New and improved special teams helps boost Oklahoma Sooners in comeback win over Auburn

The Oklahoma Sooners' special teams has been the bane of the team for their last several seasons, as Lincoln Riley never invested in the unit and Brent Venables was still sorting out his staff.

This past offseason, their special teams coach Jay Nunez was hired away by Alabama, leaving Venables an opportunity to turn that struggling unit around. Venables hired former San Diego State STC Doug Deakin, who has coached multiple NFL-caliber special teamers while with the Aztecs.

So far, that move has paid off hugely for the Sooners, as their special teams have been a key difference-maker in every game this season. It helped lift them to a win against Auburn this past week.

Punter Luke Elzinga had a terrific game, flipping the field position often for the Sooners. Elzinga punted five times for an average of 47.6 yards per attempt and a net of close to 44 yards, finishing third in the country in Week 5 (as of the time of this writing). Elzinga's 43.8 Net average yardage sits top-15 in the country, improving a full three yards on average from where he was in 2023.

Perhaps the most telling improvement is that field goals aren't terrifying for OU fans so far this season. In 2023, Zach Schmit went 15-of-21 on field goals, missing at least one from every distance range. The Sooners went out and got another kicker in the transfer portal, Tyler Keltner, who has gone 6-of-7 on field goals in 2024, missing just one from 40-49 yards.

However, against Auburn, Keltner was out with appendicitis, forcing Schmit to handle every phase of the kicking game. Schmit handled it with aplomb. He averaged 71.5 yards per kickoff, allowing just one kick to be returned.

Yet, it was his field goal kicking that stood out in this game against Auburn. Schmit hit two clutch field goals, one from 39 and the other from 24, to help lift Oklahoma up over Auburn.

So far, Doug Deakin's special teams have been an unsung hero for the Oklahoma Sooners. As time goes on, Oklahoma could field a top-tier special teams unit for the first time in several years as the overall talent of the team increases.