Brent Venables’ standing at Oklahoma took another hit after the Sooners’ stunning road loss to Michigan, and ESPN’s Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back when asked where he thinks the OU coach fits nationally.
“I still don't know if Brent Venables is a top-flight coach," Finebaum said on "The Matt Barrie Show.|"He's not one of the top 20 coaches in America, and that showed on Saturday."
That kind of scrutiny comes with the job in Norman, and Venables has already lived through plenty of it. His Oklahoma tenure opened with a 6-7 season, then flipped to 10-3. It happened again after another 6-7 campaign, before the Sooners went 10-3 and reached the College Football Playoff last season.
Even with that rebound on the résumé, the questions have never fully gone away. The loss to Michigan brought them roaring back, especially because it looked like the kind of game Oklahoma has to handle if it wants to be taken seriously in the biggest spots.
The Sooners have shown they can overwhelm lesser opponents. The harder part is proving they can do it when the competition rises and the margin tightens. That’s the issue hanging over Venables as he heads into his fifth season.
There’s still a lot of football left, and Oklahoma doesn’t have to run the table to quiet Finebaum’s critique. But the Sooners do need to make sure the Michigan loss looks like a stumble, not a warning sign.
In the end, Finebaum’s comment was about the full body of work, not just one bad afternoon in Ann Arbor. Venables’ best answer now is simple: make Oklahoma matter in the games that count most and turn another promising season into something more lasting.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces A Big Depth Test Against New Mexico
The Sooners are heading into their meeting with New Mexico with some early-season depth already being put to the test. Starting left tackle Michael Fasusi and wide receiver Trell Harris are both unavailable, which pushes Ryan Fodje and freshman Noah Best into bigger roles up front and leaves Elijah Thomas with a chance to absorb more of the passing-game load.
On defense, linebacker Kip Lewis is also sidelined, so James Nesta is in line to start in his place. The good news for Oklahoma is that the backfield remains intact, with Jonathan Hatton Jr. and Tory Blaylock both healthy and available, giving the offense at least one experienced area to lean on while the Sooners sort through a few key absences. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Just Turned Oklahoma's Offense Into A Bigger Problem
A win over New Mexico did little to quiet the noise around Oklahomas offense, and Brent Venables didnt try to soften it afterward. The Sooners coach was blunt in his criticism of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle after a sluggish showing, saying the unit has to improve significantly as the season moves forward. For a program that expected more balance and a cleaner product on that side of the ball, the message landed as a public warning as much as a postgame assessment.
The frustration wasnt confined to Venables comments. During the game, fans were already chanting for Arbuckle to be fired, a sharp sign of how quickly patience is wearing thin. Venables declined to express confidence in Arbuckles current performance, leaving an already uneasy situation even more exposed as Oklahoma tries to steady an offense that has become its own problem. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Has One Problem Brent Venables Cant Ignore
Oklahoma has spent enough time under Brent Venables proving it can lean on defense, but the broader picture still leaves little room for comfort. The Sooners have been sturdy on that side of the ball while the offense has lagged behind, and after the loss to Michigan, the imbalance is hard to ignore as the team heads into games against New Mexico and Georgia.
Venables has made it clear he wants complementary football, the kind where the offense can stay on the field, sustain drives and give the defense a little breathing room. That remains the next step for Oklahoma, because without a more reliable attack, the Sooners can keep hanging around, but they will keep asking too much of a defense that has already done its part. [Read more 🡒]