Whereas Ohio State followers maintain the newest grudge in opposition to Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams, and USC, the fanbase that’s nonetheless probably the most upset concerning the Trojans’ success this 12 months resides in Norman. Williams was presupposed to be the third Heisman winner in crimson and cream beneath Riley, and it’s OU that ought to be a convention title away from a spot within the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
As an alternative of a fourth journey to the playoff, Oklahoma is 6-6 and can be taking part in in a nondescript postseason recreation. Proper now, predictions have them slated for the Assured Charge Bowl in opposition to Wisconsin. If they will’t prime the Badgers, it will likely be the Sooners first dropping season since 1998, when John Blake oversaw a 5-6 marketing campaign, was fired, and changed by Bob Stoops.
First-year coach Brent Venables, the longtime defensive coordinator at Clemson, wasn’t left with an empty cabinet, and regardless that some gamers, together with Williams, adopted Riley to Southern California, it shouldn’t have been this dangerous.
The one issues Venables actually needed to repair was the quarterback place and the protection, however followers actually would’ve been understanding if he went one for 2, with the workforce enhancing on the facet of the ball that’s allegedly the energy of its new coach.
Not solely did the protection not enhance, nevertheless it acquired worse. The Sooners had been a hundredth in school soccer in factors allowed, 109th in speeding protection, and 107th in move protection. They misplaced three of their previous 4 video games to unranked groups. Throughout a three-week span from late September to early October, the Sooners had been outscored 145-58. Granted two of these groups are vying for the Massive 12 title and the opposite one is Texas, it’s nonetheless alarming to learn.
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The final time an OU workforce acquired drubbed that badly for 3 straight weeks was a stretch in 1997 once they misplaced to Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M by a mixed rating of 156-21. If you happen to’re an Oklahmoa fan (and also you’re nonetheless studying this), you’re most likely questioning who the fuck is that this man and what’s his level.
Aside from highlighting the lowlights of a extremely shitty season — the one different program to concede 50-plus factors to Texas Tech this 12 months was Murray State — I’m saying life comes at you quick, and Venables has to proper this quickly or OU is prone to hopping aboard a training carousel that’s variety to only a few faculties irrespective of how prestigious.
After the loss to the Purple Raiders, OU main receiver and workforce chief Marvin Mims didn’t fairly brazenly reject his new head coach’s tweaks to this system, however he did say he had hassle getting used to the cultural modifications.
“The largest factor about him, it’s simply — I wouldn’t name it a tradition shock. However, you already know, he introduced lots of issues that gamers should get adjusted to, particularly Coach Schmitty (energy coach Jerry Schmidt) coming again. I imply, there’s no, you already know, teeter-tottering on the road and stuff like that. You bought to do the issues he needs you to do the methods he needs you to do them. Principally, that’s the largest factor, is simply getting adjusted to that.”
It’s not truthful to yell “You had one job” at Venables, contemplating how tremendously tough it’s to efficiently coach school soccer within the period of switch portals and NIL offers. Anticipating a man who’s by no means been a head coach to do what Riley or Ryan Day did once they inherited all of the gamers and assets of their extraordinarily profitable predecessors was all the time an excessive amount of. It’s like assuming Dillon Gabriel would step in for Williams and win 9 or 10 video games. OK, it’s not fairly that, however you get what I’m saying.
Whereas Oklahoma lived within the prime 10 in recruiting rankings beneath Riley, it was actually what the coach acquired out of his quarterbacks that set OU other than different perennial powerhouses. No Riley-led Oklahoma workforce completed larger than twenty ninth in common factors allowed, and as a rule that quantity was in 60s.
For no matter purpose, the Sooners couldn’t get the overwhelming athletes that Alabama, Clemson, LSU, and Georgia churn out. If that’s what Venables must get his protection on par with the Tigers items that destroyed ACC gameplans for years, it’d take a few years to remake the id of the workforce.
Don’t giggle too arduous, Texas followers. You even have lots to determine earlier than leaping into the deep finish and swimming with SEC groups week after week.These two packages have to be working close to the height of their potential once they make the transfer down South, or they’re going to have a tough time sustaining — or, in UT’s case, getting again to — that lofty establishment.
There’s not way more that might’ve gone incorrect in Norman since Riley and Williams bounced, but when the duo will get again to the CFP and provides the one particular person {hardware} that issues, it’ll be like twisting the knife, throwing salt within the wound, and kicking a followers whereas they’re down all rolled into one.
