Venables Vibes: Oklahoma Ready For Experienced SMU Offense

Brent Venables said his No. 18-ranked Sooners are fully aware of the offensive threat the SMU Mustangs pose.
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NORMAN — Brent Venables’ No. 18-ranked Oklahoma Sooners got off to a nearly perfect start on Saturday.

OU dismantled the Arkansas State Red Wolves 73-0, dominating every facet of the game.

This week, an entirely different test will roll into Norman in the SMU Mustangs, boasting a high-powered offense led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Preston Stone.

Venables recapped the Sooners’ victory and previewed the contest with the Mustangs in his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Complete Week 1 Performance

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Oklahoma backup quarterback Jackson Arnold celebrates a rushing touchdown against Arkansas State :: Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma accomplished nearly everything it set its mind on against the Red Wolves.

The offense scored quickly, but also showed the ability to hold onto the football and string together a longer drive to help keep the defense fresh.

OU scored on special teams, and the defense was able to consistently get oft the field on third down allowing the Sooners to continue to pour it on in a manner they failed to do at any point in 2022.

“That’s what you want,” Venables said on Tuesday. “Offense wants to stay on the field, defense wants to get off the field. It’s always important.

“… The challenge is going to be greater this week for obvious reasons. You’re looking at a team that’s probably got more depth and certainly got more experience. Arkansas State was a very young team. (SMU) has 15 seniors starting between the offense and the defense. That’s a bunch of seniors.”

Both sides of the ball are going to have to be even better to assert a similar level of control this Saturday in Norman.

“Senior teams play with maturity, usually,” Venables said. “They play with a different level of confidence. Your fundamentals are usually better.

“… My expectation is that we continue to push and strive and hopefully execute to where we continue to complement one another. For us to have that kind of season that we desire, it’s gonna take that.”


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Building Depth

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Freshman linebacker Samuel Omosigho (24) escorts Gavin Freeman (82) into the end zone on Freeman's punt return against Arkansas State.  :: BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma essentially got to play well into its fourth string against Arkansas Sate.

Its unlikely the Sooners will get to hand snaps to as many players at any point the rest of the year, but Venables said the goal is still to utilize as many different bodies as possible — even if they aren’t able to work into first or second team reps at practice during the week.

“Guys that we feel are guys that give us quality reps, that are in our 3-deep, they’re repping during the course of the week,” Venables said. “… There’s several guys that played (against Arkansas State) that didn’t take one snap of scout work, as far as being able to see what the opponents are going to do. They just applied their rules and whatnot.

“So a guy like Sammy Omosigho, he’s down with the offense all week, giving them a scout-team look. Throw him in the game, he did pretty good. There are several guys like that that did actually play.”

Throughout the rest of the year, Oklahoma will continue to try and bolster its rotation as more guys establish themselves on the practice field and through the scout team.

“I think developing your team and developing depth is an ongoing thing we’ve all got to be very conscience of,” said Venables, “regardless of what the next few weeks look like.”

On the Run

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Oklahoma linebacker Justin Harrington makes a tackle against Arkansas State :: BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

SMU is going to try to throw the ball all over Owen Field.

Oklahoma’s secondary had minimal busts against Arkansas State, but the Mustangs will inevitably connect on some big plays.

But the Sooners added plenty of talent this offseason and plenty of speed, giving OU the ability to run down SMU’s skill players.

“The one time we had really a bust (against Arkansas State),” said Venables, “… Billy (Bowman) ran a guy down. I thought that was a great effort play on his behalf.

“Our pursuit was good. We turned and chased the ball. We had very very few loafs.”

Despite the strong first effort, OU’s defensive staff will demand a higher level of play against SMU, especially if things break down and the Sooners have to run down the Mustangs to mitigate damage on big plays.

“You always want more, you always want better.,” Venables said. “It shouldn’t matter who you’re playing, it’s how you play that matters. You want to have great habits. So when there’s opportunity, which there were, opportunity to teach and coach, reinforce, demand even better, we’ll certainly take advantage of those opportunities.”



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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is managing editor at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK.