Jason Witten Passed His First Big Test in Oklahoma's Win Over Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - When Brent Venables handed the play-calling duties to Jason Witten on Monday, the skepticism outside the building was palpable.

Moving on from Ben Arbuckle midseason felt like a toss of the dice for a program staggering through offensive quicksand. But when the dust settled Saturday night in Gainesville, Witten’s debut as interim offensive coordinator was nothing short of a smashing success.

Make no mistake: there is still plenty of work to do. The offensive line remains a banged-up, patch-work unit that has to get better in pass protection. But relative to where this offense was a week ago, Saturday night’s 23-7 victory over No. 24 Florida was a massive step in the right direction toward getting Oklahoma back on track.

Witten’s offense did three things particularly well that had been sorely missing all fall: they committed to establishing the run (even if the 3.6 yards per carry wasn't mind-blowing), John Mateer played with poise and crisp decision-making in his first college game without Arbuckle in his ear, and they took care of the football with zero turnovers.

The tone was set immediately.

Oklahoma came out executing with a clean rhythm, scoring on its first two possessions against an SEC opponent for the first time since joining the conference.

Think about that for a second. That fast-start script was something Seth Littrell, Joe Jon Finley, and Ben Arbuckle all failed to deliver. Witten walked into one of the meanest road environments in the country and had his unit humming right out of the tunnel.

Throughout the night, the offense played with a level of calm and control we simply hadn't seen this year. But the crown jewel of Witten’s debut came in the fourth quarter.

Holding a tight 13-7 lead, OU put the game on ice with a soul-crushing 20-play drive that swallowed 12 minutes and 45 seconds of game clock. It was the longest OU drive in the last 20 seasons, the most plays on a single drive by any SEC team this year, and it chewed up 22 minutes and 16 seconds of real time.

That wasn't just clock management; that was pure, physical football will imposed on a ranked opponent in their own backyard. And that was all Witten.

There are still three games remaining in the regular season, and the gauntlet isn't over. But as far as opening statements go for a full-time audition, Witten couldn't have scripted a better night.

Time will tell if this momentum lasts when defenses start building book on his tendencies, but when the Sooners needed someone to steady the ship in The Swamp, Jason Witten answered the call.