It’s Big Eight week in the SEC.
Missouri football, for the first time in 13 years, faces Oklahoma this upcoming Saturday on Faurot Field for a matchup between the reunited conference foes.
Mizzou (6-2, 2-2 SEC) was ranked as the No. 24 team in the College Football Playoff committee’s first top 25 of the season Tuesday. The Tigers have their work cut out to keep or improve on that position, with starting quarterback Brady Cook’s availability up in the air.
More: Brady Cook availability update: Missouri football quarterback’s status on SEC report
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Oklahoma (5-4, 1-4) has had a difficult first year in the conference, recently firing offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and turning back to once-benched quarterback Jackson Arnold. The Sooners are still a win short of securing bowl eligibility.
Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium is expected to be sold out and has been for quite some time.
Here’s what Oklahoma coach Brett Venables and some of the Sooners’ players told reporters in Norman ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Missouri:
On Missouri football transfers Theo Wease, Cayden Green
There’s been some movement between Mizzou and Oklahoma in recent seasons. Wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. and Cayden Green both have transferred to Missouri in the past couple of seasons. Ex-MU wideout J.J. Hester went to play in Norman after spending 2020-21 in Columbia.
Wease moved on after four seasons, 1,044 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns with Oklahoma to join Missouri before the 2023 campaign, and has since caught 86 passes for 1,164 yards and seven scores.
“Our offensive staff at the time didn’t feel like he was — and Theo probably felt the same — he wasn’t a major part of what we were doing,” Venables said. “And he’s looking for an opportunity, and he was nothing but great. He was a really good leader, did everything that we asked of him, and what a great example of what opportunity and development looks like. He’s kept his head down and just worked. Had a fantastic year last year; is having a great year this year.”
Green was a starting offensive lineman as a true freshman for OU last season before making the move back to his home state, where he is now Mizzou’s starting left guard.
That sparked a bit of online controversy, as some fans in Norman took issue with Green’s move.
More: Missouri fans flood business owned by father of transfer Cayden Green with five-star reviews
But within the OU staff? Not so much.
“I think Cayden went in there and was a starter — he was a starter for us. We’re not surprised if he has success. Cayden’s a fantastic player, freshman all-American,” Venables said. “And that’s the world that we live in now. Players are free to come and go as they please and look for what’s best for them, and there ain’t no time for bitterness and things like that. You’ve got to move on and adjust and pivot and get better.”
On recruiting battles
Given the regional proximity of the schools, there have been some battles for top-ranked recruits in recent years.
Missouri freshman and five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri come to mind, as his recruitment was closely followed by folks in Norman. Luther Burden III was committed to OU at one point, too. Oklahoma won a transfer portal battle for TCU defensive tackle Damonic Williams and recently landed five-star Mizzou target Michael Fasusi.
Venables was asked by a reporter if the rivalry with Missouri is “getting a little spicy.”
“They’re a program that’s going to recruit well in their own backyard. It’s not spicy for me,” Venables said. “Recruiting is incredibly competitive. Winning is incredibly hard, and we’re programs that certainly there’s a familiarity. … Spicy maybe for the media or the fans, but staff-wise it (isn’t).”
On Missouri defense
While defensive coordinator at Clemson, Venables coached Mizzou safety Joseph Charleston and “spent time in the living room” of Toriano Pride Jr. while recruiting the cornerback out of East St. Louis to Death Valley.
Oklahoma has struggled at times on offense this season and has turned to Joe Jon Finley to call the plays. The Sooners briefly benched Arnold at QB and played Michael Hawkins Jr., but they have returned to their Week 1 starter in recent games.
Arnold may benefit from the possible return of wide receivers Deion Burks and Jalil Farooq this weekend, although that is still in doubt as they rehab from injuries and were listed as questionable on OU’s Wednesday availability report.
Oklahoma currently is the No. 112-ranked team in the country for total offense, and Arnold expects a challenge from Mizzou’s defense.
“I feel like when watching them on film, they play great as a group,” Arnold told reporters in Norman. “Dudes know where they’re going. They don’t bust hardly ever. Super competitive guys, fly around the ball and a big physical group.”
On Missouri QB Brady Cook
Cook has a supporter in Oklahoma’s head coach.
“I’m a big fan of his leadership and his toughness. The players, their program, they feed off of him. He’s got great juice and just — he’s fearless,” Venables said. “I don’t know his entire background, but he’s a winner. I think he brings out the best in the players around him, but he plays with emotion on his sleeve, and you can see the guts and the toughness.”
Cook’s status for the matchup is still up in the air, as he was listed as “questionable” on the Tigers’ Wednesday availability report.
Venables has been keeping up with Cook’s story, going into detail to praise his comeback at Auburn that saw him go to the hospital early in the game with a high-ankle sprain before returning to lead a fourth-quarter comeback, which the OU coach likened to wearing a “Superman cape.”
And Venables, at least midweek, is expecting Cook to fight through and play Saturday.
“He’ll find a way to show up,” he said. “I know he’s just got a couple of games left, and, you know, you don’t count that guy out. He’s a great player.”
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