Venables Vibes: No. 15 Oklahoma Needs Its 'Best Four Quarters' Against No. 6 Tennessee

Brent Venables heaped praise on Josh Heupel's Tennessee squad ahead of Saturday's Top 15 matchup in Norman.

Sep 14, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables reacts during the first half against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s official SEC debut is just days away. 

The No. 15-ranked Sooners (3-0) will host one of the hottest teams in the country, No. 6 Tennessee (3-0), at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. 

Josh Heupel’s Volunteers rank near the top of the country in various categories on both offense and defense as they’ve dominated Chattanooga, NC State and Kent State so far in 2024. 

During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, OU coach Brent Venables showered plenty of praise on Oklahoma’s opponent as the Sooners prepare to open up their conference schedule in front of a national audience. 

Another Level

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) runs the ball during a game between Tennessee and Kent State at Neyland Stadium, in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Tennessee defeated Ken State 71-0. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nobody in Norman is under any illusion that Saturday’s battle will be easy. 

Tennessee has staked a claim as one of the most dominant teams in the country through three weeks with an explosive offense led by redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

“He’s fun to watch. He's incredibly talented, strong arm, great runner,” Venables said. “… They lead the nation in scoring and ranked second in total offense. They've got great balance. They're averaging over 300 yards rushing and 300 yards passing and then their defense is just outstanding and total defense, I think is first or second in the country, total defense is just 160 yards a game. 

“So everybody talks about their offense —  and justifiably so — but the defense is playing every bit as dominant and hasn't given up a touchdown in 16 quarters. They rank third in points allowed in the country.”

Led by pass rusher James Pearce Jr., Tennesse also has an argument for rolling out the best defensive line in the country.

“They're really experienced up front, very disruptive, very athletic,” Venables said. “They're long, explosive. They've got several new guys in the back end, but man, they've got length. They can run sideline to sideline. They're playing really aggressive. They mix it up.”

SEC Speed

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during a game between Tennessee and Kent State at Neyland Stadium, in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Not only is Tennessee’s offense talented, but Heupel’s operation can use tempo as effectively as any team in the country. 

“I don’t know how it ranks in regards to who’s running the fastest offense in college football, but they got to be right there, if they’re not No. 1,” Venables said. “So, they go incredibly fast. The things that go along with that, that’s to neutralize you in lots of ways—your communication, your fundamentals, your ability to get lined up, your ability to put your eyes on the right stuff.”

Oklahoma had a busted coverage against Houston that led to a touchdown after the play call didn’t get communicated from the sideline to the far side of the field before the snap. Those communication issues simply can’t happen against Tennessee if OU’s defense is to have success come Saturday. 

 “Welcome to the life of a defensive coordinator,” Venables joked. “… I’m only snickering because we literally live and die in that world. Every once in awhile, I’ll get out of there and I’ll go in the offensive room so I don’t have to live there anymore. That’s very peaceful to live in that place. If I could be reborn again, I would 100% come back as an offensive coach.

“… But it's managing that, it's everything. At the end of the day, if you get lined up, if you can play with great fundamentals, great pad level, if you can be physical as a result of that, be confident as a result of that, then you have a chance to win. And if you can, it's not a matter of winning, it's a matter of how bad are you gonna lose? And so that's everything. I think defenses, top to bottom, have been better than they've ever been in handling that.”

The past two years, former OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby also ran his offense at warp speed, so it won’t be the first time the Sooners have experienced the stress of tempo. 

But it’s still hard to fully replicate Tennessee’s well-oiled machine with the scout team in practice. 

“You try to emulate it, simulate it,” Venables said. “Our offense does some tempo, you try to do some things structurally, how you practice that can emulate that tempo and that sense of urgency.”

Under Construction

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) runs past Tulane Green Wave safety Shi'Keem Laister (26) for a touchdown during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Thus far, Tennessee has outplayed Oklahoma.

The Volunteers have hammered all three opponents, even if the competition in Week 1 and Week 3 was unimpressive. 

OU, on the other hand, struggled with Houston and withstood a late punch from Tulane that tightened the game up in the fourth quarter.

That doesn’t mean the Sooners won’t be able to make the improvements necessary this week to knock off their opponents, however. 

“My expectation is we’re going to play our best four quarters of football on Saturday night, in all three phases,” Venables said. “That’s the focus.”

Continuity along the offensive line has been hard to come by for OU, but the Sooners were able to roll with a consistent lineup for most of the Tulane game. 

Those guys should all be available from the jump on Saturday, and Venables hopes the offense will be able to build on the improvements they made against Tulane. 

“We’ve got to make sure we get a plan down early in the week so we can fine-tune that plan and the fundamentals, the physicality, the good-on-good work,” Venables said. “Then you gotta take, the players’ responsibility, all those things that you learn, habits that you developed, built upon throughout the course of the week, and you gotta take that to game day.”

The Sooners expect the fanbase to deliver one of the best atmospheres at Owen Field in some time, but purely living off the juice from the fans won’t be enough to secure the win. 

“There will be great passion and energy and enthusiasm, and those things are great. But that only lasts so long,” Venables said. “This is a game of physicality and a game of execution. 

“… The next opportunity is sitting right in front of us. And that’s where our eyes are fixed.”