Brent Venables had a plan.

But a better plan was to win the football game.

This is why the quarterback Jackson Arnold I didn’t redshirt last season. And that’s why go back Xavier Robinson I shouldn’t be redshirting this season.

Like Arnold last year at BYU, Robinson was called up late in his freshman season to come off the Missouri bench and give the Sooner offense a chance.

The same week that Venables proclaimed that the OU coaching staff intended to redshirt Arnold, the young QB had to come in to fill in for the injured. Dillon Gabriel in Provo and directed a late field goal that pushed the Sooners to victory.

The same week that Venables said he would redshirt Robinson, the young RB had to come in to fill in for the injured. Jovantae Barnes in Columbia and powered a late score that pushed the Sooners to victory – which was somehow wasted in the last two minutes.

After Robinson rushed six times for 29 catch yards and a touchdown in the easy win over Maine, as well as a 46-yard pass reception – he had played just four snaps all season, catching two passes against Texas – Venables was asked last week about the redshirt status of Robinson and the first-year offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis. Venables said he would “not burn their redshirt year” and intended to limit their participation this season to the NCAA’s four-game redshirt limit.

But now – after this week’s bye week – Robinson is facing something of an existential crisis.

Does he want to play next week against Alabama? (Who wouldn’t?) Or the following week at LSU? (Same question.)

Or does he want to miss the last two games and hope his teammates can get him to a bowl game, then wait and hope to play a bigger role later in his career?

Sorry, but that’s an outdated way to approach college football in 2024.

What Robinson showed last week by knocking down Missouri tacklers like the ten pins is that he brings immediate value to an offense that needs it. He didn’t play in the first half, got a carry in the third quarter, then in the fourth quarter it was the best player on the field. He finished a stunning 30-23 loss to the Tigers with nine carries for 56 yards and also caught a pass for 7 yards.

At Carl Albert, Robinson was the driving force behind the Titans winning back-to-back state championships in 2022 and 2023, totaling 2,598 total yards and 41 touchdowns as a junior and 1,789 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior. During the regular season his senior year, he averaged nearly 11 yards per carry.

Robinson may not have gotten any playing time at OU during the first half of the season, but the 6-foot, 226-pound Robinson is ready to play a prominent role in college football – in particular to a position that has been spotty at best for the Earlier in 2024.

“(He had) fresh legs and he showed what he could do last week (against Maine),” offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley said Saturday evening. “I was excited to see him in the game. He just brings a different level of physicality, moving through things. He never really falls on the first shot, he’s so big, so strong and he works so hard. I’m excited to see where he continues to help us this year.

This must be on the field during the next two match days.

The question comes down to this: Does Venables want to beat Alabama and/or LSU and get into a bowl game? Or does he want to risk saving Robinson’s redshirt for the next coach?

It doesn’t matter if Robinson still has college eligibility in 2028 or 2029 – Venables and his staff certainly don’t need to think that far ahead if they’re essentially coaching for their job in 2024 – then entrust Robinson with the football for these next two games increases Oklahoma’s chances of earning its sixth win and qualifying for a bowl.

Even if Barnes returns 100 percent from the sprained ankle that kept him from making the trip to Mizzou, the Sooners need a more physical racing gameand Robinson proved he could help Barnes carry the load. Arnold is still turnover-prone, and while pass protection remains sketchy, the offensive line appears to be taking shape in the ground game, where it has worked the Tigers’ defense for 157 yards rushing and 4.9 yards per carry .

“We did a good job running the football,” Finley said. “I thought our guys did a really good job tonight, man. There were holes there. We had bodies upon bodies, gaining 4 or 5 meters. We were really close to making some big plays. On this last ride with Xavier Robinson, we ran the football down the field.

In the fourth quarter alone, Robinson had gains of 10, 9, 6, 7, 8, 1, 10, 4 and 5 yards.

“He was fantastic,” Venables said. “Just kind of building on what he showed last week as well, he came in and did well early, in the first few snaps he came in. I went with him (late) because he ran in the trash, he had good instincts, he ran well behind his pads, broke a lot of tackles. It really helped us move the ball there and score late.

“He worked his butt off today,” Arnold said. “I was super proud of him. He was carrying it towards the end.

“It’s a big confidence booster, especially with someone like him – a true freshman thrown into the fire.”

Arnold knows the importance of getting those shots as a first-year player.

A freshman running back won’t necessarily save this season for Oklahoma, which sits at 5-5 and will be a big underdog twice down the stretch. But giving him the football down the stretch improves OU’s chances of winning and also sends a message to the team and a hungry fan base: Venables is here to win games — and win now.