Arbuckle and his wife got to Norman Tuesday. I guess she grew up a huge Sooner fan. Anyways he gave a quick interview and here are some of the highlights....
"Everybody likes points, right? I like points, so everyone here should like points," Arbuckle said. "Everything that we can do to move the ball down the field, put points on the board, play complementary football with the defense, right? Full-team football, I think, is pivotal in the success not only of an offense but a program as a whole. So, doing that continuously, working together, and the explosives, right? Explosive plays. Explosive plays win.
"So, that's what you can expect. That's what you're going to see, and we're going to get rolling on that as soon as possible."
Oklahoma's offense struggled to do any of that this fall. The Sooners were 94th nationally and second to last in the SEC in scoring this season at 24.3 points per game. The offense managed just 11 touchdowns in eight SEC games, scoring no more than two touchdowns in any of those conference matchups.
The Sooners were 121st in total offense, averaging 322.5 yards per game, and they managed just 4.78 yards per play (126th nationally). Oklahoma was also 133rd out of 134 FBS teams in plays of 20-plus yards, with 32 of them. Only
Kennesaw State, which went 2-10 this year, had fewer such plays (28).
Arbuckle's offense at
Washington State, by contrast, was 12th in scoring (36.8 points per game), 22nd in total offense (440.4 yards per game), 14th in yards per play (6.65) and tied for 10th in plays of 20-plus yards (70th).
Arbuckle, whose roots are in the Air Raid but takes influence from West Coast and Pro-Style offenses, knows he'll need to do more than just promise points and big plays to be successful at Oklahoma. He understands what needs to be achieved to deliver on that promise — and it starts in the trenches.
"This is a conference of the line of scrimmage," Arbuckle said. "The first thing I always want to do is make sure we establish the line of scrimmage, in all forms. Establish that intent of dominance. Who better than Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh and (Joe Jon) Finley to set that, set that vision in motion. The best in the country, they're here, and I can't wait to work side by side with them to do that."
Washington State's offensive line this season was 23rd nationally in pass-blocking efficiency (91.2), according to Pro Football Focus. Oklahoma's was 123rd (84.0) in the country and seventh lowest among Power 4 programs. The Cougars also boast the nation's third-best overall pass-blocking grade (85.9), per PFF.
