“We’re a lot better on defense and we’ve certainly improved a lot in our kicking game,” he said.

And the offense is historically bad — the only real problem in a season in which a stunning upset in November is the team’s only hope of continuing a 24-year bowl streak.

Hey, losses happen. But OU’s four losses this year are all in double digits. Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Ole Miss combined to outscore the Sooners 120-41. Oklahoma led the Rebels 14-10 at halftime in Oxford, but games against the Vols, Longhorns and Gamecocks (two of them) ended at halftime.

Venables also points out the improvements made on offense since 2023 over his rookie year in 2022. Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby He had one more year under his belt, Dillon Gabriel was one year closer to becoming the Heisman favorite for a national championship contender (Oregon, not Oklahoma) and OU’s offensive efficiency and explosive numbers were better.

But faced with hiring a new OC and bringing in a new QB, Venables and his staff complained. Seth Littrell was not the answer, and Jackson Arnold It was not developed. OU’s coaching staff this season is “fall incredibly short” — Words from Venables.

Venables should not be blamed for the injuries to his top five wide receivers. That’s the kind of blindsided blow no one could have predicted. But if OU had gone back to the five this season, would it have been enough to beat Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Ole Miss? Maybe.

But everyone saw the lack of offensive linemen on the roster when Venables returned to Norman and decided to stay. Bill Bedenbaugh as an offensive line coach. A more serious and determined effort could have produced better results either in the high school recruiting ranks or in the NCAA Transfer Portal. Instead, the Sooners’ layup line has fallen behind the layup line for three straight years, and now the offense has arguably the worst line in school history.

By the way, that’s not a subjective complaint. Empirical data shows that Oklahoma leads the nation this season, by far, with 39 quarterback sacks allowed. Since OU began keeping that statistic in 1992, the school record for sacks allowed, set in 2015, was 41. That mark could be broken at halftime of Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. game against the Maine Black Bears.

OU also ranks last in the country in yards per play, just 4.27. Only the 1961 (3.8) and 1965 (3.9) Sooners averaged less than this year’s team.

And this OU team is averaging just 3.05 yards per carry. It is ranked 124th in the country this year (out of 133 teams) and would set a new school record in a statistic that dates back to 1947.

No, Oklahoma is not going in the right direction, unless going backwards is a direction.

Venables is right. The defense is better. zac alley He was a good hire as defensive coordinator. But Ted Ceiling It wasn’t. Still, Venables addressed that and fixed it. But Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman The decision to return was a big part of an improved defense. How good will this unit be next year when they are gone and other top players are gone as well?

Special teams are better under Doug Deakin what they were under Jay Nunezalthough Deakin is allowed to coach players under the new NCAA rules, while Núñez is not. So it’s probably a push.

Overall, after going 6-7, 10-3 and now 4-4, Oklahoma has been going around in circles.

As joe jon finley and Kevin Johns and Jackson Arnold move forward and try to improve this offense (neither of whom are receiving or offering any guarantees that they will be here in 2025 or beyond), the future is dark. The 2024 schedule remains one of the most rigorous in the country and will only get tougher next year when the Sooners face the same SEC opponents and also host 2023 national champion Michigan.

And realistically, Arnold was recruited by Lebby. Does he want to stay next year to play for a third different QB coach and offensive coordinator? Michael Hawkins has professed his love for OU, but may not have any ties to the new OC. And do Arnold and Hawkins’ future decisions entice the 2025 QB? Kevin Sperryor make you nervous? And if the new OC insists on having his own offensive line coach, how will that affect the impressive offensive line recruits in the 2024 and 2025 classes who signed to play for Bedenbaugh? What other current players could return if their position coach is fired? Finley signed the number one tight end (David Mitchell), Marco Murray signed the number one running back (Taylor Tatum), and Emmet Jones He has been masterful in landing prospects at wide receiver.

“For a lot of obvious reasons, which you’ve probably all been reporting on for the last few weeks, there’s been a drop in our offensive production, a dramatic drop this season,” Venables said. “But I believe in the young talent we’ve recruited and the guys that will come in the future, and our ability to help recruit and improve our roster in the current landscape. We’ve recruited very well, in our fourth generation, and again, I love the guys on our defensive staff and the things that Zac combined with the other guys on our defensive staff have done. (They have) done a tremendous job and kept us in, really, every game, giving us a chance.”

That statement offers a glimpse into Venables’ mentality: that at heart he’s a defensive coach who never gave much thought to how offenses performed at Kansas State, Oklahoma or Clemson. That was always someone else’s problem. He already had enough on his plate.

But now the whole table belongs to Venables; heck, the entire dining room: every plate, every cup, every fork, every saucer has his fingerprints. His approach should be holistic, and for $8 million a year, he should be more of a CEO than he has been. Never at a school with resources like Oklahoma should the offense be among the worst in the country (or, since 2016-18, the defense).

Venables showed a touch of that strength and propriety earlier this week when asked if he had spoken to the sporting director. Joe Castiglione on the firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.

“I told him what I was going to do,” Venables said. “I hadn’t talked to him about what he thought or didn’t think about it; When I called him, I made the decision. It was great.

“I had to make a difficult decision two weeks ago to help us improve. And I think that’s how it was. But time will tell.”

He said he meets with Castiglione weekly and speaks with him throughout the week as “normal protocol.”

“He’s the best in the business. “He has been through many situations, both good and bad and difficult, in this profession, the coaching profession, college athletics, he has a lot of wisdom that can guide all of us coaches here at this university.”

When asked if he felt he had Castiglione’s “vote of confidence” to lead the football team out of its current malaise, Venables didn’t hesitate.

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “He has a good perspective. He knows things, whether it’s a great alignment from the standpoint of what we’re dealing with. So that’s the extent of the conversations. “He’s living and dying in the moment of the season, like a coach would, but being a great vessel of support.”

OU will beat Maine and the Sooners will probably look pretty good doing it. In seven previous meetings with FCS-level opponents, the average score was 62-4.

But this equipment does not need wallpaper or decorations. Needs real improvement. To borrow Venables’ frequent mantra in Year 1, you may not need to “strip it to the foundation”, but there is some rot that needs to be removed. OU football has a good structure, but the Sooners are now competing in a new neighborhood. The foundation is solid. But the front porch (the offense) is dilapidated and the place could use a new roof.

What this team needs now is more reps, more plays and more practice. To achieve this, they will have to surprise Mizzou, ‘Bama or LSU, to reach six wins and qualify for a bowl game. Then they’ll have 15 more postseason practices, and maybe then they can make some real improvements.

Venables doesn’t think that way, of course.

“We’re on a three-game losing streak; hey, let’s get back to normal,” he said. “Let’s start to build a little momentum and maybe feel a little better. Winning heals a lot of things and having some success builds confidence.

“If we get better and get some guys back, maybe we can build on some of the success we’ve had — not enough, but some of the success — to give ourselves a chance to go on a winning streak to finish the year. . It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be a great challenge. It’s feasible. “That is our focus.”