. He had another impressive performance, recording six tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss as the Bruins defeated Michigan State.
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: OU football stock report: Kicker Tate Sandell struggles, but Sooners 'keep faith in him'