Tag: Zac Alley

247Sports’ Josh Pate says this will be the key to the Red River Rivalry

Josh Pate of 247Sports thinks revealed a key component for the Red River Rivalry.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are two of college football’s fiercest rivals. The iconic [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] will be renewed on Saturday for the 120th time. It’ll be the first time this contest has been played with both teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], providing an added layer of intrigue to one of the greatest games in sports.

As both teams prepare and fans around the country size up these two blue bloods in 2024, 247Sports college football analyst Josh Pate offered up his expertise in previewing the game. On Wednesday’s edition of “Josh Pate’s College Football Show” Pate said one stat could play a pivotal role in how this game goes.

“Oklahoma thrives on stopping that run,” Pate said. ‘They’ve done it well all year. Texas can probably win this game running the ball three and a half yards per carry. They don’t need to own it on the ground. Now what it does is, if you can’t run the ball well and you are having to throw to win, yes there’s a lot more variability that is mixed into the equation, but that’s Texas’ game. It’s not like they’re uncomfortable playing that.”

OU’s strength on defense, and really as a team, has been stopping the run in 2024. A defensive line with some question marks coming into the year has played well above expectations through five games. A strong inside linebacker group behind them has led to the Sooners being pretty stout against the ground game.

Another thing Pate said the Longhorns will be on the lookout for will be some different looks from Oklahoma, most likely on the defensive side of the ball.

“Here’s the thing that (Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian) said the other day that I think is very key here,” Pate said “He said and I quote ‘We’ve got to be ready for things Oklahoma hasn’t put on film.’ That is part one of how they pull this off.”

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and Zac Alley will certainly be looking for advantages that he can rely on against a potent Longhorn offense. He’s already employed plenty of different looks in OU’s last two games against Tennessee and Auburn. Mixing up the front and getting tricky in blitz and coverage schemes seemed to work well for the most part for Venables and [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] against the Volunteers and Tigers.

Alley will have to call an excellent game, and Oklahoma’s defense will have to create chaos on Saturday. If they do, they might just be able to get Venables another statement victory in the Cotton Bowl.

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Where do Sooners land in CBS Sports’ new bowl predictions?

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed in CBS Sports latest bowl projections.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 3-1 heading into Week 5 of the college football season. After three nonconference victories at home, OU lost on Saturday night to Tennessee in their first [autotag]SEC[/autotag] game.

The Volunteers won 25-15, and the Sooners didn’t answer any of the lingering questions about their offense. In fact, there are plenty more of them now. Oklahoma will likely be without Nic Anderson for a significant period, and it is in the midst of a quarterback change.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team will hit the road for the first time in 2024, looking for a bounce-back win against the Auburn Tigers. Many national pundits have sold all or most of their stock in the Sooners for this season.

Maybe those folks will prove to be right, but there are silver linings in Norman.

Venables’ defense is legit. For the first time in a long time, Oklahoma is back on that side of the ball. There’s talent, depth and a defensive coordinator ([autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]) who has been on a roll. The special teams unit has made a couple of mistakes, but nothing too major, and has improved from last season.

However, that offense has flirted with the line between not very good and downright awful. A national TV audience watched the Sooners fall apart every time they had a chance to cut into an early Tennessee lead.

It’s led to a downturn in where some believe this team could be headed in the postseason. CBS Sports college football writer Jerry Palm published his weekly bowl projections, and he has the Sooners lower than a week ago.

Palm has predicted that Oklahoma will gain an at-large bid to the Las Vegas Bowl, a far cry from the lofty standard in Norman. The game would be played on Dec. 27, and he thinks the Sooners would face off against the Washington State Cougars.

Wazzu is in the Pac-12, one of two teams left behind (along with Oregon State) by realignment and the conference’s collapse last summer. The Las Vegas Bowl is still one of the bowl tie-ins for the Pac-12.

The Sooners and Cougars have played three times. OU is 3-0, with wins in 1938, 1967 and 2003. The most recent matchup between the two came in the Rose Bowl following the 2002 season, as the Sooners beat WSU by a final score of 34-14 in Oklahoma’s first appearance in the historic game.

The No. 8 Sooners toppled the No. 7 Cougars with a sound 20-point victory behind a Player of the Game performance from quarterback Nate Hybl in his final collegiate game. It was also the final game of Oklahoma’s second Big 12 championship season in three years.

The time has come for the Sooners to address and fix their many issues on offense. Otherwise, a phenomenal defense will be wasted and a season that began with so much optimism could be headed toward an unacceptable bowl destination.

Oklahoma Sooners lose defensive starter for the season

Kendel Dolby had become an integral part of the OU defense, but will miss the rest of the year.

The injury bug continues to bite the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024. After losing two key players on the offensive side of the ball for the season due to injury (wide receiver Jayden Gibson and offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett), they’ve now lost a starter from the defense as well.

After suffering an injury last week in the loss against Tennessee, starting cheetah linebacker [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. George Stoia, who covers Oklahoma for On3 Sports and SoonerScoop, took to social media to report the news, which was confirmed by head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] on his Monday night coaches show.

Dolby had become a vital contributor for the Sooners in his senior season after having some breakout moments a year ago. After multiple players rotated through at cheetah in 2023, Dolby made the role his own in 2024. He was carted off the field after suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter against Tennessee. The home crowd and Dolby’s teammates came to the support of the senior as he was being taken off the field.

Dolby could come back next season despite this being his senior year. He missed the Tulane game with a concussion, meaning he’s only played in three games this year. That qualifies him for a redshirt season if he’s healthy enough and chooses to return to OU in 2025.

Replacing Dolby will not be easy. Behind him on the depth chart is sophomore [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag], who was thought to be the future of the position after Dolby was finished. He’ll be the primary player to be asked to step up and take over.

True freshman [autotag]Reggie Powers III[/autotag] will likely move into the backup role, though defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] has lined up plenty of players at cheetah, depending on health and offensive personnel. Senior [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] played there this season when Dolby was on the sideline. OU is also awaiting the return from injury of [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], who played plenty of cheetah last year. He had been moved to inside linebacker, but might move back outside if the staff sees fit.

Dolby took to social media after the game, simply posting “God, I trust you.”

https://twitter.com/kd_937/status/1837717149244444838

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Tennessee will be without key offensive player against Oklahoma

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without one of their best players when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on the wrong side when it comes to injury luck early in the 2024 season. OU has been down multiple starters at key positions, most notably offensive line and wide receiver. It’s been a major talking point around the early portion of the year, as the Sooners have struggled on offense for the first three games.

But Oklahoma may finally be getting a break regarding the injury bug, as it’ll be affecting their opponent this week at a key spot.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without starting left tackle Lance Heard when they face the Sooners. Thamel’s report is confirmed by the updated injury report from the SEC that lists Heard as out.

It’ll be backup Dayne Davis making the start in Heard’s place as one of Tennessee’s best offensive linemen battles a leg injury. Davis is experienced and will be making his eighth start.

 

As the Sooners try to pull the upset at home, they look like they’ll be getting back some key players of their own. OU hopes to have [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], among others, on the field against the Vols.

The chess match between Tennessee head coach [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] gets a little bit more interesting with Heard not in the game.

The biggest beneficiary might be defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], who took over late in OU’s victory last week over Tulane. He’s become the best pass rusher the Sooners have, and he’ll look to gain an edge on the blind side of Nico Iamaleava.

The Sooners and the Volunteers will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., a primetime audience for a highly-anticipated contest on ABC.

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Danny Stutsman’s versatility unlocks Oklahoma’s linebacker unit

Danny Stutsman’s leadership and versatility will be critical to the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Oklahoma Sooners are preparing for their biggest game of the 2024 season so far. OU is undefeated at 3-0 with wins over Temple, Houston, and Tulane. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team now faces the challenge of the 3-0 Tennessee Volunteers, who have been one of the best teams in college football softball far this year.

It’s the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] opener for both teams and Oklahoma’s first-conference game in their new league. A “College GameDay” audience and the drama that comes with Tennessee head coach [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag]’s return to Norman makes this one of the biggest games of the college football season.

In games like these, your best players have to be at their best in order to come away with a win. In Oklahoma’s case, that burden may fall on senior linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] more than anyone else.

As the Sooners transition from an offensive-minded team to a defensive-minded one, Stutsman has emerged as the heart of the defense, right in the middle of the field. But it’s his versatility that helps unlock this unit and could give Heupel and the Volunteers some unexpected problems.

Brent Venables and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] run a version of the 4-3 defense, but Venables has long been putting his own spin on it. OU’s base set includes four down linemen, two cornerbacks, two safeties, two inside linebackers and a “cheetah” player.

The cheetah position is a hallmark of Venables’ defenses going back to his time at Clemson and is a combination of the linebacker and defensive back positions. Essentially, it allows OU to play both base and “nickel” defenses without having to sub in another defensive back. The cheetah has skills of both a linebacker and a defensive back, and we’re seeing the benefits of that position with starter [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag], who was excellent in the first two weeks before he missed the Tulane game with an injury.

Dolby’s absence against the Green Wave forced multiple players to step up, but one player who doesn’t even play the cheetah position also stepped up in a big way.

That, of course, would be Stutsman, who led the team with 12 tackles, well on his way to having an All-American season. He surpassed 300 career total tackles in the game, highlighting what has been a phenomenal in Norman.

Stutsman is one of the best defensive players that OU has had in a long time, but he’s also one of the most versatile. Back in 2022, Venables’ first season as OU’s head coach, the defense struggled mightily and the Sooners went 6-7. Stutsman was a sophomore, trying to learn Venables’ defense on the fly, but being asked to do a lot at linebacker. Venables clearly saw Stutsman’s potential, and now it’s being realized.

Last season, the Sooners improved on defense and improved as a team, going 10-3. However, when Stutsman wasn’t on the field, there was a drop-off in the level of play at linebacker and Oklahoma lost games to Kansas and Oklahoma State.

This season, two factors have kept the Sooners playing at a high level, no matter where Stutsman lines up. He typically plays the Mike (middle) linebacker position for Alley, while [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] has been starting at Will (weakside) linebacker. The cheetah position, mostly occupied by Dolby, serves as the Sam (strongside) linebacker in a lot of base formations.

But Stutsman is able to play both Mike and Will positions, allowing Alley to be much more versatile with his personnel. The biggest thing it allows Alley to do is shift Stutsman to the weakside and insert [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] into the game at middle linebacker. McKinzie is a thumper coming downhill for the Sooners, and is excellent against the run. He’s a different player than Lewis, but both use their skills effectively.

McKinzie and Lewis are also a formidable duo inside if Stutsman is out of the game, pointing to the recruiting and development that the Sooners have going on at the linebacker position. Reserve linebackers [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] are also home-grown players. Samuel Omosigho’s emergence to backup Dolby at cheetah has been a revelation this season. Omosigho was really good in the win over TUlane. There’s been less of a drop-off for Oklahoma when Stutsman out of the game than there has been at any point over the last two seasons.

As the Vols bring a high-powered offense to Norman on Saturday night, look for Stutsman to line up in multiple positions. It’ll be a chess match between Heupel and his offensive coordinator Joey Halzle (another former OU quarterback) and the duo of Venables and Alley all game long. Stutsman might give Oklahoma the chess piece they need to win the game.

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What can we expect from Seth Littrell’s offense in 2024?

Seth Littrell’s background could lend a few clues as to what OU’s offense might look like in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners begin the 2024 college football season in a matter of days. The Temple Owls will pay them a visit on Friday, August 30 at 6:00 p.m. to kick off the year.

It’s a season of change for OU in Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. The Sooners leave the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to join the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who started at quarterback for the last two seasons, transferred out of the program, leaving sophomore [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] in line to take over under center. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] won’t be on the team for the first time since 2018.

Venables is also breaking in new coordinators.

[autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] takes over the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach role previously held by [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag], who mutually parted ways with Oklahoma last winter.

Alley has been called a “clone of Venables” and allows the head coach to be a bit more of a CEO-type, not needing to focus on calling defensive plays nearly as much. Alley has gained Venables’ trust. Venables defensive acumen is the main reason he was hired as OU’s next head coach. Passing the defensive coordinator responsibilities over to Alley is a ringing endorsement of the young defensive mind. Experienced defensive assistant coaches and co-coordinators [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] will be able to help the younger Alley out as well.

[autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag] replaces [autotag]Jay Nunez[/autotag] as the special teams analyst. Deakin will be charged with improving the Sooners in all facets of the special teams portion of the game, as it was a weakness in 2023 for Oklahoma. New NCAA rules removed limits to the number of coaches allowed to be on the field during practice and games. That should help the Sooners have a much better special teams unit. Oklahoma can’t afford to have special teams lose a game for them in the treacherous jungle of the SEC.

Oklahoma saw offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] leave in late November to become the head coach at Mississippi State. Immediately, the search for his replacement started, and Venables landed on co-offensive coordinators already in the building for the role.

[autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] had been the tight ends coach at OU for the past three seasons. Finley is very close with Lebby, as the pair also worked together at Baylor (2015) and Ole Miss (2020) before spending the last two seasons together in Norman.

Some were surprised when Finley didn’t follow Lebby to Starkville, but the internal promotion for the former OU tight end (2004-2007) kept him at Oklahoma. Finley is also close with former Sooners quarterback and offensive coordinator [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag], as the pair coached together at Missouri for two years (2016-2017).

Finley will continue to coach tight ends while serving as OU’s co-offensive coordinator. However, he won’t be calling the plays.

That duty will fall to [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag], who will serve as Oklahoma’s new quarterbacks coach in addition to the co-offensive coordinator role. He’ll be the one talking to Arnold in the helmet communication system that comes new to college football in 2024.

So what will Oklahoma’s offense look like in 2024, as Littrell replaces Lebby with Finley more heavily involved in the offensive game plan than in the past?

Littrell is an experienced playcaller and offensive coordinator, something Lebby wasn’t when he returned to Norman two years ago. Just like Lebby and Finley, Littrell played for Oklahoma during the [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] days. He won a national championship in 2000 as a fullback at OU, serving as a captain on the national title team. It’s the same national title team with Venables as a co-defensive coordinator in Year 2 under Stoops. His father, Jimmy, also played fullback at OU and won two national championships in 1974 and 1975.

The Muskogee, Oklahoma native, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas under former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino in 2002. After three years in Lawrence, he was hired to coach running backs at Texas Tech under Mike Leach, where he spent four seasons. In those seven years, Littrell learned under two of the best offensive minds in college football. He was tutored in the ways of the power running spread offense at KU under Mangino before learning the methods of the Air Raid under Leach in Lubbock.

Littrell coached in a variety of different roles on offense at Arizona during the final three years of Mike Stoops’ time as the head coach of the Wildcats from 2009 to 2011. In his first season in the desert, he learned under another Air Raid expert, Sonny Dykes, who is now the head coach at TCU.

In 2010, he was co-offensive coordinator with none other than current Oklahoma offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], and the two have a strong relationship. When Bedenbaugh left to coach the o-line at West Virgnia, Littrell was the solo offensive coordinator for the first time in his career in 2011. However, Stoops was fired midway through the season and Littrell was left looking for a new home after the year.

Littrell landed at Indiana, where he was the offensive coordinator for Kevin Wilson, the current head coach at Tulsa who served as OU’s offensive coordinator from 2002-2010. During his time in Norman, Wilson had combined Air Raid concepts with his own spread run game tactics. Oklahoma’s 2008 offense, under Wilson, is still regarded as one of the best in college football history.

After Littrell spent two years under Wilson, he accepted the offensive coordinator job at North Carolina under Larry Fedora, who ran the spread offense. In two seasons coaching for the Tar Heels, Littrell impressed and began to get head coaching consideration.

In 2016, Littrell was hired as the head coach of the North Texas Mean Green. He gave UNT more success than they had seen in years, making two conference title games and twice winning nine games. He was fired following the 2022 regular season despite posting a 7-6 mark and losing the Conference USA title game. His offenses at UNT were a blend of the concepts he learned under Air Raid coaches such as Leach and Dykes and spread coaches like Mangino, Wilson, and Fedora.

Littrell’s offense helped quarterback Mason Fine throw for 12,000 yards over four seasons. He averaged 3,644 yards and 30 total touchdowns per year over his final three seasons with the Mean Green.

Last season, Littrell served as an offensive analyst for the Sooners under another spread disciple in Lebby, before being promoted, along with Finley, for the Alamo Bowl.

As a play caller, he can use his unique path back to Norman to dial up whatever is needed at the time. His time in Denton also gave him a footprint and connections in a massive recruiting area for the Sooners.

In the interest of continuity, the offense will still look at lot like it has the past two seasons. The Sooners ran a variety of the veer-and-shoot spread offense that focuses on wide splits for receivers and getting playmakers the ball in space.

It looks and functions differently than the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] Air Raid offense that Sooner fans saw for seven seasons, but ultimately wants to accomplish a lot of the same things, namely lighting up the scoreboard.

The idea of the spread veer-and-shoot is to make defenses have to cover everything from sideline to sideline, opening up windows for the power running game while making the quarterback’s decision-making as easy as possible.

The primary reason to run the veer-and-shoot offense is that the tempo, aggressiveness, and wide splits help to raise the floor for your offense, regardless of talent level. Lebby learned the offense from pioneers like Wilson, Art Briles, Heupel and Lane Kiffin. Littrell learned under Lebby last season and will now be able to put his own personal spin on it.

Reportedly, more of a focus on the power running game and deep passing attack will be implemented this year, feeding off of this offensive core’s strengths. However, Littrell’s offenses at UNT threw more than they ran, so Arnold will still have plenty on his shoulders. Littrell’s relationship with Bedenbaugh should ensure the offensive line will be a big factor in what the Sooners want to do on offense. Their relationship should create more cohesion in the offensive philosophy.

Running the ball effectively will be critical in the SEC.

Continuity is a big reason why Littrell and Finley were promoted, but the offense won’t be exactly the same.

Littrell will be a different playcaller than Lebby was, just like Arnold is a different quarterback than Gabriel was. The key will be getting the two on the same page. Between the duo of Littrell and Finley (and passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag]), the development of their young quarterback will be at the forefront of their minds. Arnold holds the keys to unlocking the offense and helping the Sooners become an elite college football team.

Furthermore, several assistant coaches from the Riley era still remain on offense: Finley, Bedenbaugh, and running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag]. Littrell’s background in the Air Raid may shine through a few times this season, but the offense may look similar to what we’ve seen the last couple of seasons schematically.

At the end of the day, Littrell’s experience as a playcaller trumps his inexperience as a quarterbacks coach. At times last season, particularly in losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State, Lebby caught a fair share of the blame for his playcalling in critical moments.

Littrell has been through that already. He’s a versatile, well-traveled coach who won’t be in over his head, regardless of the situation.

Oklahoma has a good enough defense this year to keep them in games, especially early on, but the offense can’t lag too far behind. Littrell needs to find his sweet spot as a play caller in the spread veer-and-shoot before Tennessee (and veer-and-shoot expert Heupel) comes to town in late September.

Regardless of what Oklahoma’s offense looks like, it’ll be imperative that the Sooners are firing on all cylinder when the Volunteers come to town in week four.

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How Zac Alley can unlock the Oklahoma Sooners defense

The Sooners hired Alley from Jacksonville State.

Oklahoma Sooners third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is replacing coordinators for every single unit in 2024. It’s a unique place to be, but OU fans are optimistic about the new hires.

On offense, [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] had been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. When he took the head coaching job at Mississippi State in November, Venables chose to promote from within to replace Lebby, elevating offensive analyst [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and tight ends coach [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] to co-offensive coordinators. Littrell will serve as the quarterbacks coach and primary play caller, while Finley will have more input than before and will continue to coach tight ends. Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] will also factor into the game planning throughout the week. He’s been nothing but stellar since showing up in Norman.

Former special teams analyst [autotag]Jay Nunez[/autotag] left to take a job at Alabama this offseason, leading to the hiring of [autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag], formerly at San Diego State. Special teams play was a weak spot a season ago for the Sooners, and it must be better in the unforgiving SEC.

Former defensive coordinator/linebackers coach [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag] and the Sooners mutually parted ways this winter, and Venables hired [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] to replace him. Defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and cornerbacks coach [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] will serve as co-defensive coordinators under Alley, two veterans who can help the younger coordinator.

While all of these moves have to work out for the Sooners to have success, Alley’s role is an interesting one as he arrives in Norman.

He spent eight years (2011-2018) as a student assistant and graduate assistant at Clemson, spending the final seven years under Venables, who was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers. A month after he was signed to be the nickel backs coach at Charlotte, he instead ended up coaching linebackers at Boise State, where he spent two seasons. Former Louisiana-Monroe head coach Terry Bowden hired Alley as his defensive coordinator, at the recommendation of Venables in 2021. After just one year at ULM, Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez tabbed Alley for the same role. He spent two seasons at JSU, helping the Gamecocks make the move from FCS to FBS in 2023.

Now, Alley steps into a much larger role; defensive coordinator at Oklahoma. His style is extremely similar to Venables’ himself, having spent seven of his 13 seasons in coaching under his leadership. He’s been called a clone of Venables, as his mannerisms and attitude closely reflect those of OU’s head coach. The team posted a recent video on social media that features Alley, and it’s tough to differentiate his voice from Venables’

Make no mistake about it: the Sooners will be running Brent Venables’ schemes, concepts, and formations on defense for as long as he’s in Norman. Venables was hired in December of 2021, in part because of his defensive acumen, in addition to his previous ties to the program. It’s his defense, but having someone he fully trusts as the defensive coordinator and play caller unlocks what Oklahoma can be as a team.

Alley’s presence and Venables’ comfort level allows the head coach to focus on every aspect of the game instead of having to be so hands-on with the defensive playcalling. It’s an area that improved last year for the Sooners, but still has room to improve.

Venables will likely never be a true “CEO-type” head coach. He’s got too much enthusiasm, energy, and knowledge to sit back and watch the defense. It’s something that he shouldn’t change, as players, recruits, parents, fans, and fellow coaches love that about him. However, there is still room for improvement for Venables when it comes to managing the game within the game. Understandable for someone who has only been a head coach for 26 games in his career.

Oklahoma went 0-5 in one-score games in 2022, improving to 3-2 in that stat in 2023. There will likely be more one-score games as the Sooners make the move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Though it’s clearly somewhere OU has gotten better, there were two costly losses in that department last year. Losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State came right down to the wire, and mistakes on offense, defense, and special teams cost the Sooners a trip to the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] Championship game and maybe more.

Though Venables should still have the final say on a crucial defensive moment, having someone who sees the game the same way and has a similar thought process about defense will be very beneficial throughout the season.

In fact, looking at the championship-winning coaches in recent years in college football, they’ve had a similar model to what Oklahoma has now, delegating play-calling duties in their area of expertise to focus on being a head coach.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of the best defensive minds the sport has ever seen. Yet, he always had a defensive coordinator calling the plays, and he trusted his assistant coach. One of them, Georgia‘s Kirby Smart, has the same model, leading to two out of the last three national titles landing in Athens.

In fact, the last head coach to call plays in his area of expertise and win the title was Jimbo Fisher, who won it all at Florida State in 2013, a decade ago. Fisher eventually landed at Texas A&M, flaming out late last season. It wasn’t until 2023 that he ceded offensive play-calling duties for the first time, but it wasn’t enough to save his job.

What those coaches have achieved in recent years is what Brent Venables hopes to bring back to Oklahoma. His former boss [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] followed this model as well, and became a legend in Norman, trusting in his defensive coordinator(s). Hiring Zac Alley to be his defensive coordinator and fully trusting him to call the plays so that Venables can oversee everything that’s going on during the game could unlock the Sooners’ defense and maybe the entire program as a whole.

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Coaches vote Sooners defensive stars to All-SEC first team

Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman voted to the Coaches preseason All-SEC first-team.

The Oklahoma Sooners may have a lot to prove as a team heading into the SEC, but there are a pair of Sooners defenders getting a ton of respect heading into their senior season.

Senior linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and senior safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] were selected to the All-SEC first team by the league’s coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players. They were the only players voted to any of the three All-SEC teams.

Bowman showed out as one of the best safeties in the game in 2023. He recorded six interceptions, including three returns for touchdowns. Bowman also had 63 total tackles and four passes defended. He set program highs in interceptions, interception yardage, and interceptions returned for a touchdown.

Stutsman led the Sooners with 106 tackles and 16 tackles for loss in a breakout year of his own.

Both players had the opportunity to go to the NFL and would have likely been taken in the top 100 of the 2024 NFL draft. However, the two defensive leaders opted for one more year of development and to make a run through the SEC before heading off to the NFL.

The Oklahoma Sooners defense is on a strong trajectory heading into the 2024 season, but nothing will be given to them. Getting Stutsman and Bowman back for one more year provides the Sooners with front-line talent to go along with what [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] have been building through the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.

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Where does Oklahoma land in ESPN’s preseason power rankings?

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners in ESPN’s preseason Power Rankings?

The Oklahoma Sooners are just over a week away from kicking off the 2024 season. Third-year coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and a talented roster, especially on defense, has generated a great deal of excitement for Year 1 in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

As the college football season draws closer, ESPN released its preseason power rankings, which factor in all of the changes that have taken place since January. While Oklahoma was ranked No. 16 by the US LBM Coaches Polls and the Associated Press Top 25, the staff at ESPN has the Sooners a bit lower.

OU checked in at No. 17 on ESPN’s list. Here’s what ESPN had to say about the Sooners:

On offense, pressure rests on the shoulders of first-year quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and an offensive line down four starters from a year ago. Around them, the Sooners carry optimism in running back depth that includes [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and freshman [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], and a deep wide receivers group headlined by Purdue transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. Initial conference meetings with Tennessee (home), Auburn (away) and Texas (neutral) will provide early tests for Oklahoma, while trips to Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU, and a visit from Alabama await in a daunting back half of the season. – Eli Lederman, ESPN.

That grueling conference schedule has been quite the topic of conversation this offseason. Venables and his coaching staff will have to make sure the players take things one game at a time, not looking forward or backward.

Oklahoma was picked eighth in the SEC by the post-SEC media day poll and the two major polls. The home game with the Volunteers looms large as OU’s first conference game in its new league.

The Sooners will begin their season against Temple in Norman on Friday, Aug. 30. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN.

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Oklahoma duo makes AP preseason All-American team

OU will be lead on defense by two returning seniors who came back to show their stuff in the SEC.

The Oklahoma Sooners enter the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024, and OU fans are as excited about the defensive side of the ball as they’ve been in a long time. Under third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], that unit looks capable of playing up to the standard in Norman.

Star power and veteran leadership are certainly part of the reason why. Linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] both could have gone pro this past winter, but opted instead to stay in school and help lead the Sooners into the SEC. The seniors have already received plenty of offseason recognition, but as the season draws closer, they were recognized again on Monday.

Both players were named to the preseason Associated Press All-America team that was released less than a week before Week Zero marks the beginning of the college football season. Both Stutsman and Bowman made the second team-defense on AP’s team.

Stutsman was 15th in the nation in tackles for loss last season, averaging 1.3 per game. He was Oklahoma’s lifeblood, the team’s leader and tallied over 100 tackles for the second straight year. He was joined at the linebacker position on the second team by Oklahoma State’s Nick Martin and Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson.

Bowman was a nightmare in the secondary for opposing offensive coordinators. Three pick-six touchdowns accompanied his six total interceptions last year, making him one of the most dangerous defensive backs in all of college football. He was joined at the safety position on the second team by Dillon Thieneman of Purdue.

The duo was also named finalists for the Nagurski and Bednarik Trophies.

Stutsman and Bowman give Venables and new defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] plenty of experience and talent at two important spots on the defense as the Sooners move into the SEC. Their returns meant that Oklahoma didn’t have to reload on the defensive side of the ball and they have a chance to take another step forward in 2024.

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