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Just how down is ou?

TexArcher

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quigley

quigley 1,143

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

I’m not sure what Riley taking Caleb Williams has to do with their defense being completely fucking terrible.

And I don’t understand the whole “needs more time to install his defense.” What does that even mean?  Practically every player OU has on defense was recruited by everyone. They have talent.  As I said earlier, if what makes Venables’ defensive system work is having 5-star guys at every position and/or guys who have been in the system for 4 years then his system fucking sucks.

It’s not like they are having a few busts here and there… the defense has been completely mauled in 3 conference games.

He was supposed to be the guy who fixed *the defense* and it’s the worst part of the team by far. 

Gabriel isn’t an elite QB by any means, but the offense was at least functional with him running it. Most teams are going to have a bit of a drop off to their backup QB, so I’ll cut them a little slack there.

I agree with several of your points, but there are nuances here.

1. Offense getting worse doesn't hurt the defense: True, but Lebby's brand of hurry-up to get 3-and-outs does hurt defenses. Plus, OU's explosive offense's under Riley also put pressure on opposing offenses to score. Riley purposely slowed his offense down to protect his defense.

2. "needs more time to install his defense": Also agree! But Venable's defense is very complex. He, like Saban, has many calls and wants to get to the perfect call. That said, why hasn't he simplified his defense and calls to come to his players level?

Also, let's remember, this is going downhill. The OU defense performance vs K-St was at least partially Adrian Martinez playing the game of his life. Venables response do this was to rip into his defense and create more physical practices. BAD IDEA that shows he lacks a basic understanding of psychology. The last 2 weeks have been the give up periods vs offenses that are increasing in proficiency.

3. "Gabriel isn’t an elite QB...I’ll cut them a little slack there.": Also agree that Gabriel's performance on 3rd down specifically vs K-St was the difference between OU winning and losing (there were several other ways for OU to win that game, but this is one). But I don't cut OU's offensive staff any slack for having NO BACK UP AT ALL READY to play. If there were such a huge drop off from Gabriel the other guys, the other guys should've played more during the 3 non-con blowouts. They should've had packages tailored for them specifically.

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25,505

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Posted
6 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Reminds me of “Lost in America” where Albert Brooks asks Gary Marshall how down she was at the roulette table.  “Down”.

Did you know that Brooks is Funkhauser's (Bob Einstein) brother? 

5 hours ago, bullet said:

And maybe Riley knew something the rest of us didn't when he cut and ran for the coast.  His cupboard may have been empty.  And he took what was valuable there with him.

NIL

4 hours ago, RMac5 said:

Does Lincoln leave OU for USC if NIL is not in play?

Maybe, but factor in NIL and it's a no-brainer.

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quigley

quigley 1,143

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22 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

This is exactly wrong. In the last decade Texas has had multiple defensive coordinators who came in and had a good first season that then got worse as the league figured them out.

TCU's relative competence this year with a new defensive coaching staff and lesser recruiting talent supports your point

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Horn Dogg

Horn Dogg 3,726

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2 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

The worst I have seen them since I entered high school in 1999. Really since they won it all in 2000, OU's down year for them, was still pretty damn good. I have never seen them this out of sorts on offense. They usually just roll into their next QB and turnover of talent and still compete at a high level. Lincoln Riley takes Caleb Williams and others out west and now have USC looking legit like they did in the early to mid 2000s. OU lost a lot of their identity when he left. They have not experienced a change of coach like this in over 2 decades. They had Stoops built a great foundation and one of their own takeover in Riley and not miss a beat and actually look even better. Doesn't hurt that they get heisman level transfers in Murray and Hurts so they never had to really recruit and develop a guy and they come right in and have them as contenders and make the playoffs.

But now they have an outside guy come in and doesn't look to be HC material (at least yet) and it's going to take time to make his imprint and develop his identity. But will OU fans be patient for that? They aren't used to this at all since the turn of the century. 

 

You entered HS in 1999?  You’re too young to be chasing fatties!

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TXpride

TXpride 532

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OU's proximity to Texas and DFW specifically will prevent them from completely falling off the map like Nebraska. As OP stated, they are basically where we were in Strong's first year--a gutted roster with an incompetent HC. They'll give Venables 2 or 3 years, and then start the process over again. However, it's a tougher rebuild than Texas; I doubt they'll still be able to pull top 10 classes after several seasons of mediocrity.

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Gravy Train

Gravy Train 969

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1 hour ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

 Venerable also hasn't forgot to coach, he just needs more time install his defense. 

I'm out on Venables watching the game yesterday.  He has talent and depth at DL and EDGE but seems absolutely fixed on his 3-DL scheme, only to leave his LBs lost, which is the thinnest position on his defense.  He's also lacking leadership in the defensive backfield and I saw nearly no adjustment yesterday.  He's not the kind of guy who I though would turn those keys over to Ted Roof (of all coaches) but as a unit, they've looked lost after the Nebraska game.

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quigley

quigley 1,143

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Posted (edited)
19 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

OU is going to be terrible until Venables is gone and they hire a top coach, though.  Venables is not a good coach.  He was the guy originally responsible for OU dropping from the top defensive team in college football to winning 49-45 shootouts against the mid tier Big 12 opponents.  Somehow he was hired there after being fired as a coordinator, like if we hired Greg Davis or Manny Diaz to be head coach.  

His time at Clemson was a mirage.  Oh, he had a good defense with four 1st round defensive linemen playing against Boston College and Duke?  NO WAY!!!!  They won games against real opponents because of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.

Yawn. This has been covered, and you're completely wrong.

Advanced stats (SP+, FEI) had Venables defenses at OU in roughly the top 15 every year and mostly better.

Calling a 10 year run of top flight defenses a mirage is rich.

Since your particular complaint is that he didn't see good teams in the ACC, let's see how his defenses at Clemson did ONLY versus elite teams, in college football playoff games.

Year Semi-final                  Championship
2016 vs Oklahoma    17     vs Bama   45
2017 vs Ohio St    zero      vs Bama   31
2018 vs Bama        24     
2019 vs ND           3           vs Bama   16
2020 vs Ohio St     23       vs LSU    42   
2021 vs Ohio St     49

Semi-final average 19
Championship  33
Overall average 25

 

You may be right, Venables may be a terrible head coach at OU.

But it's not because he was a bad coordinator at OU or Clemson.

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ALexusTexus7

ALexusTexus7 114

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Yeah but Beville is god awful and as we know better than anyone QB play is pretty damn important.  I don't think Riley could make a Beville led offense look good and clearly those behind him aren't any better.  Like I noted earlier, I read an article or something posted from OU's boards pre-season that warned all of the QB's behind DG looked terrible in practice/scrimmage so they better hope DG stays healthy.  They will get beat by Kansas at home next week if Gabriel can't play.

Even if Gabriel plays, I still think OU loses. They wilt the first time you punch the in the mouth and just like Texas, I don’t think they forgot last year when it took a got damn miracle, by that mother fucker Caleb Williams, to win.


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Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18,326

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51 minutes ago, quigley said:

I agree with several of your points, but there are nuances here.

1. Offense getting worse doesn't hurt the defense: True, but Lebby's brand of hurry-up to get 3-and-outs does hurt defenses. Plus, OU's explosive offense's under Riley also put pressure on opposing offenses to score. Riley purposely slowed his offense down to protect his defense.

2. "needs more time to install his defense": Also agree! But Venable's defense is very complex. He, like Saban, has many calls and wants to get to the perfect call. That said, why hasn't he simplified his defense and calls to come to his players level?

Also, let's remember, this is going downhill. The OU defense performance vs K-St was at least partially Adrian Martinez playing the game of his life. Venables response do this was to rip into his defense and create more physical practices. BAD IDEA that shows he lacks a basic understanding of psychology. The last 2 weeks have been the give up periods vs offenses that are increasing in proficiency.

3. "Gabriel isn’t an elite QB...I’ll cut them a little slack there.": Also agree that Gabriel's performance on 3rd down specifically vs K-St was the difference between OU winning and losing (there were several other ways for OU to win that game, but this is one). But I don't cut OU's offensive staff any slack for having NO BACK UP AT ALL READY to play. If there were such a huge drop off from Gabriel the other guys, the other guys should've played more during the 3 non-con blowouts. They should've had packages tailored for them specifically.

Lol with the Saban like complexity. He hired Ted fucking Roof to run that defense and Jay Valai. The way he built that staff was as big of a red flag as Strong hiring Shawn Watson. Just inexcusable.

Also it’s a lot easier to make the “perfect call” when you’re stealing the other team’s signals. That seems to be the thing he’s best known for. Credit to him for being great at it, but he’s not catching anybody by surprise with that any more. 

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quigley

quigley 1,143

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4 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Lol with the Saban like complexity. He hired Ted fucking Roof to run that defense and Jay Valai. The way he built that staff was as big of a red flag as Strong hiring Shawn Watson. Just inexcusable.

Also it’s a lot easier to make the “perfect call” when you’re stealing the other team’s signals. That seems to be the thing he’s best known for. Credit to him for being great at it, but he’s not catching anybody by surprise with that any more. 

I'm quoting other coaches who say his defenses are complicated. Sorry if I trust their opinions over yours. Getting defensive calls in late is something Saban and Venables have both been known for.

I agree with you're point about Roof and Valai. I was dumbfounded by both hires.

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Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18,326

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3 minutes ago, quigley said:

I'm quoting other coaches who say his defenses are complicated. Sorry if I trust their opinions over yours. Getting defensive calls in late is something Saban and Venables have both been known for.

I agree with you're point about Roof and Valai. I was dumbfounded by both hires.

Oh I’m sure it’s complicated. But if you’re going to run something complicated, you better have great assistants teaching it. It’s like Jimbo Fishers “complicated” offense being run by incompetent assistants and bag men. Good luck with that. 

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Make em eat Taco Bell

Make em eat Taco Bell 1,548

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OU won't be Oklabraska because of demographics. As long as they border TX and AR and have decent home grown talent, with the next good staff they'll be back (sadly). 

The big question is will Ven-not-able last to 2024? Hopefully 20 years! 

Next coach will be Kentucky Stoops or Tennessee Josh. 

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Skipper

Skipper 5,952

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47 minutes ago, ALexusTexus7 said:


Even if Gabriel plays, I still think OU loses. They wilt the first time you punch the in the mouth and just like Texas, I don’t think they forgot last year when it took a got damn miracle, by that mother fucker Caleb Williams, to win.


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Oh I agree 100% and think we still would have easily covered.  I think they manage points with DG for sure but that defense had no chance against us.  

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 20,838

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24 minutes ago, Make em eat Taco Bell said:

OU won't be Oklabraska because of demographics. As long as they border TX and AR and have decent home grown talent, with the next good staff they'll be back (sadly). 

The big question is will Ven-not-able last to 2024? Hopefully 20 years! 

Next coach will be Kentucky Stoops or Tennessee Josh. 

I need to prescribe Heupel some Lipitor and a slew of BP meds.  He’s gonna be Mangino sized within a couple years at this pace.  

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hookem48

hookem48 4,603

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2 hours ago, dec3169 said:

I was shocked that OU didn't try a hail Mary for their last play just to try to avoid the shutout.  Instead they stood there watching 19 seconds go off the clock.  That was the biggest pointer to me on how down they are right now.

I thought it was more BV letting his guys know they quit and needed to be shut out and think about that shit.

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linux

linux 1,370

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2 hours ago, TXpride said:

OU's proximity to Texas and DFW specifically will prevent them from completely falling off the map like Nebraska. As OP stated, they are basically where we were in Strong's first year--a gutted roster with an incompetent HC. They'll give Venables 2 or 3 years, and then start the process over again. However, it's a tougher rebuild than Texas; I doubt they'll still be able to pull top 10 classes after several seasons of mediocrity.

Charlie Strong gutted his own roster the first year, imagine self imposed sanctions over a little weed... But the savants at Shaggy lapped it all up. 

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quigley

quigley 1,143

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Oh I’m sure it’s complicated. But if you’re going to run something complicated, you better have great assistants teaching it. It’s like Jimbo Fishers “complicated” offense being run by incompetent assistants and bag men. Good luck with that. 

We agree.

Either be really good at teaching it or run something basic (like TCU is) and master it.

They're progressively worse over the last 3 weeks. Appears that the spirit of the team has been broken, possibly by the coaches themselves running the players down.

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Sawbonz

Sawbonz 26,735

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1 hour ago, Sleep off ugly said:

Congratulations? What’s the point? The horns could have hung 70+ on those pathetic mouth breathers Saturday 

Someone said Stoops ran it up. He didn’t.  They played on a different level  than us that day. Just like we did them  yesterday 

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Dr.Dre

Dr.Dre 199

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3 hours ago, hookem48 said:

I thought it was more BV letting his guys know they quit and needed to be shut out and think about that shit.

Feel like butthead every time I see Venables initials. BV.

 

bacterial vaginosis. 
 

and venables is so close to venereal.

thanks for the lols

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 20,838

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28 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

Not down enough and I fully expect them to be back doing their old shit much faster than we would like. I thought they were down in the 90s as well and then suddenly like a trailer trash phoenix they were back to torment us again.

Trainer trash phoenix is fucking awesome.  Legit lol 

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Fud

Fud 9,510

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Bill Connelly on OU

Spoiler

What on earth has happened to Oklahoma?

Texas 49, Oklahoma 0

It's difficult to underachieve against the spread for a particular period of time because the books adjust. If a team is worse than expected, the bar will keep being lowered until equilibrium is found.

Sometimes, however, a collapse comes so swiftly that it takes a while to find equilibrium. Sometimes you pull a John Mackovic. Or a Turner Gill.

Which brings us to Oklahoma.

Largest underachievement vs. the spread in a three-game span for a once-ranked team, last 30 years:

1. 1997 Texas (-110.5 points)

2. 2011 Texas Tech (-107.5)

3. 1999 UCLA (-101.5)

4. 2005 Colorado (-99.5)

5. 2022 Oklahoma (-98)

Having posted SP+ projections against the lines for about a decade now, I can confidently say that the books are smarter than they've ever been. The lines are extraordinarily hard to beat in volume, even compared to just a few years ago. And they have not been able to keep up with the velocity of Oklahoma's collapse.

Just three weeks ago, Brent Venables' first Sooners team was 3-0 and coming off of a rousing rivalry win at Nebraska. Favored by 10.5 points, the Sooners had won by a 49-14 margin, and they were 13.5-point home favorites against a Kansas State team that had just lost to Tulane.

• Sept. 24: Kansas State (+13.5) 41, Oklahoma 34

• Oct. 1: TCU (+5) 55, Oklahoma 24

• Oct. 8: Texas (-7.5) 49, Oklahoma 0

Expected scoring margin for Oklahoma in these games: plus-11. Actual scoring margin: minus-87.

EDITOR'S PICKS

We can tell how uniquely bad this stretch has been from the company OU is currently keeping. In the past three decades, only four once-ranked teams have underachieved by more over a three-game span. Two of them fired their coaches (1997 Texas, 2005 Colorado), and the other two probably should have. Bob Toledo survived a 4-7 collapse at UCLA in 1999 because he was coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes. But he went just 20-15 over the next three seasons and was fired. Tommy Tuberville and Texas Tech, meanwhile, pulled the same act the following season: The Red Raiders started 6-1, then lost four of five before Tuberville left for Cincinnati.

In all four of these instances, the coaches had been in their jobs for a while, and the sudden collapses were signs of an ending, either soon or on the horizon.

If we focus specifically on teams that collapse in their head coach's first seasons, things get much, much darker.

Largest underachievement vs. the spread in a three-game span for a first-year coach, past 30 years:

1. Turner Gill, 2010 Kansas (-109)

2. Brian Knorr, 2001 Ohio (-101.5)

3. Vic Koenning, 2000 Wyoming (-98.5)

4. Brent Venables, 2022 Oklahoma (-98)

5. Paul Wulff, 2008 Washington State (-94.5)

6. Ron Dickerson, 1993 Temple (-91)

The five names surrounding Venables' are five of the least successful hires college football has seen in that time span. Those coaches went a combined 38-170 -- the equivalent of 2-10 seasons ad infinitum. None won more than four games in a season.

Granted, none of these men were coaching Oklahoma, either. Those five poor individuals were taking on some of the hardest jobs in the country, and while they performed terribly, the floor in Norman -- where the Sooners have finished under .500 just five times since World War II -- is quite a bit higher.

Still, inclusion on these lists should ring serious alarm bells. There are really no examples of a team collapsing like this and recovering in a short amount of time. If OU is to become the first, the three main sources of collapse must rebound immediately.

1. Quarterback play. This one will be the easiest to fix, if only because Dillon Gabriel is expected back soon. The UCF transfer was still in the concussion protocol and wasn't cleared to play against Texas, and wow, have his replacements proven unready.

In 34 pass attempts since Gabriel was injured against TCU, Davis Beville has gained just 55 net yards -- 88 gained from 13-for-28 passing, minus 33 yards from six sacks -- and thrown an interception. Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt (ANY/A) is a per-attempt average that accounts for sacks and applies 20-yard bonuses for touchdowns and 45-yard penalties for interceptions; Gabriel is averaging 9.9 ANY/A, Beville 0.3. A decent case could be made that OU's offense was at its best Saturday when tight end Brayden Willis was behind center as a Wildcat QB.

Oklahoma fans have been clamoring for an appearance from either third-stringer General Booty -- a favorite of the college football internet world for very obvious reasons -- or blue-chip freshman Nick Evers, who threw a single incompletion against Texas. The fact that Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby determined Beville was their best option, however, doesn't suggest a particularly high ceiling for an alternate move.

Again, Gabriel should return soon, potentially against Kansas this coming weekend. He's 23rd in Total QBR, and even if that's not quite the standard Baker Mayfield, et al. set in Norman, it's good.

2. Run defense. Over the past three weeks, OU has allowed 7.2 yards per carry (dead last in FBS at 131st) and a 53% success rate (126th). Worse, it has been beaten by three different types of run games. Kansas State's zone-read game produced 100-yard performances for both quarterback Adrian Martinez (148 yards and four scores) and back Deuce Vaughn (116 yards). TCU offered more spread and speed, and four Horned Frogs backs combined for 242 yards (8.3 per carry) while quarterback Max Duggan ripped off a 67-yard sprint for good measure. Texas offered no run threat whatsoever from the quarterback position, but Longhorns backs, led by Bijan Robinson, still had 279 yards (5.8 per carry).

Mind you, the pass defense hasn't covered itself in glory, either. But opponents have been able to pass only when they want to because the run is always there.

3. Defensive disruption. It vanished overnight. The Sooners recorded 13 sacks among 32 tackles for loss in their first three games; in their past three games: one and 12, respectively. Linemen Reggie Grimes II, Ethan Downs, Jalen Redmond, Isaiah Coe and Jonah Laulu had 16.5 TFLs in the first three games, and have four since. There is no push against the run, and with opponents never behind schedule, pass-rushing opportunities have vanished as well. The Sooners have been average on third-and-long (33% conversion rate, 79th in FBS) but an absolute sieve in shorter distances (77% conversion rate on third-and-6 or less, 125th).

Disruption was the one thing former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was guaranteed to create, albeit at the cost of allowing lots of big plays. OU is now giving up as many big plays as it ever has, but with no havoc in return. While plenty of first-year coaches leaned heavily on the portal to prop up weak units, Venables brought in six defensive transfers, four from Group of 5 schools, and none have made significant contributions. One, linebacker T.D. Roof, is missing the season with injury, which has contributed to some massive issues in linebacker depth. If it seems like there are no linebackers on the field when opposing running backs are cutting untouched into the second level of the defense, that is more correct than it should be.

History suggests it's a long road back to respectability for the Sooners. (That has to be the first time I've ever typed that sentence.) 

 

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BigHornedLurker

BigHornedLurker 1,878

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Posted
4 minutes ago, Fud said:

Bill Connelly on OU

  Hide contents

What on earth has happened to Oklahoma?

Texas 49, Oklahoma 0

It's difficult to underachieve against the spread for a particular period of time because the books adjust. If a team is worse than expected, the bar will keep being lowered until equilibrium is found.

Sometimes, however, a collapse comes so swiftly that it takes a while to find equilibrium. Sometimes you pull a John Mackovic. Or a Turner Gill.

Which brings us to Oklahoma.

Largest underachievement vs. the spread in a three-game span for a once-ranked team, last 30 years:

1. 1997 Texas (-110.5 points)

2. 2011 Texas Tech (-107.5)

3. 1999 UCLA (-101.5)

4. 2005 Colorado (-99.5)

5. 2022 Oklahoma (-98)

Having posted SP+ projections against the lines for about a decade now, I can confidently say that the books are smarter than they've ever been. The lines are extraordinarily hard to beat in volume, even compared to just a few years ago. And they have not been able to keep up with the velocity of Oklahoma's collapse.

Just three weeks ago, Brent Venables' first Sooners team was 3-0 and coming off of a rousing rivalry win at Nebraska. Favored by 10.5 points, the Sooners had won by a 49-14 margin, and they were 13.5-point home favorites against a Kansas State team that had just lost to Tulane.

• Sept. 24: Kansas State (+13.5) 41, Oklahoma 34

• Oct. 1: TCU (+5) 55, Oklahoma 24

• Oct. 8: Texas (-7.5) 49, Oklahoma 0

Expected scoring margin for Oklahoma in these games: plus-11. Actual scoring margin: minus-87.

EDITOR'S PICKS

We can tell how uniquely bad this stretch has been from the company OU is currently keeping. In the past three decades, only four once-ranked teams have underachieved by more over a three-game span. Two of them fired their coaches (1997 Texas, 2005 Colorado), and the other two probably should have. Bob Toledo survived a 4-7 collapse at UCLA in 1999 because he was coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes. But he went just 20-15 over the next three seasons and was fired. Tommy Tuberville and Texas Tech, meanwhile, pulled the same act the following season: The Red Raiders started 6-1, then lost four of five before Tuberville left for Cincinnati.

In all four of these instances, the coaches had been in their jobs for a while, and the sudden collapses were signs of an ending, either soon or on the horizon.

If we focus specifically on teams that collapse in their head coach's first seasons, things get much, much darker.

Largest underachievement vs. the spread in a three-game span for a first-year coach, past 30 years:

1. Turner Gill, 2010 Kansas (-109)

2. Brian Knorr, 2001 Ohio (-101.5)

3. Vic Koenning, 2000 Wyoming (-98.5)

4. Brent Venables, 2022 Oklahoma (-98)

5. Paul Wulff, 2008 Washington State (-94.5)

6. Ron Dickerson, 1993 Temple (-91)

The five names surrounding Venables' are five of the least successful hires college football has seen in that time span. Those coaches went a combined 38-170 -- the equivalent of 2-10 seasons ad infinitum. None won more than four games in a season.

Granted, none of these men were coaching Oklahoma, either. Those five poor individuals were taking on some of the hardest jobs in the country, and while they performed terribly, the floor in Norman -- where the Sooners have finished under .500 just five times since World War II -- is quite a bit higher.

Still, inclusion on these lists should ring serious alarm bells. There are really no examples of a team collapsing like this and recovering in a short amount of time. If OU is to become the first, the three main sources of collapse must rebound immediately.

1. Quarterback play. This one will be the easiest to fix, if only because Dillon Gabriel is expected back soon. The UCF transfer was still in the concussion protocol and wasn't cleared to play against Texas, and wow, have his replacements proven unready.

In 34 pass attempts since Gabriel was injured against TCU, Davis Beville has gained just 55 net yards -- 88 gained from 13-for-28 passing, minus 33 yards from six sacks -- and thrown an interception. Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt (ANY/A) is a per-attempt average that accounts for sacks and applies 20-yard bonuses for touchdowns and 45-yard penalties for interceptions; Gabriel is averaging 9.9 ANY/A, Beville 0.3. A decent case could be made that OU's offense was at its best Saturday when tight end Brayden Willis was behind center as a Wildcat QB.

Oklahoma fans have been clamoring for an appearance from either third-stringer General Booty -- a favorite of the college football internet world for very obvious reasons -- or blue-chip freshman Nick Evers, who threw a single incompletion against Texas. The fact that Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby determined Beville was their best option, however, doesn't suggest a particularly high ceiling for an alternate move.

Again, Gabriel should return soon, potentially against Kansas this coming weekend. He's 23rd in Total QBR, and even if that's not quite the standard Baker Mayfield, et al. set in Norman, it's good.

2. Run defense. Over the past three weeks, OU has allowed 7.2 yards per carry (dead last in FBS at 131st) and a 53% success rate (126th). Worse, it has been beaten by three different types of run games. Kansas State's zone-read game produced 100-yard performances for both quarterback Adrian Martinez (148 yards and four scores) and back Deuce Vaughn (116 yards). TCU offered more spread and speed, and four Horned Frogs backs combined for 242 yards (8.3 per carry) while quarterback Max Duggan ripped off a 67-yard sprint for good measure. Texas offered no run threat whatsoever from the quarterback position, but Longhorns backs, led by Bijan Robinson, still had 279 yards (5.8 per carry).

Mind you, the pass defense hasn't covered itself in glory, either. But opponents have been able to pass only when they want to because the run is always there.

3. Defensive disruption. It vanished overnight. The Sooners recorded 13 sacks among 32 tackles for loss in their first three games; in their past three games: one and 12, respectively. Linemen Reggie Grimes II, Ethan Downs, Jalen Redmond, Isaiah Coe and Jonah Laulu had 16.5 TFLs in the first three games, and have four since. There is no push against the run, and with opponents never behind schedule, pass-rushing opportunities have vanished as well. The Sooners have been average on third-and-long (33% conversion rate, 79th in FBS) but an absolute sieve in shorter distances (77% conversion rate on third-and-6 or less, 125th).

Disruption was the one thing former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was guaranteed to create, albeit at the cost of allowing lots of big plays. OU is now giving up as many big plays as it ever has, but with no havoc in return. While plenty of first-year coaches leaned heavily on the portal to prop up weak units, Venables brought in six defensive transfers, four from Group of 5 schools, and none have made significant contributions. One, linebacker T.D. Roof, is missing the season with injury, which has contributed to some massive issues in linebacker depth. If it seems like there are no linebackers on the field when opposing running backs are cutting untouched into the second level of the defense, that is more correct than it should be.

History suggests it's a long road back to respectability for the Sooners. (That has to be the first time I've ever typed that sentence.) 

 

This is super interesting . 

 

I'm still hopeful this just the beginning of a long  , painful , multi coach slide as we head into SEC play.

Jury still out on that vs turn around year, but the worse this year gets the higher the likelihood of a long term rebuild we get to enjoy watching

 

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Fud

Fud 9,510

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25 minutes ago, The Earl of Texas said:

Sorry if already covered but are we aware of Venables buyout? I would think they had to get him on short notice so hopefully his agent bent OU over a barrel…

I looked last night, and it doesn't appear to have been mentioned in any press releases, but OU is a public school so that contract is FOIA-able if a reporter doesn't find the information through other channels first 

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