College Football

Oklahoma's defense is starting to show Brent Venables' touch

Updated Sep. 23, 2023 9:31 p.m. ET

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Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

CINCINNATI — Inside Classroom 3210 of the Campus Recreation Center, where Oklahoma held its postgame news conference on Saturday, head coach Brent Venables waved away the question almost before the final few words spilled from a journalist's mouth.

The query posed to Oklahoma's second-year coach was about the caliber of defense his team is playing through four weeks and four wins, in which the Sooners have surrendered a measly 24 combined points to Arkansas State, Southern Methodist, Tulsa and Cincinnati. A reporter wanted to know if Venables, a vaunted defensive coordinator during previous stints with Oklahoma (1999-2011) and Clemson (2012-21), was comfortable with someone using the word "dominant" to describe what's transpired on that side of the ball.

[Oklahoma proves a cut above Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati]

"No, no, no," Venables said politely but dismissively. "It's all relative, you know? Our guys have been really solid and getting better. Really proud of their work and their commitment, their willingness to go and practice the right way, watch film and those types of things. But our guys know we're nowhere close. If we were close to being — again, dominant means that you're playing close to perfection. Somewhere close. And I don't feel like we are. There's lots of ways, lots of places that we've got to get better, you know?"

Whichever side of the International Dominance Line the Sooners actually land on is less relevant than the fact that dominance is being discussed at all. This is an Oklahoma team that, in 2022, endured its first losing season since the late 20th century as Venables took over for Lincoln Riley. A team that ranked 122nd in total defense, 99th in scoring defense, 106th in rushing defense and 119th in passing defense. A team that surrendered 55 points to Texas Christian, 51 points to Texas Tech, 49 points to Texas and 41 points to Kansas State. Defense was the reason Oklahoma became the only team in college football to finish below .500 with an offense that ranked among the top 15 nationally.

To think that nine months later a word like dominant would be thrown into conversations about the Sooners' defense is somewhat arresting, regardless of whether the adjective is being rightly or wrongly applied. But on an afternoon when coordinator Jeff Lebby's high-flying offense only crossed the goal line twice, a game in which Oklahoma failed more than 60% of the time on third down, defense was the reason Venables' team opened Big 12 play with an emphatic 20-6 win over conference newcomers Cincinnati. It was Oklahoma's defense that stopped the Bearcats 15 times on third and fourth down combined. It was the defense that limited Cincinnati to just 3.8 yards per carry and 4.8 yards per play overall. It was the defense that played well enough on Saturday and throughout the month of September to suggest the Sooners are worth mentioning in College Football Playoff conversation because they've found alternative ways to win.

"I think you look at every single area, man, [and] there's been so much improvement looking back," said linebacker Danny Stutsman, who led the Sooners in tackles (13) and tackles for loss (3.5) against the Bearcats. "It's crazy how much improvement can happen in a year."

Sweeping improvements are nothing new for Venables, 52, who oversaw one of the sport's elite defenses during a dynastic run at Clemson in which he won two national titles under head coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers were 46th nationally in scoring defense in Venables' first season on Swinney's staff in 2012, and from that point forward they ranked outside the top 10 just three times over the next nine years, including five finishes inside the top three. It was never a question of if Venables would become a head coach, but merely when and where.

Highlights: Check out the top plays from Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati

Together, Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof have rebuilt the Sooners' defense at breakneck speed with high-level additions via both the transfer portal and high school ranks. Saturday's second-leading tackler was linebacker Dasan McCullough, a transfer from Indiana who was the crown jewel of a portal class ranked eighth nationally and first in the Big 12. Saturday's third-leading tackler was fellow linebacker Jaren Kanak, a true sophomore in Venables' 2022 recruiting class, the whole of which outranked Michigan, Clemson, LSU, Oregon, Miami, Tennessee, Florida and Florida State. The secondary was anchored in part by cornerback Kendel Dolby, a junior college transfer in his first season with the Sooners, and freshman safety Peyton Bowen, whom Venables flipped after the five-star prospect made earlier verbal commitments to Notre Dame and Oregon.

'I love the fight' — Brent Venables discusses Oklahoma's win

"Our football IQ right now is really strong," Venables said. "So when we do make some mistakes, guys immediately know, and we're taking the right accountability that you have to learn [and] grow and improve and get better. This game is a humbling game, so having a respect for the game and a great self-awareness is all part of becoming the kind of defense that, you know, we're capable of becoming."

And yet there was already so much to like about what the Sooners accomplished in an offensive rock fight against Cincinnati on Saturday. They allowed but a single drive of 50-plus yards and held the Bearcats scoreless on both possessions that crept into the red zone. They forced three consecutive turnovers on downs to bridge the third and fourth quarters, and sent droves of fans to the exits with more than seven minutes remaining. They intercepted quarterback Emory Jones twice and limited the dual-threat star to just 42 rushing yards on 15 carries a week after he gouged Miami (Ohio) for 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts.

Oklahoma's Billy Bowman makes an absurd interception

Oklahoma's containment of Jones is what Stutsman pointed to as the defense's most noteworthy sign of progress relative to last season. It was exactly 366 days ago that Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez dissected the Sooners for 148 rushing yards and four scores to go along with 234 passing yards and a fifth touchdown through the air. The final score that evening read Kansas State 41, Oklahoma 34 in a loss that undercut the positivity from an undefeated start to Venables' tenure.  

What a difference a year can make.

"We're not anywhere close to what we're capable of yet," Venables said. "But the effort is there, the work is there, the commitment is there. And that makes [it] a lot of fun as a coach when guys have that humility and the willingness to work." 

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.

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