Tag: Brent Venables

Texas made a statement in last-second loss to Alabama

Although Texas isn’t “back” yet, would it be the worst thing ever if they were for Oklahoma?

My fellow fans of the Oklahoma Sooners, hear me out. I know how this headline looks, and believe me, I don’t like it any more than you do.

However, I believe the Sooners would benefit from the Texas Longhorns being “back” before the two programs move to the SEC.

Like it or not, the Longhorns made a statement last Saturday in Austin. If Quinn Ewers doesn’t get hurt, Texas wins that game. For whatever reason, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide wasn’t prepared and looked completely disorganized.

Not only that, but the Longhorns’ defensive line looked like an SEC unit. There was nothing “Big 12” about the team wearing burnt orange. I was expecting a blowout. I was wrong.

To be clear, no, I am not saying Texas is back. You aren’t “back” after losing a game at home. However, I think the Longhorns are finally on the right track. Steve Sarkisian had his players ready to go. Will he be the guy to captain the ship when the Longhorns are in the SEC? I don’t know, but he definitely works for now.

Like it or not, OU and Texas are joined at the hip, and they always will be. The Red River game is one of the most iconic games in college football for a reason. It’s just better when both teams are good.

I have all the confidence in the world in Brent Venables and his staff. The Sooners will be SEC-ready when that time does come. Will the Longhorns be SEC-ready? I feel better about their chances now than I did back in August.

Like it or not, football programs in the SEC have this certain image of themselves. They believe that they are a step above the rest. A frequent jab at the Sooners during their recent run of Big 12 Championships has been that their competition has been lacking. If the Sooners and Longhorns both go into the SEC and win football games, that argument loses credibility.

There’s very little downside to the Longhorns being competitive again for the Sooners. They already get better recruiting classes than OU. That’s always been an issue, although the 2023 class may be different.

A more competitive Red River game in October would be a good thing. If the Sooners can’t beat the Longhorns when Texas is, in fact, “back,” then they don’t deserve to be winning national championships. That is still the goal: to win national championships.

Brent Venables was brought to Norman to get the Sooners on the level of Alabamas and Georgias of college football. If Texas manages to get to that level as well, so be it.

There’s just no downside to the Longhorns being a good program again. Should OU and Texas both compete in the new SEC, good things will come to the Sooners.

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Dillon Gabriel shares Big 12 newcomer of the week honors

After he completed 75 percent of his passes and threw three touchdowns, Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel was named Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week.

Dillon Gabriel entered the 2022 season with relatively lofty expectations. It makes sense considering he transferred into Oklahoma with over 8,000 passing yards and 70 touchdowns before he took a snap in an Oklahoma uniform.

The Big 12 media recognized this and named him preseason Newcomer of the Year.

The next task for Gabriel was to go out and prove them correct. Gabriel has looked very good thru two games as the Sooners’ starting quarterback. He was awarded for his efforts this against Kent State, being named Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week with Iowa State linebacker Colby Reeder.

Gabriel’s play in the Sooners’ matchup was very steady, and kicked it up a notch just before halftime. Getting the ball with just over a minute to play, Gabriel orchestrated a five-play drive that culminated in a 36-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims. Gabriel was 5 of 5 for 76 yards on the drive, which gave Oklahoma its first lead of the game.

The Sooners entered halftime up 7-3 in a game where they were as 30-point favorites. Whatever was said during halftime clearly lit a fire, and they came out and looked like a top 10 team.

Gabriel’s final numbers were 21/28, for a 75% completion percentage, 296 passing yards, and three touchdowns.

He was surgical all game, even when things weren’t going right. When an opportunity presented itself, he took over.

Two of his touchdown passes went to Marvin Mims, who quickly became Gabriel’s favorite target. The other was an 18-yard pass to slot receiver Drake Stoops who hit the pylon with just one shoe on.

The games will continue to get a bit more challenging as the Sooners wrap up their non-conference schedule against former Big 8 and Big 12 rival Nebraska. After their road trip to Lincoln, they’ll return home to face Kansas State the following week in a primetime matchup.

Gabriel’s command and comfort in this offense could lead to more big days.

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A loss to Nebraska in week 3 is not acceptable for the Oklahoma Sooners

There’s no excuse for the Oklahoma Sooners to exit Lincoln, Nebraksa with anything other than a win

There was a time before the football season when I looked at the Week 3 game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln and shuddered with concern. Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is one of the most unfriendly environments for opposing teams, despite the hard times the Huskers have faced.

Venables said about the matchup: “It’s gonna be really exciting, and a great, great challenge for us to go to Lincoln go on the road, you know, tough environment. I’m really excited to see what our team is all about. You know, it’d be a great opportunity for us to continue to grow and develop, you know, as a team.”

It’s a tough place to play. That, however, is no excuse.

The Oklahoma Sooners should go into Lincoln and win.

Former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost was fired before his buyout of more than $15 million would be cut in half on Oct. 1. The university clearly wanted him out and wanted him out as soon as possible. Losing to the Sun Belt Conference’s Georgia Southern was the final straw.

That game against Georgia Southern was at home, by the way.

Anything less than absolute domination isn’t acceptable from the Sooners in Week 3. The Nebraska defense ranks at the very bottom of the Big Ten in points allowed per game (31). That’s after games against Northwestern, North Dakota and Georgia Southern. The Sooners are winning by an average margin of 31 points per game through their first two wins.

The Huskers also rank last in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed per game. So, I’m sure the run-loving Jeff Lebby is already dialing up plays for Eric Gray and Marcus Major. They are second to last in the Big Ten in passing defense, just in case you were wondering. The only team below them in that category is Northwestern.

Nebraska has named another former Nebraska quarterback, Mickey Joseph, as Frost’s interim replacement.

Joseph was on Ed Orgeron’s staff at LSU when the Tigers won the 2019 national championship. He was the passing game coordinator and assistant head coach. He had been serving as the wide receivers coach in Lincoln before taking over as interim head coach.

His last head coaching gig was at Langston University from 2011-2012, where he had a record of 13-7.

The Sooners have to drop the hammer as quickly as possible. Taking a half to get in the zone against Kent State is one thing, but playing down to the Huskers when they’re doing their best Titanic impression just isn’t going to work.

Go into Lincoln and show Big Red the Sooners are on a different level. There’s no reason the Sooners shouldn’t be 3-0 heading into Big 12 play.

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Oklahoma Sooners move up one spot to 6th in AP Poll

After Oklahoma’s win over Kent State, the Sooners climb one spot to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

When Oklahoma kicked off their game against Kent State, there had to be some level of anxiousness considering two other schools in the top 10 had already lost to unranked Group of Five teams. And at home. Oklahoma experienced a shaky start on a day when shaky starts turned into historic upsets for top 10 teams.

The Sooners started as if it was at the forefront of their brain and only led 7-3 heading into halftime.

In the second half, they put their foot on the gas and zoomed right past the Golden Flashes to win 33-3.

Oklahoma avoided a fate suffered by Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Both suffered huge drops in the AP Poll released Sunday afternoon.

Similarly to the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, Brent Venables’ Sooners rose one spot from seventh to sixth.

Ahead of them sit the Georgia Bulldogs at number one, the Alabama Crimson Tide at number two, Ohio State, Michigan, and Venables’ old team, the Clemson Tigers round out the top five.

Behind the Sooners to round out the top 10 are Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans at No. 7, in-state rival Oklahoma State, Mark Stoops’ Kentucky Wildcats, and at number ten, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Oklahoma is in an excellent position in the rankings as they wrap up their non-conference schedule with a trip to long-time foe Nebraska. This game has all the makings of a contest that won’t be easy, considering Nebraska just fired head coach Scott Frost. Frost underperformed his entire tenure with the Cornhuskers. These moves have a way of galvanizing a team. Expect Nebraska’s best effort next Saturday.

The Baylor Bears lost on the road to BYU Saturday night and dropped from ninth to seventeenth. At the same time, Texas stayed firm at No. 21 after missing a chance to knock off the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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3 stars from Oklahoma’s 33-3 win against Kent State

Who stood out in the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State and earned one of our 3 stars of the game?

Oklahoma’s second game of the season found them taking on Kent State, and for a while, it looked like they had Oklahoma a bit puzzled.

Kent State held Oklahoma scoreless until the waning moments of the first half. Brent Venables’ team headed into the break up 7-3. Whatever was said in that locker room worked as Oklahoma flipped a switch and ran away with the game.

A few players, in particular, stood out in the win as their efforts kept Oklahoma in the game and helped elevate the team when the Sooners needed another gear to separate from Kent State.

Here are this week’s 3 stars!

Up Next: Provided a Spark

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Everything Brent Venables had to say following Oklahoma’s win over Kent State

Everything Brent Venables had to say after the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes Saturday night.

The Oklahoma defense carried the Sooners through the first half as the offense struggled to find some consistency. But at the end of the half, the offense ran a near-perfect (false start penalty) two-minute drill leading to Dillon Gabriel’s 36-yard connection with Marvin Mims to give Oklahoma its first score of the game, which also proved to be the game-winner.

The Sooners’ offense would go on to score 33 unanswered points over the next 18 minutes of game time to put the game out of reach for a tough Kent State program that gave Oklahoma all it could handle for the first 29 minutes of the game.

Speaking to the media in the aftermath of Oklahoma’s second-straight 30-point win to start the 2022 season, here’s everything Brent Venables had to say.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State

Standout defensive performances helped the Oklahoma Sooners stay in the game before the offense broke out at the end of the first half and third quarter.

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 2-0 on the season with their 33-3 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes. It’s a 2-0 start that has had it’s ups and downs, and yet the Sooners have won each game in blowout fashion.

A second quarter lull against UTEP and a first half against Kent State, where the offense didn’t get on the board until there were eight seconds left in the second quarter, left a lot to be desired. At the same time, they’ve come away with 30-point wins each week.

While the offense is still really good and can put points on the board quickly, the defense is the biggest difference with this team. Kent State had to make some incredible plays on third down to threaten OU, but ultimately they couldn’t make enough of them to sustain drives. This unit looks like it can win OU a football game if it needs to. It’s not perfect, but they’re relentless. They may give up some plays, but they come right back and get a stop.

And as the schedule heats up with a road trip to Nebraska coming, followed by Kansas State, the Sooners will need that defense to continue playing at a high level.

But before we move forward to the Cornhuskers, here are five takeaways from the Sooners’ 33-3 win over Kent State.

Relive the Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State in stunning still images

A look back at the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State in stunning still images.

It took a minute, well nearly 29 minutes, for the Oklahoma Sooners offense to get going, but once it did, it was all she wrote.

The defense picked up the offense in the Oklahoma Sooners’ 33-3 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes long enough for the Sooners to hit a big play to Marvin Mims to get on the board. That 36-yard touchdown strike opened the floodgates for an Oklahoma offense that scored 33 unanswered points.

After a solid performance in Week 1, Mims erupted with seven catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon Gabriel nearly hit 300 yards passing on the evening while completing 75% of his attempts.

Oklahoma held Kent State to fewer than 300 yards of total offense, 3.2 yards per carry, and just 6.23 yards per attempt through the air.

They collected 13 tackles for loss and three sacks as a unit, led by Danny Stutsman’s 12 tackles (9 solo), four tackles for loss and a sack. Billy Bowman and Justin Broiles had 11 total tackles each.

Jalen Redmond didn’t record a sack, but he had 2.5 tackles for loss, and Reggie Grimes continued getting to the quarterback, adding 1.5 sacks to give him four on the season.

For 29 minutes, it looked like Kent State had the upper hand in this matchup. Dillon Gabriel’s 36-yards strike saved the day and opened the door for the Sooners to find some momentum going into halftime.

As we do each week, let’s take a look back at some of the best photos from the Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State.

Trio of freshmen to watch when Oklahoma takes on Kent State

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on Kent State, here are a few freshmen we’re looking to take another step in their development.

Before their first game of the season, the Oklahoma Sooners released their week one depth chart of the UTEP Miners game. Fifteen true freshmen cracked the depth chart, and while not all played in the game, several freshmen made an impact on the game.

This week the Sooners take on the Kent State Golden Flashes, and much like last week, they’ll call on several freshmen to provide significant snaps. Nonconference games where Oklahoma is heavily favored allows the Sooners to see their true freshmen in competitive environments. It allows them to evaluate the depth of their roster.

There are several freshmen who got playing time last week that we’re excited to see take another step in week two.

Uo Next: Defender making a sudden impact

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Final thoughts as the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners prepare to face Kent State

More Marcus Major? Jalen Redmond breakout? Final thoughts as the Oklahoma Sooners face the Kent State Golden Flashes.

A 6 p.m. CT kickoff provides a fantastic opportunity to watch a great day of football as we get ready for Oklahoma’s week two matchup with the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The Sooners come into this game as heavy favorites and should come away with another decisive victory to start the season.

It was a dominant performance against UTEP, but there were still some areas that the Oklahoma Sooners needed to improve as they prepared for week two. Our Ben Dackiw looked at five things the Sooners needed to work on this week ahead of their matchup with Kent State.

Surrounding the game, the Sooners will be hosting several prospects from the 2023 recruiting class and beyond. Players like [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag], who have committed, and four-star defensive line target [autotag]Jordan Renaud[/autotag]. Our Bryant Crews outlines the prospects confirmed to be in attendance Saturday night.

There are several players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball that we’ll be watching in Oklahoma’s matchup with Kent State.

And as you get ready for tonight’s matchup, take a look at how we see this one playing out with our Sooners Wire staff predictions.