Venables eyes Oklahoma development in second season

Dave Wilson, ESPN Personnel WriterJul 13, 2023, 12:19 PM ET Close Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com given that 2010. He formerly worked at The Dallas Early Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.ARLINGTON, Texas– Brent Venables’very first season at Oklahoma ended in frustration with the Sooners ending up 6-7, breaking a string of 23 straight winning seasons.At Big 12 media day Thursday, Venables said the greatest takeaway from his

first season as a head coach was how the Sooners had done not have a little of their Sooner Magic in liquidating games. “We’ve got to discover not to lose to Oklahoma,”he said.Editor’s Picks Venables, who was a longtime protective coordinator at Oklahoma and Clemson, stated going 6-7 was”dang tough,” but stated that the margin between winning and losing is close which he can vouch for past experience.”In 2000, we won the national championship [at Oklahoma] and we had a handful of games boil down to the last drive of the game,”Venables told ESPN.

“At Clemson in 2016, we went 14-1 and 8 of the games boiled down to the last drive of the game. In five of our seven losses [last year], it boils down to the last drive of the game. We were on the wrong side of it. “He stated he and the staff began “peeling back the onion”in January to determine where they needed to improve. “There’s absolutely nothing that got away needing to enhance, ending up being more efficient, a better way to do things. And you find out, a lot of times, the most through failure.

“Venables would prefer not to discover as much that method this season, so he embarked on a little bit of a makeover, including 17 transfers– nine to

the Sooners’much-maligned defense, which ranked 99th nationally and enabled 29.6 points per game– and said that includes” competitive depth,”which will help late in games or when players go down to injury.Last year, the Sooners struggled after Dillon Gabriel was injured in a loss to TCU, with the low point being a 49-0 loss to Texas in which the Sooners passed for 39 yards with two interceptions.

The Sooners included five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold in their heralded recruiting class, which ranked No. 4 in the country this year.” He’s going to be an exceptional player, “Venables said.”Got an excellent future in front of him. And after that again, Davis [Beville] and General [

Booty], are both enhanced variations of themselves. It gives us a little more depth there. But it’s a much better, better circumstance than what it was a year ago at this time, you understand, and Jackson revealed flashes throughout the course of the spring. I anticipate there to be rapid growth there.”Gabriel remains the starter after tossing for 3,168 lawns and 25 goals to six interceptions, however Venables expects him to enhance too.”Dillon is his own worst critic, and he knows he requires to enhance,”

Venables said.”This is a guy that led the Big 12 in passing in 2015, among the best in college football. He needs to be more effective;

he requires to improve his conclusion portion [62.3%last year]; he requires to enhance his decision-making. “Venables said he’s delighted to form this Oklahoma group, which he stated functions 97 first-or second-year players amongst the 123 on the roster. “What I want people to see when they see us play is a simple

football group, a driven and hungry football team, a group that’s going to run the football and play fantastic defense. And my expectation

is you’re visiting the thumbprint of those traits on this football team this year,” he said.