Venables Vibes: Oklahoma's Defensive Front to be Tested Against New-Look Alabama

Brent Venables spoke about the impending changes to the college football landscape and previewed Saturday's matchup with the No. 7-ranked Crimson tide on Tuesday.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Alabama’s second-ever trip to Norman has lost a bit of its luster — at least from the Oklahoma side of life. 

The Sooners (5-5, 1-5 SEC) are still trying to get bowl eligible, while the No. 7-ranked Crimson Tide (8-2, 4-2) appear to be rounding into form. 

Conversations around the program in Norman are pointed toward Brent Venables’ massive decision hiring OU’s next offensive coordinator and keeping the current recruiting class together, but the team is focused on another Top 10 test on Owen Field come 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Venables covered plenty, across matters on and off the field, throughout his 38-minute press conference on Tuesday. 

Changes are Coming

Oklahoma is mired in the now-typical cycle of college football — worrying about player retention, high school recruiting and the transfer portal — as the season winds down. 

The next few years will bring far greater changes than even those shifts across the college sporting landscape of the past five years. 

At some point, the House v. NCAA settlement will become final, fully shredding the illusion of amateurism and bringing hard roster limits, salary caps and so much more to college athletics. 

Venables, like every other coach in every sport on every campus across the country, is bracing for the new rules and guidelines. 

But there is one specific change that is giving the OU coach the most pause — the 105-man roster limit. 

The Sooners are currently list 127 players on their official roster between scholarship players and walk-ons, a number that will have to be trimmed once the settlement is accepted. 

“The real carnage is getting our roster to 105,” Venables said. “So what does that mean? That means you’re going to have to tell several players that they don’t have a spot. That’s the only thing that has caused me just anxiousness.

“…  The collateral damage is real. These are human beings that have dreams and are valued parts, members of our team and our locker room. And we’re going to have to make some really difficult, challenging decisions.”

Venables said he’s been up front with his entire roster that college football is going to be treated more and more like a business in the coming years, but that doesn’t make those mandated roster cuts any easier. 

“It’s just not good. But I’m not sitting here complaining,” Venables said. “My job is to make the best decisions for our program. And try to help people through this carnage.”

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is settling in during his first season in Tuscaloosa. / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nick Saban won’t be on the opposing sideline on Saturday night, but the Crimson Tide will still have a massive role to play in deterring the national champion over the next two months. 

Kalen DeBoer’s move from Washington to Tuscaloosa hasn’t appear to change his winning pedigree or the Alabama monster, at least in Venables’ eyes. 

“Obviously the DNA is different,” Venables said. “… One of Kalen's strengths as a football coach, a very successful coach, is he takes a group of players that he has, and their staff figures out what they can do. They major in that, put them in position to be successful based on the players' strengths. They've done a nice job of doing that throughout the course of the season.”

In game planning for the Crimson Tide, Venables said there’s one area of the field that still sticks out on tape.

“They look like Alabama of old in regards to the line of scrimmage, the skill, the quarterback play,” he said. “What they're doing on defense, their aggressiveness, forcing turnovers. Those types of things. So some ways different, some ways not."

Winning the Ground War

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe rushed for four touchdowns in the Crimson Tide's last SEC outing against LSU. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Two weeks ago, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe proved just how dangerous he can be as a runner. 

He gashed LSU for four rushing scores as the Tide rolled to a 42-13 win in Baton Rouge. 

Milroe leads Alabama with 608 rushing yards and 17 scores on the ground, and running back Jam Milner has added 512 yards and seven touchdowns to pair for Justice Haynes’ 410 yards and six scores out of the backfield. 

Entering the week OU ranks 18th in rushing yards allowed per game, holding opponents to 109.0 yards per game, and the Sooners will have to hold strong to hope to repel Alabama’s explosive offense. 

“They have great playmakers everywhere,” Venables said. “… Everything goes through the quarterback. But they have an offensive line playing, they're really good up front.

“… You're not gonna luck up and win this game. It’s about physicality, it's about execution. Certainly the run game and the quarterback containing him, if you will, permitting him from having a career-type day is paramount.”

Venables has been pleased with how his defense has bottled up the run through 10 games, but Alabama will stress all the gains the Sooners have made in rushing defense over the past three years. 

“We’ve got a great, great challenge,” he said. “Something that we’ve been really good at this year and something they’ve been fantastic in, so those two things are gonna meet on Saturday night. Looking forward to it.”