Few people expected the Sooners 2022 season to go like that. Even with all of the turnover, there was still optimism that the Sooners could contend for the Big 12. After their 3-0 start, which included wins of 30 or more points in each game, Oklahoma looked like a legitimate threat to return to the Big 12 championship game.
Then Big 12 play happened, and all of a sudden, the Sooners’ defense couldn’t stop anyone.
They lost a close game to Kansas State after Adrian Martinez went Herculean on Oklahoma’s defense. The Sooners couldn’t stop the Wildcats from converting a 3rd and 16. They were blown out by TCU and Texas, but Dillon Gabriel wasn’t available for the entirety of those games after being concussed against TCU. It may not have mattered to the win column, but Gabriel’s presence would have made the outcomes more respectable.
Losses to Baylor, West Virginia, and Texas Tech in the final month of the season crushed what was beginning to look like a promising second half of the season in Brent Venables’ first. Each game was a three-point loss, and in each game, the Sooners’ defense struggled to get stops down the stretch.
It was a season of frustration and disappointment all the way around for the Sooners. While there were some promising performances, the Sooners couldn’t ever put it all together, and that’s why they were given a “D” by The Athletic in their grades of all 65 Power Five teams in 2022 (Subscription Required).
Only qualifying for a bowl at 6-6 keeps Oklahoma from an F. The Sooners’ 3-6 Big 12 record was the program’s worst since 1997. They suffered their worst-ever loss to Texas and also lost to West Virginia and Texas Tech in the final three weeks of the season. Brent Venables has a lot of work to do for Year 2. – Chris Vannini, The Athletic
For a school that had dominated the Big 12 for 22 years, the 2022 season was a humbling experience. Losing to West Virginia, a team that Oklahoma hadn’t lost to since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12, or how they lost to Texas Tech, were characteristic of the Sooners’ 2022 season. Oklahoma graded out only slightly better than West Virginia (D-) and Iowa State (F), and the Sooners received the same grade as Baylor (D) after their disappointing season.
They were a team good enough to win just about every game that Dillon Gabriel was available but not good enough to win the close games. Oklahoma was 0-4 in one-score games in Brent Venables’ first season at the helm. And largely that was due to a defense that was one of the worst in the FBS this season.
6-6 with a chance to improve to 7-6 and keep Oklahoma’s winning-season streak alive feels better than a losing season, but ultimately the 2022 season didn’t live up to anyone’s expectations. While preseason goals to contend for the Big 12 title may have been a bit lofty, going 3-6 in conference play and losing the way they did in some of those contests was disappointing.
It’s only year one of the Brent Venables era. There’s certainly a lot Oklahoma has to improve. Coaching, talent, and execution need to be better in 2023 if they want to avoid a similar outcome in Venables’ second year in Norman.
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