Dillon Gabriel key to the Sooners’ Offense
The cupboard has plenty of goodies left for Brent Venables to make some noise in year one. While it may seem unfair to expect conference championships and New Year’s Six berths in a rookie head coach’s first season, Venables knew what he was getting into when he took this job.
The expectations were always going to be high.
The offense will go as far as Dillon Gabriel does. If he plays pretty good, the offense will be pretty good. If he plays like the best QB in the Big 12, then the offense will be the best in the Big 12. It’s really that simple. Gabriel’s experience in Jeff Lebby’s system is very nice to have.
The defense will have growing pains. Venables’ system is complicated, and the defense is young. It will rank better than last year’s unit, but the first month or so of the season could be rough.
While an undefeated regular season is definitely possible, it’s hard to predict that in year one of the Venables era. However, Venables has made it known that he has “championship pedigree.” Let’s see how year one plays out.
Prediction: 11-1, Big 12 Champions, New Year’s Six Berth
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