Josh Pate grades the job Brent Venables is doing at OU
· Yahoo Sports
Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables is entering his fifth season at the helm in Norman, and he's coming off of his best year yet, leading OU to ten wins and a berth in the College Football Playoff in 2025. With high expectations looming in 2026, Venables has the chance to further establish himself this fall.
Josh Pate, the host of "Josh Pate's College Football Show", gave out a job approval rating for Venables on his show, along with a few other SEC head coaches. Pate was complimentary of the job Venables did in 2025, after he went 6-7 in 2022, 10-3 in 2023, and 6-7 in 2024.
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"Obviously, they made the College Football Playoff last year," Pate said. "That's awesome. I think that gets Brent Venables a 'B'. I leaned 'B+', somewhere between 'B' and 'B+'. That's where I am. That's where I think Oklahoma fans are on Brent Venables."
While Pate is sold on Venables' ability to build a defense, there's another major component that wasn't there for the Sooners last year that OU has put a focus on this offseason.
"Where was the run game is the question," Pate said. "You would think there are two things you could take for granted when you hire Brent Venables. One of them, it turns out, you can. Defense is going to be good. Normally, right there along with that, arm in-arm with a good defense, is normally a good solid dependable ground game, at least. Doesn't have to be top 10, but man, they were outside the top 115 or 110 last year, 113th exactly in rush yards per game last year. Abysmal. And as a result, they couldn't control games ... Yes, defense has gone from being non-existent there under Lincoln (Riley) to being a strength, and that's great, and that's a welcome return of one of the bedrock pillars of the identity of Oklahoma Football over the years. Now, can they put a string of seasons together? Last year's a good start, very good start. Ten-win season's great. Can you win nine or 10 again this year? Does it have to dip back down? Doesn't have to."
To put it simply, Oklahoma needs a dependable ground game to play the style of football that fits a Brent Venables team. Last season, the Sooners found an identity based on a suffocating defense, winning by stifling opposing offenses, forcing turnovers, playing field position and benefitting from strong special teams. However, the last piece of that identity is a solid running game that can salt games away when the Sooners have the lead late.
One of the biggest compliments that you can give any head coach at any level of football is that his team looks like it's been built in his image. Venables' Sooners started to look like that last season, but he knows he needs a strong run game to complete the gritty, grimy, blue-collar style of football that served OU well last November. That's why he's put such a focus on it this offseason.
Tough, physical defense has always been a hallmark of the Oklahoma Sooners, and Venables has re-installed that as a major facet of the program over the last four seasons. Now, he'll need to find a stout running game on the offensive side of the ball in order to take his Sooners to the next level.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Josh Pate grades Brent Venables' first four years at Oklahoma