OU head coach Brent Venables held a fiery press conference Tuesday, not holding back on his frustration with the state of the team.
The Sooners (2-1) narrowly defeated New Mexico (2-1) 14-6 in their last game. OU will head to Athens hoping to upset the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Sanford Stadium on ESPN.
Here are key takeaways:
Brent Venables holds offense accountable
OU football head coach Brent Venables gave a punchy press conference Tuesday aimed at recent offensive struggles.
Venables candidly addressed the Sooners’ dire need for offensive improvement.
OU ranks last in yards per game and second to last in points per game among Southeastern Conference teams through three games. Venables didn't shy away from stating how offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the offense need to improve.
“I don't want to be the offensive coordinator,” Venables said. “I want the offensive staff to come up with a great game plan and to have great balance, to be physical, take care of the ball, run the football, create explosive plays, … attack people's weaknesses, all of those types of things. I want them to play with more confidence and more continuity and (in) a better rhythm.”
Venables broke down two areas where the offense needs improvement, including the offensive line. Sophomore Michael Fasusi (shoulder), fifth year Jake Maikkula (knee) and sophomore Ryan Fodje (knee)'s injuries have been notable hits at various points, though Fodje has acted as a swiss army knife when available.
“The inconsistent offensive line and then not taking care of the ball, those two things (are a) bad recipe,” Venables said. “Some of the inconsistency on that line is, again, … guys being banged up and … Jake missing three weeks. That's a lot for your center. Fodje (missed) a couple of weeks and then also (moved) around at different positions.”
Venables identified freshman lineman Noah Best’s consistency as a bright spot for the offensive line.
“(We’re) playing a true freshman out there that has actually done some good things,” Venables said, “as he's getting baptized to college football.”
Venables still exclaimed that every detail matters and that they need to execute simple plays, from practice to game day.
“Those are wide-ass-open, middle-of-the-field-open (plays), let’s go firm it up. … Let's not make it more than it needs to be but those small screw-ups are a big deal. … It affects everything. … This is my message to the players, man, ‘That stuff ain't OK.’ And if it happens in practice, it's going to happen in the game.”
Venables is adamant that the Sooners’ offensive issues cannot continue.
“We’re fortunate we won the (New Mexico) game.” Venables said. “Does that shake your confidence? Yeah, it sure does. And does that give you confidence as a play-caller? No. Does that get your offense into the rhythm that you need to? Nope. It's the exact opposite effect. … There’s accountability, and it can't continue to happen over and over.”
David Stone injury update
OU head coach Brent Venables gave an update on defensive lineman David Stone after a knee injury at practice Monday.
Venables gave an update on junior defensive tackle David Stone, who suffered a knee injury during Monday’s practice.
Venables corrected rumors about Stone’s injury taking place on offensive reps and gave insight on its severity.
“I know it was reported that he was hurt in (Monday's) practice,” Venables said. “He wasn't on offense. I guess that was out there. … When he got banged up, he ran his knee into a scout team player in a jog-through and kind of popped out.”
Venables left room for optimism regarding the projected-top-15 2027 NFL Draft pick.
”We'll see where he's at, …” Venables said. “The X-rays were positive, I guess. … He said his pain (is) a 2 out of 10 right now, so we’ll go from there.”
This story was edited by Charlie DiVincenzo and Joshua McDaniel.
