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Oklahoma fans have a long history of only knowing Bob Stoops or Lincoln Riley as their head coaches.
After the Barry Switzer era, Oklahoma football had a brief downturn. There were some changes in philosophy; then there was this Stoops guy in 1999, followed by this Riley guy in 2017.
Green Bay Packer fans think quarterbacks should always play like Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. It’s not easy to find coaches that are so good and consistent (ask Texas) and who can take on a seemingly impossible job and still be in the running for championships each year.
At the very minimum, Brent Venables makes sense as the Next OU Coaching Up.
There is pressure. However, he must keep the production going. He also needs to set up the program to make an even more significant leap forward when it enters the SEC in 2024.
Oklahomans are used to potent offenses that move quickly and keep defenses on their heels.
Oklahoma will probably lose the possession battle. But that’s part of the style. All is well as long as the O is scoring and moving quickly; everything is okay. If the O slows down and stops, it puts enormous pressure on its defense.
The Sooners struggled a bit on third downs last year. The O converted only 7 of 37 (3%) third-down attempts over the last three regular-season games. This was a significant reason for the losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State.
It is called the pass rush. It must be more consistent.
2020 OU’s pass rush averaged 3.36 sacks per game, while it dropped to 2.54 per outing last year. Worse, the pass rush was terrible and played a part in the losses at the end of the season.
The defense was able to get into the backfield quickly with seven sacks in the win against Iowa State and one or none seven other times, including a lengthy midseason drought.
All of this was tied to a pass defense that allowed passing games too easy to hit passes, especially during the middle of the season, when Texas, TCU and even Kansas made way too many big plays.
QB Dillon Gabriel, Jr. is not as skilled as Caleb Williams and is coming off a collarbone injury that cost him nearly all last season. But the guy knows how to run a high-powered attack and manage the pace.
He threw for more than 8,000 yards, 70 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions at UCF. He also ran for 372 yards with eight scores. He is a veteran presence that will not be affected by the many changes. Check out the top new sportsbooks for betting on college football
Texas (in Dallas), Oct. 8There are more important Big 12 games than this. Winning at Nebraska is all about hearts and minds. The home date with Oklahoma State is November 19th may be more critical.
Yes, Rule No1 As the OU head coach, you don’t lose against Texas. Rule No. 2:Do NOT lose to Texas! Rule no.
It’s almost the same situation as last year at the Big 12.
The expansion hasn’t kicked in yet; everyone appears to be improved/hopeful/better, Baylor and Oklahoma State are dangerous, and Texas is again going to be “back.”
Let’s not forget about last year’s disappointment. Even though it was 11-2 with an Alamo Bowl victory, it isn’t anything to be ashamed of.
Expect lots of doom-and-gloom prognostications in the early stages.
The rebuilding of West Virginia and Iowa State is underway, while Texas Tech isn’t bad on a Big 12 road slate. Oklahoma State and Baylor are the two most challenging games. They will be played in Norman.
You can budget in two, as there will be a loss somewhere. The Sooners are again fully equipped to make a run at a Big 12 Title and a College Playoff Berth.
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