NORMAN — Brent Venables hears the noise. All of it.

Whether or not it’s followers speaking down on his defensive coordinator or media providing up options on his defensive entrance or former quarterbacks-turned-podcasters assessing the worth of the 2022 season, Venables stated Tuesday he hears it.

Do his gamers?

“You’d should ask them,” Venables stated.

“I take note of what’s being stated, or the opinions,” he stated. “And that is what you all receives a commission to do. To go actually excessive with all people or actually down right here and get the clickbaits and all that sort of stuff. That is what you do. Whether or not it is intentional or not. As a result of I’ve know some individuals say, ‘Oh, the season’s over. It is forgotten.’ However these guys in that locker room do not assume that. These coaches do not assume that. If that is the case, why do not you simply finish it now? You already know what I imply?”

Venables provided that after a query about what he realized from Bob Stoops in the course of the difficult 2005 and 2009 seasons.

Requested later if the criticism affected the best way his gamers put together or observe and even really feel about themselves, Venables at first didn’t appear to wish to tackle it additional.

However he did.

“Are they affected by that? If they permit themselves to be,” he stated. “You already know, I am not naive. Once more, I understand how the human being works. And my job is to pay attention to all of it after which be sure that I do a superb job as a pacesetter, of creating certain the remainder of the leaders — I’m only one man — however the remainder of the leaders are additionally armoring up as effectively.

“Whether or not you’re 9-0 or 5-4. The journey is difficult. It is troublesome. It is difficult. It will have its mountaintop experiences throughout the season, and it is going to be some powerful moments, like once we went to Dallas. And the way you deal with all of it issues shifting ahead — within the current second, and positively sooner or later.”

If the Sooners have been 9-0 as an alternative of 5-4 he stated, he would really feel the identical method.

“When you if me in any respect, when you’ve carried out any sort of homework, you then’re gonna know I am the identical man each single day,” Venables stated. “I’ve already talked concerning the seeds of success, how that may be a detriment, too. The place individuals really feel prefer it’s, , they inherit the fitting to achieve success. Whether or not it is a program, whether or not it is coaches, whether or not it is help workers or whether or not it is the gamers.

“Perhaps it is you have been very profitable as a program and also you begin recruiting and these guys assume they’re simply gonna present up and win, it is all about them, and so they’re the brand new hotshot recruit. The issues that it takes to achieve success over the lengthy haul, I feel, is what it is all about. So that you gotta worth the little issues that it takes to achieve success.

“So would that be the identical? Dang proper, as a result of all people shall be method up right here. Both method down right here, as little as it may be right here, or method up right here. Nothing in between. And for me, I need our program to all the time be proper right here (in between). How we do what we do. You already know? Do not play to a scoreboard. Play and compete to a typical. Present as much as a typical each single day. Would not matter what occurred final week.”

Coming off final week’s 38-35 dwelling loss to Baylor, the Sooners (5-4 total, 2-4 Large 12) are 7.5-point favourite this week at West Virginia, an 11 a.m. kickoff on FS1. The Mountaineers (3-6, 1-5) are hoping to bounce again from final week’s 31-14 loss at Iowa State.

None of that issues — not when it’s the identical West Virginia workforce that beat Baylor 43-40 only a few weeks in the past.

Venables stated this OU workforce can’t concentrate on final week.

“It’s all the time about what’s subsequent,” he stated. “You be taught and develop from what occurred prior to now, however you possibly can’t keep fixated on that. It will paralyze you. So that you need guys to remain hungry or staying pushed. You need a program that is by no means glad. That’s all the time searching for extra. That’s all the time about enchancment. These are foundational issues.

“It does not imply you are all the time going to get it. However the intent must be there. That is the important thing. The intent. The work that it takes to get there. Doesn’t suggest you all the time get the consequence. And so, to me, too many individuals are all the time () a consequence — , y’all are gonna write the story based mostly on consequence (slams papers). It’s based mostly on outcomes. ‘OK, effectively, this is the underside line. There’s the consequence.’ OK, to me, that is shallow. Even when you’re in a result-driven enterprise, that is not what it is about — to me, and to us, and I feel to profitable individuals, long-term profitable individuals.

“It is about all the opposite stuff. The result’s a byproduct of doing every little thing: being dedicated, doing all of the work, persevering, overcoming, combating by it, dealing with success, dealing with the failure all of it. You bought to try this all inside a recreation, you bought to do it from week to week, you bought to do it from month to month, 12 months to 12 months. And so whether or not you are 9-0 and within the Faculty Soccer Playoff discuss and everybody needs to speak about you — , what if we got here out final Tuesday, and so they stated, “Oklahoma high 4!” — what? I’d have been combating like hell in opposition to that. Since you hadn’t achieved something. You already know, it takes what it takes. It’s a must to begin over once more. You already know, this week is a season of its personal. So whether or not we’re 5-4 or 9-0, , there is a strategy of the way you compete and play and carry out at a extremely excessive degree.”