After falling to 1-1 with last week's 17-10 loss at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines, head coach Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners are turning the page to Week 3. OU will be back at home on Saturday night, hosting the New Mexico Lobos in Norman.
Venables' team fell flat in their first test of the 2026 season, and they'll need to get right in a hurry before the gauntlet of an SEC schedule that they'll face. This week marks the final non-league game of the year, and Oklahoma cannot afford to play poorly again.
Here are four players to watch for Oklahoma on Saturday.
James Nesta, LB
Starting linebacker Kip Lewis was injured in the Michigan loss, and he'll miss some time while he recovers. Though Lewis' injury is not as severe as OU initially thought, losing
your leading tackler and the heart and soul of your defense is a big-time blow.
Multiple players will need to step up at linebacker, and James Nesta is in line to play a much larger role with Lewis on the sidelines. With Owen Heinecke starting at one spot, Nesta could get his first career start next to him on Saturday. Even if Cole Sullivan draws the start, Nesta will still play far more important snaps than he ever has going forward.
Elijah Thomas, WR
Starting wide receiver Trell Harris will be missing significant time after the injury he suffered in the Michigan loss. He has separated himself as OU's No. 2 wide receiver behind Isaiah Sategna III, and losing him is a tough blow for the Oklahoma offense. Elijah Thomas looks like he's in line to be the new No. 2 option, as he played the third-most snaps of any OU wideout last week.
Other players, including Mackenzie Alleyne and Jer'Michael Carter, should also see an uptick in usage, or Oklahoma could decide to play wideouts like Parker Livingstone, Jacob Jordan, or Manny Choice more often in Harris' absence. However, Thomas will certainly be asked to step up. He'll suddenly be on the field a lot for an extended period of time, beginning this week.
Omarion Robinson, DB
Omarion Robinson got a taste of big-time college football this past week. He was thrown into the fire a bit at safety with the injury to starter Michael Boganowski. Despite the loss, Robinson performed well in his first serious action, and with Boganowski's status unknown, the Sooners may need to lean on him more going forward.
Peyton Bowen is a stalwart at the other safety spot, but OU's offense doesn't afford the defense much margin for error. That means that the defensive backfield has to be sound. One blown coverage or one missed assignment could mean the difference between winning or losing. Robinson will be playing back there no matter what, but if he ends up starting, he'll need to be sound to help OU get the win.
Tory Blaylock, RB
Oklahoma has to give their running game a chance far more often going forward this season. Right now, that means feeding Lloyd Avant, the only reliable running back through two games for the Sooners. Xavier Robinson has been healthy, but ineffective, and both Tory Blaylock and Jonathan Hatton Jr. have been battling through injuries. It sounds like Blaylock is close to full strength, so maybe he's the player who can add some punch on the ground.
Of course, whether or not offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle will actually call RB run plays when the chips are down is another conversation, but Blaylock has shown what he's capable of doing when he's healthy. A strong rushing attack can take the pressure off quarterback John Mateer and allow him to do what he's best at. A strong day from Blaylock could lead to him being the feature back and a big part of the offensive game plan going forward.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 4 players to watch when Oklahoma hosts New Mexico
