Oklahoma-Texas: One Big Thing
By John E. Hoover DALLAS — Oklahoma would be wise to avoid hearing three little words this weekend. No, not “Another Texas touchdown.” “The last time.” The Sooners go into Saturday’s 11 a.m. game with Texas afflicted by quite the combination of football maladies: a personnel and culture rebuild under Brent Venables, an alarming […]
Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Loves K-State, but ‘That Was a Long Time Ago’
By John E. Hoover NORMAN — Brent Venables has faced Kansas State nine times as an Oklahoma assistant coach. His OU teams have an 8-1 record against the Wildcats. Has there been enough time pass, enough water running under the bridge of life, that Venables’ ties to K-State — his alma mater, the Division […]
Oklahoma-Nebraska: One Big Thing
By John E. Hoover LINCOLN, NE — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said he wants his football team to become comfortable being uncomfortable. That’s another way of saying, “Do what Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley used to do when they took the Sooners on the road.” Between them from 2013 to 2019, Stoops and Riley’s teams […]
OU-Kent State: One Big Thing
By John E. Hoover Amid all the storylines about tempo vs. tempo this week, the bottom line for Oklahoma is simple: make steady, incremental improvements in a handful of areas and the product will be better. Brent Venables talked about playing cleaner on the offensive line. That’s a given. Take away Gavin Freeman’s 46-yard tackle-breaking touchdown run […]
Oklahoma, One of the Progenitors of Tempo Offense, is Back in the Fast Lane vs. Flashes
By John E. Hoover NORMAN — Brent Venables was chatting with his coaching staff this week when the conversation got nostalgic. “Twenty years ago, tempo was a thing,” Venables said, “but people had a fastball package. They might run like three plays, and then that’s all they did.” Teams have practiced the two-minute offense for […]
Smoke, Shade Influenced McKade Mettauer’s and Tyler Guyton’s First Oklahoma Experience
By John E. Hoover NORMAN — Oklahoma’s offensive line had an eventful day in Saturday’s 45-13 victory over UTEP. Two transfers — left tackle Tyler Guyton and left guard McKade Mettauer — made their first start at OU. Anton Harrison made his first start at right tackle. Right guard Chris Murray and center Andrew Raym were together again. And top backups Robert Congel, Brey Walker, […]
Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby Addresses Tempo Issues with Balance, ‘Complementary Football’
By John E. Hoover NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby promised a fast style of play. Actually, he promised a play-calling tempo that would hold its own on the Formula 1 circuit. And in the first quarter of the No. 9-ranked Sooners’ 45-13 season-opening victory over UTEP on Saturday, the OU offense was […]
