The Oklahoma Sooners fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday in the final Bedlam game for the foreseeable future. It was a heartbreaking loss for the players and the fan base.
The Sooners had plenty of chances to separate themselves and come away with a win, but as we’ve seen too many times in the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ era, they were unable to win a close game. That’s beginning to be a bit of a trend for the Sooners. Mistakes that weren’t typical prior to the Red River Rivalry win have plagued Oklahoma in their last three games. It’s no coincidence they’ve gone 1-2 since the bye week.
Isaiah Coe talked about it after the game about what his message is to the team. “Just keep fighting,” Coe said. “The season is not done yet. We’ve still got a couple more games, a bowl game, you know, just keep fighting. Finish strong. Try to finish the course. Do what we came here to do. Have some pride.”
While the loss makes the conference title far more difficult, the Sooners still have a chance to show they are much improved from a season ago. We’ve seen it this year. The defense has taken major steps. Last year they were the No. 122 ranked total defense. In 2023, they’ve improved to No. 60 in the nation. That’s a major jump. They also rank 22nd in scoring defense.
It wasn’t all bad yesterday. Several young players for the Sooners got into the game due to injury and showed what the future might hold for this program. Whether it was [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] with 15 tackles or [autotag]Kobie McKenzie[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Spear-Jennings[/autotag] with seven tackles a piece, the Sooners’ young stars showed out.
While yesterday’s loss stings, the future is bright. It’s going to be a bumpy road early on, but if they stick with it and let the young guys on the team grow, all of these struggles will be worth it in the end.
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