Oklahoma, One of the Progenitors of Tempo Offense, is Back in the Fast Lane vs. Flashes

NORMAN — Brent Venables was chatting along with his teaching employees this week when the dialog bought nostalgic.

“Twenty years in the past, tempo was a factor,” Venables mentioned, “however individuals had a fastball bundle. They may run like three performs, after which that is all they did.”

Groups have practiced the two-minute offense for end-of-half conditions. However that fastball bundle was designed to catch defenses off guard.

“We actually talked about fastball immediately,” Venables mentioned Tuesday. “We have been citing completely different groups and their flavors, what they do, which formation. They’d run a fast toss or one thing like that. And that was like a extremely powerful factor again within the day. Issues are somewhat extra intricate and complex now. However it’s good.”

Now, in fact, each school soccer staff runs some variation of a hurry-up, no-huddle offense — “tempo,” they name it. Many go quick completely. Some sprinkle it in. However all people does it.

When Oklahoma and Kent State meet on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, it’ll be a matchup of two of the quickest offenses within the nation.

Buckle up.

“Initially,” mentioned Kent State coach Sean Lewis, “bought to have a quarterback. Proper? You gotta have quarterback that you could belief, that you have educated, that is comfy enjoying quick — in order that they will suppose quick, know quick, do quick.

Like Oklahoma discovered final week in beating UTEP, going quick doesn’t mechanically imply success. After scoring three fast TDs, the Sooners had two fast three-and-outs. The result’s OU ranks next-to-last within the nation in time of possession, at simply 21:27 per recreation.

“You bought to have success early on,” Lewis mentioned. “Like, we at all times joke that there isn’t any tempo until you get a primary down, proper? So you bought to get that first first down, as a result of in any other case you are simply going to tempo your butt proper off the sideline. You are gonna be punting actually quick.

“Lastly, the the piece that most likely does not get talked about sufficient, is that your huge boys up entrance gotta be in form,” Lewis mentioned. “Like, everyone knows our ability guys, these skinny butts they will run and run for days. That is what they have been made to do.”

Oklahoma was one of many progenitors of the fashionable tempo look. In 2008, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson went to Bob Stoops with the thought to take an offense that was extraordinarily productive and environment friendly and skilled and add in a high-octane tempo. They requested Venables for his enter — extra snaps for the offense means extra possessions, and extra possessions means extra possessions for the protection — and Venables gave Wilson his blessing to go as quick as he can go.

OU set the NCAA report for factors scored, quite a few faculty information fell and Sam Bradford gained the Heisman.

Since then, tempo has change into as a lot part of the school soccer lexicon as shoulder pads or particular groups.

“It has advanced,” Venables mentioned. “However I like these outdated days.”