Tag: Brent Venables

Oklahoma Sooners defensive back still has confidence in team with two games left

Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen believes the Sooners have what it takes to get to a bowl game.

The Oklahoma Sooners fumbled away a golden opportunity to become bowl eligible last week, losing on the road against the Missouri Tigers. OU will have to win at least one of their final two games to make the postseason. If they fail, it’ll break a 25-year streak of bowl-eligibility.

It’s been quite a fall from grace in Norman over the last few years, as a program that was strong and a frequent contender under Bob Stoops became an explosive, yet ultimately flawed product under Lincoln Riley. Three years in under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], the Sooners are just flawed.

From the elite ranks of college football to fighting to win as many games as they lose, no one saw quite this much of a regression from Oklahoma. But there’s still belief in the 2024 team from none other than some of the players in the locker room.

One such player is sophomore defensive back [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], one of OU’s trio of safeties that have been very good this season. He was asked about this team’s mindset coming off of last week’s embarrassing loss, with chances at getting to six wins running out.

“We’ve still got a lot to play for,” Bowen said. “Bowl eligibility with these two games, we’ve got one more in The Palace and one more in Death Valley. Like I said at the beginning of the year, every game is winnable. We’ve got the guys to do it, and I think we can, I know we can, and we’ve just got to go out there and win them.”

That’s what you want to hear from a second-year player, even if OU fans don’t quite share the same sentiment. Bowen is about to have so much more responsibility placed on his shoulders next season when players like Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman head to the pros. If Robert Spears-Jennings decides to go to the league as well, Bowen would suddenly be the leader of the safety position in 2025.

Oklahoma will host the Alabama Crimson Tide on Nov. 23 for Senior Day in Norman, and the final game of the season will be on the road against the  LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman has ‘no doubt’ in Brent Venables

Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman confident in Brent Venables.

The 2024 season has taken a bit of the shine off of Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables. After going 10-3 in 2023, the Sooners’ final season in the Big 12, Oklahoma’s inaugural season in the SEC hasn’t gone according to plan.

But the Oklahoma Sooners are still behind Venables as they look to finish the season strong with games against Alabama and LSU remaining on the docket. Oklahoma administrators Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione offered votes of confidence for the Sooners head coach earlier this week. One of the most important players on the team, [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], is still a believer, too.

“Obviously, I have no doubt (in Venables),” Stutsman said after practice Wednesday via The Oklahoman. “The people here, the staff has no doubt. You guys talked to the president, there’s no doubt. Obviously, there’s something right that Coach Venables does where everyone that’s close around him and sees him every day, they have no, they have unwavering faith in Coach Venables.”

Danny Stutsman has taken his game to another level, just as the defense has every year under Venables. The Sooners’ defense has given the Sooners opportunities to stay in some games, but the offense hasn’t been consistent enough to take advantage of the defense’s progression.

Venables has done a really good job on the recruiting trail, putting together a trio of top 10 classes in his first three cycles, and has the 2025 class just outside the top 10.

Until this year, the Sooners offense had been fine. Even with some of the shortcomings, Oklahoma averaged 32.8 points per game in 2022 and 41.7 points per game in 2023. This year, they’ve taken a drastic step back amid a plethora of injuries and inconsistent quarterback play and are averaging just 25.1 points per game. That’s their lowest per game scoring average since the Sooners averaged 26.9 points per game in 2005. That was the year Rhett Bomar started at quarterback and you had Adrian Peterson run for 1,104 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Sooners have, more often than not, had good offense over the last 25 years. So there’s no reason to expect the Sooners won’t be able to return their offense back to a place of respectability.

Brent Venables has a huge offseason ahead of him. The next offensive coordinator will define his legacy at OU. He made a good hire with Jeff Lebby and did so with Zac Alley. Though his most recent coordinator hire didn’t work out, Venables will have the support of the administration to be aggressive in the coordinator marketplace as the end of the season approaches.

Oklahoma administration offers support for Sooners head coach Brent Venables

Speaking at the OU Board of Regents meeting, Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione offered Brent Venables a vote of confidence.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a disappointing season to say the least. 5-5 is unacceptable at the University of Oklahoma regardless of the conference one plays in. Sure, the SEC is a different challenge than what the Big 12 has offered in recent years, but head coach Brent Venables and his staff knew what was coming, and the result this season hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The Sooners most recent loss to Missouri felt like arguably the most disappointing of the season. With a lead at halftime and then again in the final two minutes, Oklahoma watched the win slip through their grasp. Now, the Sooners are staring at a potential second losing season in three years under head coach Brent Venables.

But as the hot seat turns up, Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione offered support for their head coach. At Tuesday’s OU Board of Regents meeting, Harroz and Castiglione were asked about their confidence in Venables.

“It’s unwavering right now,” Harroz told media members. “We know it’s been a tough season. I’ve been around Oklahoma Football for a long time. We have the right coach. This is our coach. We knew it was going to be a tough year going to the SEC, the first year. You add that with all of the things that are taking place around the shifting NIL landscape, with hopefully more certainty coming next year if the preliminary approval becomes final in the lawsuit. We knew there was going to be some turbulence. Obviously, we’d love to have more wins, but our confidence in the coach is as steady as it’s ever been.”

Harroz went on to share with The Oklahoman that his confidence in Venables is at “100%.”

The season has certainly had it’s share of issues from injuries to staff changes to inexperience on the offensive side of the ball. Castiglione is aware of the challenges Venables and his staff have faced.

“I believe in Brent,” Castiglione shared with The Oklahoman. “He’s gone up against the best offensive coordinators that college football has seen as a defensive coordinator. He understands, as any head coach would, what makes teams tough to defend, and we want to be focused on hiring a coach that can assemble the strategy to make our offense one of the toughest to defend in college football.

“You do that with getting the right coaches to identify the right talent and teach and develop them. Put the team in a position to be successful and play complementary football. Because we’ve seen all of the time how important that is to win games, especially in a very, very challenging league like the SEC. But we want to continue to have our sights set on being among the best in the SEC and beyond.”

The Oklahoma Sooners won’t likely reach a bowl game in 2024 unless they can find an offense over the final three weeks of the regular season. With games against Alabama and LSU remaining after the bye, the Sooners are on track for their worst season since 1998.

Brent Venables and the Sooners will have a number of important decisions to make this offseason. From the offensive coordinator to their quarterback situation. Venables has to get this offseason right.

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners fall in USA Today Sports’ 1-134 rankings?

OU enters a bye week after dropping again in USA TODAY Sports’ 1-134 list.

The Oklahoma Sooners are now 5-5 overall on the nightmarish 2024 season. They’re just 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play, which isn’t the mark anyone around the program expected.

Despite going 4-0 in non-conference games, OU has been one of the worst teams in all of the Power Four this year. They have proven that they are far from being ready for the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and Saturday’s embarrassing loss against Missouri only served to beat a dead horse.

We’re eleven weeks into this college football season, so we have a pretty good idea of where most teams stand with just three weeks left in the regular season. USA TODAY Sports takes on the weekly challenge of ranking all 134 teams that play at the FBS level, and their placement of [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] team shows how far the once-proud program has fallen under his leadership.

Staff writer Paul Myerberg ranks Oklahoma, once a staple of the top 10, or at least the top 25, at No. 45 heading into week 12. It’s a six-spot drop from this time last week.

It’s an eye-opening position for Sooner Nation to find themselves in, and Myerberg’s ranking might actually be too generous to OU. The Sooners are sandwiched in-between Cincinnati at No. 44 and Arkansas at No. 46, both teams that would likely beat Oklahoma if they played this week.

No offense to the Bearcats or Razorbacks, but that’s not where a program like Oklahoma belongs in the pecking order of college football. It’ll take some soul-searching from everyone involved with the sinking program, from the top all the way to the bottom, if this thing is going to get turned back in the right direction.

Kickoff time, TV information announced for Oklahoma-Alabama

Oklahoma will host Alabama under the lights in their final home game of the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play their penultimate game of the 2024 season next week, after their upcoming bye week. With OU fielding their worst team since the John Blake years in the late 1990s, one might hope that the Sooners could go quietly about their business of losing and avoid the spotlight, before the offseason.

However, that won’t be the case. OU’s home finale will come against Alabama on Owen Field, and the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] has decided to put the game in primetime.

It’ll be a 6:30 p.m. kickoff in Norman for the Sooners and the Crimson Tide on Saturday November 23rd, and the game will broadcast on ABC in front of a nationally-televised audience.

It’s another bad break in a season full of them for Oklahoma, as the entire country will be able to tune in to watch [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] against a red hot Alabama Crimson Tide.

At the very least, it’ll be one final opportunity for seniors like [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] to play in their home stadium. Both players deserved better than what they got this season, but hopefully they will be celebrated one last time at home.

Sooners among USA TODAY Sports losers of week 11 after letdown vs. Missouri

The Oklahoma Sooners fell to 5-5 with their loss to Missouri and were among USA TODAY Sports losers from week 11.

It wasn’t simply that the Oklahoma Sooners lost to Missouri on Saturday night. It was the way they lost. They watched a lead at halftime disappear. Then, the Sooners tied it up late and took the lead on a fumble returned for a touchdown.

It was a miraculous turn of events that quickly turned into disaster as the Sooners allowed the game-tying touchdown 57 seconds later on a drive that allowed a third-and-16 conversion.

It couldn’t have ended any worse for the Sooners. Jackson Arnold, on second-and-five, couldn’t find anywhere to go with the ball and lost the football when hit, which Missouri took the other way for a game-winning touchdown.

After their disappointing loss, the Sooners were among Paul Myerburg’s losers of the week for USA TODAY Sports.

Hello, rock bottom. That’s where you’ll find Oklahoma after a stunning 30-23 loss to Missouri that got wild in the final minutes. The Sooners scored twice in 78 seconds to go up 23-16 with two minutes to play only to see Missouri respond to tie the score with a minute left. Then, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold was sacked and fumbled, with the loose ball scooped up by defensive lineman Zion Young and returned 18 yards for the game-winning score. In a nightmare season, this is about as bad a loss the program has suffered in years and years and it’s likely to end without a bowl game for the first time this century. – Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

There have been too many comparisons between this Oklahoma team and the 1998 squad. The Sooners are in danger of missing bowl season for the first since the final year of the John Blake era.

It’s never good when your team gets compared to one of the lowest periods in program history.

Brent Venables will likely get another year to figure it out, but he’ll be on the hottest of seats moving forward.

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3 Oklahoma Sooners freshmen to watch against Missouri

Three freshmen to keep your eye on as the Sooners battle the Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners will look to win their second straight game on Saturday, as they’ll visit the Missouri Tigers. OU defeated Maine last week, with several true freshmen getting plenty of snaps in a blowout win over an FCS foe.

This week, it’s back to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] grind for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ squad, as Oklahoma looks to reach bowl eligibility. With plenty of injuries still hampering the Sooners, it could be another opportunity for some young players to step into the spotlight on the road.

Here are three freshmen to keep your eye on when Oklahoma takes on Missouri.

1. Xavier Robinson, RB

Running back [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] was impressive last week against the Black Bears. He was playing in mop-up duty against lesser competition, but his physicality and burst has some clamoring to see what he can do at the highest level.

Robinson is a local talent from Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma, and he’s been buried on the depth chart behind Jovantae Barnes, Taylor Tatum, and others. No one is saying he should surpass Barnes or Tatum, but it’d be interesting to see what he can do if given the chance to get more work.

2. Reggie Powers III, DB

Each of the past two weeks, I’ve included one of OU’s freshmen trio of defensive backs in this piece. This week, [autotag]Reggie Powers III[/autotag] gets the nod. He, along with Jaydan Hardy and Michael Boganowski make up an exciting future at safety for Oklahoma’s defense. They’re all playing more and more as the season moves along.

Powers had a beautiful interception in the fourth quarter last week that was wiped off the board due to a roughing the passer penalty. He’s been solid on special teams, and could certainly see more snaps as the Sooners try to cover up some of their deficiencies at cornerback.

3. Ivan Carreon, WR

We’ll go a little out of the box for this third one. Everyone knows about OU’s wide receiver injuries in 2024. And everyone knows about the various levels of impact true freshmen wideouts like Jacob Jordan, Zion Kearney, and Zion Ragins have had in their place.

But another guy who has gotten a bit of playing time is [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag]. He’s got the most size of the group at 6-foot-6, and is a good blocker on the outside. He’s caught a couple of passes this season, but could be in line for some more targets if the Sooners have bad injury luck at wideout again this week. He followed Emmett Jones from Texas Tech, decommitting from the Red Raiders to come to Norman.

Oklahoma vs. Missouri will kick off on SEC Network at 6:45 p.m. from Columbia, Missouri.

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Oklahoma Sooners captains against Missouri Tigers

The Sooners will be led by some of the biggest names on the team as captains against the Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners take the road this week, heading to Columbia, Missouri as they jump back into [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. The 5-4 Sooners will look to win their second straight game, as they’ll visit the Missouri Tigers for a primetime battle away from home.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has announced his game captains for this conference tilt, and his team will be represented by some of the biggest names on the roster in a pivotal contest. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], defensive linemen [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive back [autotag]Billy Bowman Jr.[/autotag] will lead Oklahoma into battle as captains in week eleven.

Arnold has gone from the heir-apparent, to the no-doubt starter, to being benched, to being re-inserted in the lineup, and now back to captain status in a whirlwind month and a half. The sophomore has looked more comfortable since regaining his starting spot, and his play will go a long way toward deciding this week’s game.

Sharp has shown some positive things at tight end, but there’s still plenty to work on for a player still new to the position. The coaching staff clearly trusts him to get the lion’s share of the reps, and he’s been more effective since the offensive coordinator change.

Williams was a big offseason addition for this team, and has been been reliable in the interior of the defensive line. He hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s helped one of the strongest units on the team consistently shut down the inside run game week after week.

Halton has improved so much over the last couple of seasons, and is really coming into his own as another great interior line option on this defense. He’s found a knack for getting into the backfield and making big plays, none bigger than his game-changing safety against Houston all the way back in week two.

Stutsman is the unquestioned leader of this team, and one of the best inside linebackers in college football. He hasn’t seen as many wins in his senior season as he’d like, but he continues to excel no matter how far back against the wall the offense puts the defense this year.

Bowman Jr. hasn’t matched his unbelievable production from a year ago, but he’s still a very good veteran player in the back end of OU’s defense. If he can return to his ball-hawking, turnover-causing 2023 form, it’ll help this team immensely over the final four weeks of the regular season.

The Sooners are putting some of their biggest stars front and center for this game. The noteworthy names, especially Stutsman, Bowman Jr. and Arnold will have to play like stars on Saturday, and the rest of the season, for Oklahoma to begin stacking wins in the SEC.

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ESPN CFB analyst thinks this week is a must-win for Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners have to find a way to win this weekend if they want to make the postseason, per ESPN’s Greg McElroy.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 5-4 overall but 1-4 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. After defeating the Maine Black Bears last week, OU heads to Columbia for a prime-time clash with the Missouri Tigers.

With [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team needing one more win in three remaining tries to gain bowl eligibility, one might be tempted to think OU wouldn’t be sunk if it were to lose on Saturday.

But on his podcast “Always College Football,” ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy believes this week’s contest is absolutely crucial if Oklahoma wants to extend its 25-year bowl game streak.

The former national championship-winning quarterback at Alabama detailed just how difficult OU’s remaining three games are, and how pivotal Saturday’s game is for the Sooners.

“They are currently 5-4,” McElroy said. “They have made a bowl game in 25 consecutive seasons, but the next three games are no guarantee. They’re on the road at Missouri. Feels like the one they probably have to win. If they can get the game at Missouri — Missouri is not very good, they’re reeling a little bit — but if they can get that one, they’re obviously good.”

The only other games left for the Sooners are at home against Alabama and on the road against LSU. This week likely represents the easiest competition OU will play from here on in.

“Do you feel confident in them beating Bama at home or at LSU? I, personally, don’t,” McElroy said. “So, it feels like this is the week. Oklahoma has got to get it against Missouri because beating Bama at home or at LSU feels a lot less likely. So, if they don’t get it this week, that bowl streak of 25 straight could come to an end.”

The Tigers are certainly not a pushover, and Eli Drinkwitz’s team is 6-2 and coming off a bye week. They have the home-field advantage, and their only losses have come against Texas A&M and Alabama. Both were on the road.

They’ve got plenty of talent, and they haven’t had problems on one side of the ball the way Oklahoma has with their offense. If the Sooners can’t get the job done, they’ll need to pull off an even bigger upset in one of their final two games, or they’ll miss the postseason for the first time since 1998.

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What happened last time Oklahoma Sooners played Missouri?

OU and Mizzou last squared off 13 years ago in Norman. The rematch comes on Saturday in Columbia.

The Oklahoma Sooners jump back into [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play this Saturday when they face the Missouri Tigers on the road. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team looks to become bowl eligible with a victory. The Sooners go on the road as slight underdogs in the conference tilt.

The Sooners and the Tigers were once conference foes in both the Big Eight and the Big 12. Oklahoma owns a 67-24-5 lead in the all-time series. Mizzou has gone 2-10 in the last 30 years against OU, and just one of those wins came since [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] took over in Norman in 1999.

Oklahoma and Missouri have played in some big clashes among some of their most recent matchups. They faced off twice in 2007. On both occasions, the Tigers were the No. 1 team in the country. The Sooners handed them their only loss of the regular season, 41-31, before meeting again in that season’s Big 12 championship game. OU once again knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation, denying Mizzou a berth in the national title game with a 38-17 rout.

The schools met again in the Big 12 title game in 2008. The Sooners once again rolled, 62-21. OU made the BCS national championship game that season behind Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford.

The most recent matchup came in 2011. Oklahoma was ranked atop the AP Poll when Missouri came to town. The Tigers jumped to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, before OU scored the game’s next 28 points. The Sooners were led by the offensive trio of [autotag]Ryan Broyles[/autotag], [autotag]Landry Jones[/autotag] and Dominique Whaley.

Broyles was magnificent in the game, catching 13 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns, while Jones threw for those three scores and 448 yards. Whaley had 150 all-purpose yards while touching the ball 21 times. Venables was serving as Stoops’ defensive coordinator at the time, and his defense snuffed out the Missouri attack after surrendering the two early scores.

The Sooners built a 31-14 lead and held off a rally by the Tigers to win 38-28. Oklahoma avenged the prior year’s loss against Missouri in the final meeting of the teams until this year. Mizzou joined the SEC in 2012, and with OU’s entry into the conference this season, they’ll pick up where they left off in 2024.

Kickoff in Columbia, Missouri, is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. and the game will carried on the SEC Network.

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