Venables Vibes: Oklahoma Close to Full Strength Ahead of Emotional Bedlam Clash
NORMAN — Things haven’t gone to plan for either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State this year.
But that doesn’t take anything out of this game, at least for Brent Venables.
The Sooners (5-5 overall, 2-5 Big 12) still need another win to lock up a bowl trip, and hosting the Cowboys (7-3, 4-3) will provide an opportunity for an emotional victory.
Venables answered questions for nearly an hour leading up to the rivalry game, and it appears OU could be close to full strength on Saturday night.
Injury Updates Galore
Oklahoma safety Justin Broiles left last Saturday’s game against West Virginia with an injury
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
There was plenty of good news for OU fans on the injury front on Tuesday.
Justin Broiles, who went down against West Virginia, is currently on track to be available for Bedlam.
“He had a hyperextended knee, and he’s really really tough,” Venables said. “If you’ve ever had one of those, it’s really painful initially. Structurally, there’s not a damage. But there's a lot of pain initially.
“… But functionally and structurally everything is really sound. I think he’s getting an MRI just to make sure.”
Fellow safety Key Lawrence and cornerback Jaden Davis both were out against West Virginia, but Venables said he expects both to have a chance to play Saturday.
Defensive lineman Jalen Redmond was extremely limited in Morgantown, as he was dealing with swelling from a prior knee injury.
Finally, Venables said center Andrew Raym’s availability will come down to how he feels heading into the game.
“At some point in time, we’ll probably have to do a surgery for him,” he said. “Something he’s done on another part of his body before. So we’ll see.”
Stutsman Taking Steps
OU linebacker Danny Stutsman doubled his season interception count last week in Morgantown
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Linebacker Danny Stutsman is coming off one of his best games at OU after recording 14 tackles against West Virginia on Saturday.
The coaching staff has been pleased with his growth, as the true sophomore has been thrown into the fire as a starter this year.
“Danny leads the Big 12 in tackles per game,” Venables said. ?So that's pretty good, right? I know some people think he stinks. But I'm pretty proud of him. He's gotten better.
“Like all growth patterns for young players, there's gonna be some ebbs and flows. But I'm telling you, he's on his way to being an outstanding player.”
There still isn’t much experienced depth behind Stutsman and David Ugwoegbu playing inside linebacker, which has caused that duo to have to play a large amount of snaps in every game.
But Venables said he has been happy with the development of the young guys on the practice field, even if it hasn’t translated to many opportunities on Saturday’s quite yet.
“If we were a little more detailed with some of our young guys (Stutsman) wouldn’t have to play as much,” Venables said. “I think he played 90 snaps last week. Plus give or take six to eight special team snaps.
“So you know, late in the game, he's not going to be nearly as strong and good as he would be earlier in the game. So you got to continue to develop. I know this is at the end of the year, but gotta continue to develop guys and around him as well.”
Holding Focus
Veteran running back Eric Gray added to his impressive season with 211 rushing yards and two scores against West Virgina
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
The end of the season brings a plethora of distractions.
Older players have decisions about what their next steps will be in the future to think about. Every player, regardless of age, is a few games away from recovering from the toils of a long season.
Coaches always have to guard against outside distractions, but that job gets harder the closer a season gets to the finish line.
“I’ve got a Ph.D. in dealing with 18- to 23-, 24-year-olds,” said Venables, “whether it’s my nephews that lived with us, or my sons or just kids, being around this game forever. I know how people can get distracted. I know what this time of the year can do.”
But Venables isn’t changing his approach as the season comes to a close to keep every engaged for the last two games of the regular season.
“My job is to keep guys focused and to keep their attention,” he said. “If you just do things every single day the exact way, some way, you provide great structure that they’re familiar with, because that’s needed.
“But also, how can we spice it up, change it? Make ‘em light-hearted, you’re always trying to stay fresh that way, too, so things don’t grow stale. So again, all year, I’ve worked at that.”
Having the Cowboys up next on the schedule will help energy levels stay up, Venables said, as the Sooners prepare for the prime time bout.
Kickoff between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the game from Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will be broadcast on ABC.
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