A lot of eyes across the nation are going to be on the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] this season. That’s the life of being a blue blood but it’s also the life of being a blue blood coming off a 6-7 season.
People are going to want to know how [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] improves the program in year two and if he is the guy to lead this team to the SEC in 2024. The Sooners got off to a hot start with a dominant Week 1 performance versus the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag].
Venables told reporters one thing apparent was the team playing complimentary football.
“Both sides of the ball really complimented each other well,” Venables said. “Gavin (Freeman) doing a great job with his return and the longest return I think we’ve had in seven years. I just liked the hunger, toughness, and the edge we played with in all three phases.”
It was evident this team looked different. Sure, it was against Arkansas State, but this team played with a different level of physicality and toughness than it’s played with in years.
Those aren’t the only areas Venables said he saw a noticeable difference defensively.
“What I’ve seen on the field, in practice, and in the meeting room is we’ve got a better football IQ,” Venables said. “We’ve got more guys who are capable of playing winning football. We’re more physical from the back end to the front end, and we’ve got great competition.”
It’s just been one week, so we’ll have to see if that trend holds true five or six weeks from now. That being said, you couldn’t have asked for a better start.
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