COLUMN: This Time, Oklahoma Wasn’t ‘Close’ – But Venables Embraces That

Let’s be sincere: Oklahoma just isn’t “shut.”

That’s the phrase Lincoln Riley used time after time to assuage a savvy fan base’s angst over how poorly his group was taking part in.

Whether or not that was “agonizingly shut” to successful a nationwide championship after falling behind Alabama 28-0 within the Orange Bowl or simply common “shut” after stumbling by a 16-13 residence victory over a middling West Virginia (or, frankly, identify your 2021 opponent), Riley’s efforts to pump sunshine about his program finally started to fall on deaf ears.

Fixed proof on the contrary finally led Sooner Nation to tune him out.

Saturday night time’s 41-34 loss to Kansas State, however, stands as a stern reminder that the Brent Venables period isn’t near being a completed product but, that with Riley’s similar gamers and a bunch of newcomers, a transition interval needs to be anticipated.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Venables mentioned Saturday night time. “I don’t have a look at it that method. If I hadn’t seen all the nice, the cleanliness, the bodily toughness, the basics, if I hadn’t seen it, y’know, I wouldn’t count on it. However I’ve seen it. Tonight, it didn’t occur.”

There’s additionally the truth that the Sooners’ earlier three video games — in opposition to three unhealthy to common groups — really did reveal flaws in Oklahoma’s efficiency, however neither UTEP, Kent State or Nebraska was ok to use these flaws.

Kansas State was.

Overthrowing a large open receiver for a landing in Lincoln wasn’t all that damning. Lacking an task on a scrambling quarterback in opposition to Kent State did not harm too unhealthy.

However those self same small misses in opposition to Okay-State, plus a sea of penalties, missed tackles and different errors, was an excessive amount of to beat. 

“Tonight,” Venables mentioned, “I noticed a soccer sport the place I do not suppose that we performed like we had these first three weeks. It begins with the person within the mirror.”

“I’m hopeful that (Saturday’s loss) was an aberration. We’ve obtained issues as a training workers we have to deal with and get higher, put them in a greater place. After which we have to problem each other by adversity.

“If you take a step backwards, you be taught lots about your self, you be taught lots about each other. Like I mentioned, generally that stress and people moments of failure reveal some issues you need to deal with as nicely. I’m probably not on that plan of taking a while, that is gonna take a while. That’s me.”

Riley obtained used to portray over poor performances — no less than publicly.

In the meantime Venables invoked a number of denunciations of his group after the sport — “horrendous,” “atrocious,” “horrible, “we broke down in each method,” “lack of focus,” “at our worst,” “ill-prepared,” and naturally, “not ok.”

Not as soon as, nonetheless, did Venables say the Sooners have been “shut.” He is aware of the fan base is smarter than that.

That’s to not say they weren’t shut. One go completion and the Sooners have one other landing. One correct run match or one much less missed sort out and possibly Okay-State has one other punt as a substitute of a protracted landing drive.

Though he readily acknowledges the depth and breadth of his group’s many breakdowns in opposition to the Wildcats, Venables has confidence they are often mounted earlier than the Sooners head to Fort Price this week to tackle TCU.

“You already know why I’ve a perception and a optimistic outlook even by this?” Venables mentioned. “As a result of I’ve seen the work, I’ve seen the buy-in, I’ve seen the funding, I understand how they’ve responded up thus far. And so I imagine in these guys. If there wasn’t a dedication, a buy-in, all that, I would not be saying there was.

“Who is aware of what would have occurred had we made some layups? We missed a complete bunch of layups, particularly on protection. After which we simply obtained whooped method too typically, too. So I am disillusioned on this second, however I nonetheless imagine (with) every part I’ve obtained on this group and what’s nonetheless sitting in entrance of us.

“I’m not sitting in there like, selling all of our objectives are nonetheless in entrance of us, although they’re. Simply disillusioned. All people that is part of it’s disillusioned with the way it went down tonight. That is not reflective of who this group has been. We’ll get higher from it, is my expectation.”

Each new coach experiences bumps within the street. Each transition interval takes time. Venables and his workers will determine it out. 

He and the group and the followers could not need to hear it, however proper now, at this second, the Sooners are usually not all that “shut.”

And embracing that fact, somewhat than spinning it, is an efficient factor.