It was easy to miss the finality and disappointment of the moment in Brent Venables’ voice as he sat deep on the Alamodome stage.
The same goes for pride. Venables’ second season at Oklahoma, a “redeem season” after a disappointing 6-7 campaign in 2022, didn’t end the way the Sooners had hoped.
A Big 12 playoff appearance slipped from their grasp. The New Year’s Eve Six Bowl was no different.
Then their 11-game winning streak was halted in a six-inning game against Arizona on Thursday night in San Antonio. .
There was no need to hang a banner as Venables had hoped this summer.
Oklahoma at times had moments to reflect on what happened during the season following a midseason win over Texas in the Red River rivalry, but at other times it looked like a program still trying.
Stay on top of everything during the rebuild, like back-to-back one-point losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma State and even the 38-24 Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona.
“I think we got everything we could out of this group,” Venables said after the Alamo Bowl. “…I squeezed out all the juice I could.”.
The 2023 season may not go as planned, and as a member of the Big 12, a postseason loss in the Sooners’ final game against a future member of the league will likely dampen their performance this year.
This happened. However, despite the disappointment, Oklahoma’s performance in Venables’ second year in office cannot be overlooked..
Oklahoma went on a four-game winning streak this year, going from six wins in its debut season to a 10-win campaign in 2022, a losing streak that saw the Sooners flirt with CFP contention in the second half and autumn. table. beforetheir final appearance in the Big 12 title game.
The signature win against Texas showed Oklahoma’s growth and potential in 2023.
The 1 point game performance improved from 0 wins and 5 losses last season to 1 point wins and 3-2. Of course, two losses, a 38-33 loss to Kansas and a 27-24 loss in the last game at Bedlam, are reminders of what could have been..
Of course I’m not disappointed, but I have a lot to be grateful for,” Venables said.
One of the things Venables was especially thankful for this year was the tenacity of the sophomore team — the “hard work, fight, belief and dedication” the Sooners showed.
The results are not always what the program wants. He still gave Oklahoma a step in the right direction and a foundation to build on when the team moves to the SEC in July.
“I would say it’s a reflection of our head coach and it starts with offseason and offseason workouts,” senior wide receiver Drake Stoops said.
“We have people who are the right fit, and those are intangibles that can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t.
We have such people..It’s not just about program reliability. The Sooners’ progress under Venables’ program is evident even to those outside the program.
Just ask Arizona coach Jedd Fish, who praised Venables before the Alamo Bowl.
The two coaches had dinner in San Antonio during the week, and Fish asked Venables how many coaching opportunities he turned down before deciding to take the opportunity at OU.
Previously, he was a respected defensive coordinator for several years at Clemson and Oklahoma.
It was. Familiar.”When he decided to come to Oklahoma, was that one of the programs you wanted to go to? Did you see how quickly he was going to make his mark on the program?” – said the fish.
“I think that’s the bottom line. Things don’t always change. Each person is different and has a unique situation.
He did what he wanted with his program.
Fish’s rise, which marked the program’s turnaround in just two years, from Lincoln Riley’s punt-fest team to one capable of scoring today’s best (Oklahoma is fourth in the nation this season ), was obvious.
Venables made his mark on the left side of the ball as he advanced defensively, also extending his hitting streak to four games this year.
