Oklahoma

The heat is on Oklahoma coach Brent Venables as No. 20 Sooners try to recover from 6-7 season

Published

1 year ago

August 18, 2023

The heat is on Oklahoma coach Brent Venables as No. 20 Sooners try to recover from 6-7 season

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s rabid fanbase was overjoyed when Brent Venables was named head coach.

Sooners fans had kept track of the former Oklahoma defensive coordinator for years after he took that same position at Clemson and helped the Tigers win two national titles. So when Lincoln Riley abruptly left for Southern California following the 2021 regular season, Venables was the popular pick to step in.

The honeymoon ended as the Sooners struggled to a 6-7 finish last year, including a 35-32 loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Expectations are down a bit for Oklahoma in its final season in the Big 12 before heading to the Southeastern Conference. The 20th-ranked Sooners were voted third in the 14-team conference’s preseason poll – just the fourth time in the past 13 years they weren’t picked to win the league.

Venables said the Sooners fell well below expectations last season — they had four three-point losses and lost to Kansas State by eight points — but grew as a team. He believes his first season was about laying groundwork, and he expects much better results this time around.

“We’re still under construction,” he said. “I’ll be honest, for as long as I’m the coach at Oklahoma, we’ll always be under construction and it ain’t ever good enough. And there’s always ways to improve and get better.”

Venables has a strong building block in quarterback Dillon Gabriel. He was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season after passing for 3.168 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has more than 11,000 yards passing in his career.

“This is a guy that if he can stay healthy, I’d like to think he’s going to finish as a top 10 passer in the history of college football,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “That’s something that matters. He’s going to have a ton of production.”

Gabriel has some solid targets.

Jalil Farooq is expected to take on a larger role now that Marvin Mims has moved on to the NFL. Farooq is the team’s returning leader with 466 yards and five touchdowns receiving last season.

Drake Stoops is back for his sixth year. The son of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has 914 career yards receiving. Gavin Freeman, a sophomore walk-on, was electrifying when he got the chance.

Austin Stogner, a senior tight end who left and played last season at South Carolina, returns. He had 106 receptions at Oklahoma, then hauled in 20 passes for the Gamecocks.

The defense needs to improve significantly. Coordinator Ted Roof said another year in the system and improved depth should help a team that ranked 99th out of 131 schools in scoring defense and 122nd overall.

“I’m kind of hard on the defense, and they deserve that,” Venables said. “We haven’t been very good in a while. But guys are making improvements there. It’s incredibly important.”

FABULOUS FRESHMAN

Five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold is already turning heads.

“Jackson is anxious and eager,” Venables said. “He’s willing to be led as well, willing to learn and grow. He didn’t come in as a guy that has all the answers. I love that. Humility but ambition too. He’s very ambitious. He’s trying to create an opportunity for himself and a role for himself and be the guy. I love that.”

SWITCHING SIDES

Defensive end Trace Ford has transferred from rival Oklahoma State. He missed the entire 2021 season and the final four games of 2022 with injuries, but he was dynamic when he played. He has 10.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 32 career games.

He’s happy with his move, despite criticism on social media.

“I like red,” Ford said. “I like the color. I like being here. Love it.”

NEW RECEIVER

D.J. Graham, who made a dynamic one-handed interception two years ago against Nebraska as a cornerback, has switched to receiver. He has played in 28 career games with 12 starts as a defensive back.

TOTING THE ROCK

There will be carries available now that Eric Gray is in the NFL. Jovantae Barnes ran for 519 yards as a true freshman last year. Marcus Major ran for 227 yards last season. Gavin Sawchuk ran for 100 yards in the Cheez-It Bowl.

SCHEDULE

Oklahoma opens at home against Arkansas State on Sept. 2. The annual rivalry game against Texas at the Cotton Bowl will be Oct. 7. The final matchup against Oklahoma State before switching conferences will be a road game on Nov. 4. Oklahoma does not play defending league champion Kansas State this year.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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Oklahoma

Navy Midshipmen Seek Victory Over Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

Published

27 minutes ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Navy Midshipmen Seek Victory Over Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

Navy won its rivalry game with Army West Point, but there’s one more game left on the schedule and one more shot at some history for the Midshipmen.

Navy is preparing to face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, their first appearance in a bowl game under second-year head coach Brian Newberry. Kickoff is set for noon eastern.

If the Midshipmen (9-3) are able to beat the Sooners (6-6), it would mark the sixth time in school history that they won at least 10 games in a season, joining the teams from 1905 (10-1-1), 2004 (10-2), 2009 (10-4), 2015 (11-2) and 2019 (11-2).

Navy needs to put its blowout win over Army out of its minds. The Sooners, while not the OU that most are used to, will still be a formidable opponent. But there will be change under center after the transfer of quarterback Jackson Arnold.

No such issues with Navy quarterback Blake Horvath, as he looks to cap off the season with an incredible performance in the postseason.

Here is a preview of the game.

Armed Forces Bowl

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

Time: noon, ET, Friday

TV: ESPN

Radio: WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (flagship), Navy Football Radio Network.

Coaches: Navy: Brian Newberry (14-10 at Navy, overall); Oklahoma: Brent Venables (22-16 at Oklahoma, overall).

Fun fact: Newberry played high school football at WestMoore High School in Oklahoma City, about an hour and a half away from Oklahoma’s campus in Norman.

All-Times Series: Navy leads series, 1-0.

Last meeting: Navy 10, Oklahoma 0 (1965 in Norman, Okla.).

Series notes: This is Navy’s first bowl game against OU, but not its first bowl game against an SEC school. The Midshipmen played Ole Miss in the 1955 Sugar Bowl. Navy has played Missouri and Texas, but neither was in the SEC at the time.

Last Week: Navy def. Army, 31-13 (Dec. 14); Oklahoma lost to LSU, 37-13 (Nov. 30).

About Navy: Navy’s win over Army allowed the Midshipmen to claim the Commander in Chief’s trophy and you can’t doubt the accomplishment. Navy won the two service academy games by a combined 45 points. That’s just domination.

Last week, Midshipmen defensive back Rayuan Lane III accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, just the fifth Navy player to accomplish that feat. He’ll play in this game and then take his shot at getting drafted into the NFL.

Along with chasing 10 wins, Horvath is chasing the single-season touchdown pass record at Navy. He’s tied it with 13, putting him in the company of Ricky Dobbs. He tossed two touchdowns against Army.

About Oklahoma: Even though OU only finished .500, this game marks a rare chance for Navy to measure itself against one of the game’s historic programs.

Oklahoma is the sixth-winningest program in FBS history with 950 wins and is playing in a bowl game for the 26th straight season, with a record of 31-25-1. OU’s 58 bowl appearances are the fourth-most in FBS.

The first year in the SEC was a gauntlet for the Sooners, who faced eight ranked opponents during the season. But, their win over No. 7 Alabama probably robbed the Crimson Tide of a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.

Next Up: The season concludes for both teams.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: December 22

Published

8 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Join News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins, News On 6 Sports Director John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland for this week’s edition of the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz.

Sunday, December 22nd 2024, 11:25 pm

By:

News On 6,

News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY –

This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland begin the show with their opening takes.

Toby’s Top 3

OU, OSU, TU Recap

Viewer Question

Thunder Update: Caruso 4-Year Contract Extension, No Christmas Game

OU, OSU, TU, ORU Basketball Recap

OSU Wrestling Beats Virginia Tech

Play The Percentages

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska

Published

16 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska

Oklahoma transfer linebacker Dasan McCullough has committed to Nebraska, he confirmed on Instagram Sunday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound McCullough spent the past two seasons in Norman with the Sooners. He began his college football career in 2022 at Indiana, where he earned Freshman All-American status.

McCullough will come to Nebraska with one season of eligibility remaining.

McCullough, who played Oklahoma’s versatile hybrid linebacker/safety position called the Cheetah, suffered an injury before the start of Oklahoma’s fall camp this season and missed the first five games. He returned to the field in October and played in the final seven games, the last five of which he started. He recorded 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2024.

In 2023 at Oklahoma, McCullough played in 10 games and started seven while making 30 tackles with 3.5 TFLs and three pass deflections.

McCullough, who was a star recruit and ranked No. 61 nationally in the 2022 class, comes from a football family. His dad, Deland McCullough, played running back in the NFL and is currently Notre Dame’s associate head coach and running backs coach.

While Deland spent three seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2018-20, Dasan played his high school ball at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Deland became Indiana’s associate head coach and running backs coach in 2021, and Dasan, then an Ohio State verbal commit, flipped to Indiana not long after.

Dasan followed his father to Bloomington and made an impact right away. He played in all 12 games with four starts and racked up 51 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, four sacks and four pass deflections. He gained Freshman All-American honors and a Big Ten honorable mention selection.

— Steve Marik, Inside Nebraska staff writer,

Analysis

McCullough is a versatile backend defender that can play a variety of roles in Nebraska’s defense.

A rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-5, McCullough shows good speed and change-of-direction ability for his size. Has high-end instincts and IQ, which shows up in zone coverage and reacting against the run. Has had some intriguing flashes as a pass-rusher, but largely relies on athleticism to get into the backfield, still developing consistent pass rush moves.

Technically sound tackler, though lean he’s got wiry body strength. Consistent aggression could improve as could hip fluidity. Athletic enough to hold his own in man coverage, technique can continue to improve, better in zone at this point in his career.

In Nebraska’s scheme, McCullough can play all three linebacker positions, rover or even safety if needed. He’s likely best at inside linebacker with a few pass-rush opportunities.

This addition provides Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler something of a chess piece to move around his defense.

— Tim Verghese, Inside Nebraska recruiting analyst

Additional analysis

McCullough is a versatile and sizable defender who played both a traditional linebacker position and Oklahoma’s “cheetah” spot, which is roughly equivalent to the nickel. He also saw some periodic snaps as an edge rusher for the Sooners during his two years in Norman.

McCullough at his best against the run, as he takes good pursuit angles, fills gaps responsibly and is a reliable tackler. That said, he’s intelligent and instinctive in zone coverage and can generally be trusted to hold his own in man-to-man matchups against tight ends and running backs.

McCullough ought to be quite the chess piece in John Butler’s defense, and could truly thrive in Lincoln depending on the Huskers’ specific vision for his diverse skill set.

— OUInsider writer Parker Thune