Weekend Open Post | November 15th – 17th
Posted on: November 15, 2024
The Story of This Program…
– Super K – Posted on: November 9, 2024
Was summarized in the last few minutes of this game.
You get a glimmer of a hope and balanced ineptitude steals it away.
***In the 4th quarter Missouri scores the go ahead touchdown off the Burks turnover. Seems like it’s over for the Sooners.
***Then the offense comes alive and runs the ball down Missouri’s throat and scores.
***You’re thinking, Drew Pyne is about as poor of a quarterback the Sooners have faced in a while. There is no way, he’s driving Missouri down the field.
***The secondary gives up a touchdown in short order.
***Then the offense proceeds to cough it up and Missouri scores yet again.
***Balanced ineptitude. The story of the program for the past few years has been…if it’s not one thing, it’s another.
***As Charlie put it to me, this was a “stunning loss.”
***It will take quite a miracle for the Sooners to make a bowl game. Flat out, unacceptable. If injuries were an excuse before, it sure as heck doesn’t hold up in a game where you faced a marginal D1 QB and actually got some of your own WRs back.
***OU’s vaunted defense gave up a touchdown to said marginal QB in an 8 play 75 yard drive in 57 seconds.
***Lastly, keep in mind this Missouri team was blown out by two first year head coaches (TAMU and Bama).
***Unacceptable.
One Post Game Thought | Missouri
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 9, 2024
The only thought I have right now is really a couple questions and a blanket statement…
If you saw Texas in the same boat as OU is in right now after the last three seasons…would you be encouraging them to keep that coach?
Do you really believe this program is an OC away from being a national championship program?
For those who are afraid that a major change would take the program back years…there are multiple examples of that not being the case playing out right now.
The strip it down to the studs is a theory that Brent sold everybody…that is not the case in today’s college football with the portal and NIL.
Gone in 57 Seconds
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 10, 2024
I honestly have tried to come up with something positive for you all. I am passionate about this community and I genuinely love the camaraderie and effort you all put into making this place what it is.
But…this just ain’t it. This isn’t Oklahoma football. Nothing about the Brent Venables era has been deserving of the blind loyalty that Brent Venables was granted in the wake of Lincoln Riley leaving the program in the middle of the night.
At that time, it was relatively easy to see that OU would benefit from a change in mindset at the top of the program as it was clear (to many of us) that Lincoln Riley was not going to be able to elevate the Sooner program back to where it belonged.
I said at the time that Lincoln Riley moving on the way he did was a ‘necessary disaster’ that OU needed. I still believe that and I think what Riley has done on the West Coast serves as validation for that train of thought as he has now gone on to sink two blue bloods.
The thought was that Riley’s shunning OU would force the administration and people in power to make additional investments in the program as they moved to the SEC. The administration did step up and they had to make numerous concessions to hire Brent Venables…concessions that were badly needed and would help put OU, foundationally, on the right path as they headed to the SEC.
The feeling was that Brent Venables would come in, be the right guy despite never being a head coach, perform some Sooner Magic, and the Sooners would ascend the ladder back to the top of the college football world. The overwhelming feeling was that Brent was the guy. The majority of folks believed in him, his message, the way he approached taking the job, the words he spoke about his intentions, and overall the feeling was that OU was in a better spot going forward.
Brent Venables’s record as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma will forever be a permanent reminder of that temporary feeling. There are still two games left in this season and unless Venables somehow engineers a major upset in one of the final two games, the Sooners will miss a bowl game for the first time in decades.
During his tenure, the Sooners have suffered some of the most humiliating defeats in the history of their long and illustrious program, and last night’s loss is right up there near the top. Venables will likely have led his team to losing records in two of his first three seasons and the sandwich 10-3 season came against the easiest schedule in memory for the Sooners and it included inexplicable losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State.
I don’t know if Brent Venables is coaching the last two games of his career as the head coach of the Sooners. I can’t say if OU will make a change at the top following the year.
What I can say is they should. Last night’s game was a perfect summation of the Brent Venables era. Mismanagement, lack of discipline, unfocused, self sabotage and lack of execution…and that’s me talking about the coaching aspect of last night’s game, not the actual play on the field.
On the field, last night offered an opportunity…a rather simple opportunity…for the team to give the fans something to hold onto when it came to believing in Brent Venables as their head coach. The Sooners simply had to defend 75 yards of field and get a stop as they held the lead with two minutes left against a team that had an inept offense led by a guy who will be a student assistant next year instead of a football player.
Brent Venables’ bread and butter is his defense. No matter how the game played out and how the Sooners got to the point they were in, the defense had a chance to shut the door and seal the victory in the most important game of Brent Venables’s career as the head coach…a must win game in any and every sense.
The defense allowed an 8 play 75 yard drive in 57 seconds.
Any chance at belief in Brent Venables that remained among the fan base was gone in 57 seconds.
We have two weeks before the Sooners take the field against Alabama at home. We will talk about a vast number of topics, and unfortunately, there will not be many positives to talk about.
One thing I can tell you I will not be talking about is making a case to keep Brent Venables as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma. You deserve more.
While the Riley situation was a necessary disaster, it doesn’t mean Brent Venables would necessarily turn out to be the right answer. We are at the point where there is a much higher chance of things getting much worse (think recruiting class/roster attrition/NIL funds falling off) before they get better at any point in the near future should things stay on the same course.
57 seconds could not have encapsulated the Brent Venables era any more precisely than they did last night.
Position Group Progress Report | ’24 Game 10: Missouri
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 11, 2024
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooners loss to Missouri. OU was a slight favorite going into the game.
This will be the tenth progress report of the season. I will include the previous week’s ranking at the top of each position group’s report in all subsequent progress reports!
Let’s see how things shook out against Missouri.
QB: Nebula (Last week: 4*)
Y’all saw it, no need to get too deep into the weeds here.
What Jackson Arnold went out and did was just really the long form version of what Mike Hawkins did against South Carolina…except slower…like a million paper cuts.
Maybe Arnold’s turnovers didn’t put OU in a 21 point hole in 5 minutes, but they did put the game out of reach for OU at the end of the day.
What a mess.
RB: 4* (Last week: 5*)
I don’t care that there are only two games left, Xavier Robinson cannot redshirt at this point.
On that topic, I’m sorry, but Brent Venables really needs to know when to keep his mouth shut when talking to the media. Earlier last week, the Missouri week, he talked with certainty about the plan to redshirt Robinson. Much like he did last year when talking about Arnold not redshirting, and earlier this year about naming Mike Hawkins the starter…an example of not learning from your past.
Stop announcing plans as things evolve. Just…keep it to yourself, there is no need to come out and make these statements.
There is no justifiable reason to redshirt Robinson now, particularly after what we have seen over the last three weeks.
Tatum looked solid and for the first time in a long, long time, we can likely all agree that the running back room looked like the best room on the offense in a game.
The Backs had a total of 18 carries for 86 yards. Jackson Arnold had 17 carries of his own.
WR: 2* (Last week: 2*)
OU’s most effective receiver on the day? Jackson Arnold.
The return of Burks and Farooq was supposed to provide a lift to this team, but nothing really materialized.
Only three OU wide receivers caught balls in the game (Burks 5, Farooq 2, Thompson 1) and it is still baffling how OU cannot scheme anyone to be in space with the ball.
Burks took a wicked hit and he may very well be right back on the shelf for the Bama game in protocol, we will have to monitor that.
TE: 1* (Last week: 2*)
Tight End RPOs and sweeps should not be a thing…yet here we are.
This just serves as an illustration of how messed up the OU offense is at this time that a TE sweep was actually an option in the game.
Sharp had 5 catches on the day and he was on the receiving end of the Elzinga fake punt conversion, but that was the only highlight.
OL: 2* (Last week: 4*)
Left side (youngsters) = best side, once again.
Overall, nobody is gonna wanna hear this, but the OL wasn’t completely terrible.
I have no idea what PFF was looking at when grading Spencer Brown…but overall, I felt like the OL did a pretty solid job protecting the QB and there were some massive, like truly large, holes for the running backs at times.
Now, I am not saying they were good, but they have been worse at times this year.
It is encouraging to see how Howland and Ozaeta are growing and developing and I am tempted to say if Tarquin or Taylor were out there, the Sooners likely only allow one sack on the day instead of the three.
Still, while not allowing as many sacks as I thought they may, there was a ton of pressure on Arnold on the right side and Brown and Nwaiwu continue to be a less than ideal pairing when next to each other.
DT: 4* (Last week: 4*)
Just the best and most consistent group on the defensive side of the ball.
Thought Jayden Jackson and Damonic Williams caused a lot of pressure and did a fine job against the run. While Jackson picked up another sack, in my opinion, Williams was even more impactful as he was largely unblockable by the Missouri OL.
All four of the guys in the two deep have had outstanding years to this point and they show no quit.
Thought we may see aa bit more of David Stone, but no matter how many/few snaps we see him take, you always notice when he is in the game.
EDGE: High 3* (Last week: 2*)
Looked like it was going to be a big day for the EDGE room from the first series of the game, but they kinda went quiet there in the middle until R Mason Thomas stepped up and made a play late in the game.
Do not get the 3* rating twisted and think that is me saying they were bad. 3* is average…they were a bit above average on the day.
Ethan Downs is certainly a guy OU misses when he is not out there, particularly when it comes to defending the run. Downs is as solid as they come when it comes to setting and holding the edge against the run and he was good in that respect once again this week.
LB: High 4* (Last week: High 3*)
Danny Stutsman had 19 tackles…yet somehow it feels like he left more plays out there…if that makes any sense.
Lewis and Stutsman combined for 26 tackles and they really did some nice work in limiting the Missouri run game, but at points in the game, they got a bit out of shape and missed some fits and responsibilities which allowed Missouri to move the chains or pick up crucial extra yardage.
Dasan McCullough had some really bright moments for OU in this game as well.
I was close to giving them a 5*, and I think Stutsman deserves it for his effort, but I just feel like they left some things out there that could have changed the outcome of the game.
CB: 3* (Last week: 3*)
Dirty work…being a cornerback in the SEC.
Jacobe Johnson and Eli Bowen played really well for the majority of the game.
But when you live the life of a corner, you are easily identifiable as being responsible for misses and highlight reel scores.
When you slip, you get taken advantage of.
When you are just a tad undersized, you can get exploited.
I didn’t hate their play on Saturday, but sometimes, life ain’t fair.
S: 4* (Last week: 4*)
Billy Bowman answered the call and came out with some bad intentions and lived up to his preseason billing. Bowman was physical, in phase, and he was the guy in the right place at the right time.
Robert Spears Jennings was largely quiet on the day, and sometimes that’s a good thing when you are a safety.
Woodi Washington started the game as the cheetah and he played pretty much to the level we have seen him all year…which is not good.
Again, the blind loyalty to a returning guy was something we have talked about since the day he announced he was returning. We hoped it wouldn’t be the case, but Woodi Washington has taken valuable developmental reps from guys like Peyton Bowen, Michael Boganowski, Sammy Omosigho, and a litany of others…and OU could very well see some attrition in the offseason because of it.
ST: 5* (Last week: 4*)
Really wanted to give this group a 5*, and everyone outside of the PR unit deserves it…so I did.
Schmit was great on his field goals.
Elzinga with solid punting and passing on the fake.
Peyton Bowen simply cannot turn the ball over on the muffed punt. I have no idea why it is that Oklahoma cannot find a guy who can catch punts while also being a threat to return a punt. I think Bowen is a threat with the ball in his hands…he has just been too shaky when it comes to, you know, getting the ball in his hands.
Rumors and Speculation | Tuesday, November 12th
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 12, 2024
Just wanted to follow up with some additional sourced info in K’s post from this morning…
***First thing is, source tells me OU is still vetting what a staff would look like for a new OC.
***Source noted the discussions revolve around what kind of changes they would want and what it would cost in order to get a full picture of what that would look like.
***As I mentioned previously, source indicated that Dan Mullen and the Sooners have had some early communication and they characterized that as a feeling out process in respect to compensation ranges.
***Source did note a new name to keep an eye on. Liberty OC Willy Korn is a guy who fits the profile of a young up-and-comer…source said “Something came across about him and OU”. I asked for additional details and source noted that in their view, Korn is currently a guy that OU simply has on their dashboard.
***Source also pointed out, unsolicited, that Washington State OC Ben Arbuckle is “gonna be a candidate for a bunch of jobs’ and with respect to OU, source said, “He’s gonna get a call if OU doesn’t already have their guy.”
***We do believe OU will do some digging around and perform their due diligence on some more well-established OCs at high-level programs as well to gauge their interest but don’t forget, with the expanded playoffs, a bunch of those guys will be in a tight spot timewise as the first-round games begin in December.
***Again we are not saying what will happen, but just maintaining all options are on the table.
***Right now, if its gonna be just an OC, we are guessing it would be a younger up and coming OC, but again, that’s just a guess when you look at the timing and the likely parameters of the hire.
***If it’s going to be a head coach, there will be a certain profile they will be looking for and we will get into that later.
***Lastly, there is still not a ton of chatter out there in regard to actual candidates but one thing to keep in mind is that there is still a lot of football left to be played which could certainly contribute to the direction of the staffing solution.
Heightened Portal Season Ahead | Sourced
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 12, 2024
Just a quick note to get ahead of things prior to the portal opening up while being able to point at some of the warning signs I have previously discussed…
***What prompted me to write this note today, is a conversation I had with K this morning in which he told me about a conversation he had with a source who is currently on a coaching staff. Staff told K “Oh yeah, we are out there tampering like a…”.
***As I have noted previously, I am aware of multiple programs blatantly engaging in talks with people around OU players as well as reaching out directly to OU players.
***It’s pretty easy for me to sit here and say “This will be the wildest portal season in the history of college football” but that is pretty much a captain-obvious statement.
***One of the reasons this will be one of the wildest portal seasons in general is because of the incoming revenue-sharing plan which will go into effect ahead of the ’25 season. The revenue-sharing plan will have the schools paying the students directly and any and all outside NIL deals will have to go through a sort of clearing house. Some programs are flush with NIL and will look to dump it all on a transformational portal class this offseason.
***Some reasons why it will be the wildest portal season for OU, in my opinion, is…right now, as things sit, the Sooners really do not have a lot to offer aside from money when it comes to retaining their coveted players…and that money will be available at quite a few other programs.
***Brent Venables and his staff, along with the NIL arm, did a nice job last offseason of retaining their roster. They were able to bring back some high level guys (Stutsman, Bowman, DaJon Terry for examples) while also adding from the portal. They were coming off a 10-2 regular season and the 6-7 record from the year before looked like it may have been the aberration rather than the norm. The Sooners had a hot-shot QB they were marketing very well and the new OC was supposed to keep the good vibes flowing in Norman.
***Now, this year happened. Not only is OU a mess offensively while playing musical chair at QB and firing their offensive coordinator midseason…the offense has been so inept, every coach on that side of the ball is under scrutiny. Chances are OU will have to be selling their product based on a vision (once again) rather than tangible proof.
***You also have a frustrated team that is 5-5 and staring down the barrel of a 5-7 season with no bowl game on the horizon, unless they pull off an upset in the final games. Missing a bowl game would lead to idle hands and you all know what happens when one has too much time on their hands. Minds wander and outside influences can take over.
***Then you look at the rumbles of discontentment that I have spoken about. I am talking about the frustration from some of the players at the fact that they are going so hard in practice that they are hurting their own teammates while not seeing the results on game day. I have tried not to bring this topic up all that frequently as I know it is uncomfortable to digest…but it is real and it is a concern. I had a source tell me directly “Some of these guys are over it, they ain’t gonna do this next year”.
***I have mentioned it multiple times over the previous weeks, but I would suggest preparing yourselves to deal with several departures from guys you really don’t want to see leave. It will not be isolated to OU, this is gonna be a wild time across the country, but it will sting nonetheless and while OU has plenty of money in the NIL arena, they really are not a super attractive place to be right now for some guys.
***When it comes to roster retention, some current guys on the roster will be pitched visions of grandeur from other programs, to go along with their bundle of cash, which include winning football games and not killing each other during practices in the back half of the season. I’m gonna say, that a win or two in these final games would certainly not hurt their chances at creating at least something positive to pitch to their guys who may be on the fence.
***The transfer portal opens on December 9th and it closes on December 28th.
Sourced Note | Additional Physicality Talk
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 13, 2024
***Back in late October, I dropped the sourced note Lets Get Physical where I talked about the physical nature of the OU practices at this point of the season.
“***Source I spoke with talked about how physical the practices still are at this point of the season. Ahead of the Ole Miss game, source noted that “They are going as hard as they did in the middle of fall camp”.”
***Over the last couple of weeks, we have talked more about this in chat and other threads that were related to the topic.
***Yesterday a community member wondered aloud if anyone around the program or on staff has brought any concerns forward to Brent Venables himself.
***Sources have indicated that Brent is very open to hearing the thoughts of his staff and there have been instances where folks have mentioned/suggested that perhaps the physicality in practices at this point of the season is doing more harm than good and it may be helpful to the team to practice with a little less ferocity and/or less frequent pitting of good on good.
***Source says Brent takes that counsel into account, but he prefers sticking with what he believes in, and what has proven to work for him in the past when it comes to the physical nature of his practices and has resisted changing course. He sticks to his convictions.
***I am not here to say whether the physical nature of the practices is right or wrong, but I can tell you, that people around him have had discussions about the topic with him, and that’s actually a good thing in my opinion.
Trying to Reconcile Yesterday’s Comments | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: November 13, 2024
As you know, yesterday, OU President Joe Harroz and Joe Castiglione spoke to the media.
While Harroz seemed to push a message of absolute confidence in Coach Venables, Joe C wouldn’t fully commit to saying Coach Venables will be the head coach at Oklahoma in 2025.
So, how do we reconcile the two messages?
I spoke with someone who has worked with a number of folks at OU and has a pretty good understanding about how things work over. This was the persons take on why the messaging didn’t quite line up.
***Source said, Harroz and Joe C would likely be playing different roles here. And most likely, Harroz is following directives from Joe C…
***That while Harroz is and should be sending a message of confidence to the public, Joe C would be working on things behind the scenes and wouldn’t be able to commit to anything. If Joe C decides to make a change at the top, then Harroz has cover to say he’s following the dictates of the AD. But Joe C can’t make such a definitive statement because ultimately, this is going to be on him.
***Sources statement regarding Joe C working on things behind the scenes is what I’ve heard from others. I’m not saying he’s contacting any HCs yet. But as we said, they have to get a clear picture of what OC they can get and what that staff looks like and what it’s going to cost so they determine whether it’s a viable option and one they think can win next year, or not.
***Source also said that Joe C wouldn’t take all options off the table because ultimately he’s “willing to do whatever it takes to win in the SEC.” Source added that Joe C sees this move to the SEC and what happens in the SEC as his legacy.
***Source said, “ultimately Joe C’s role is to do what’s right for the program. Joe H’s role is to instill confidence in the public…”
***Source continued saying that for Joe C the SEC, “is a big deal for him. He is going to be taking it personally that they aren’t winning in the SEC. His career was leading up to this entrance into the SEC and it’s embarrassing if you can’t perform at this level.”
**Again, I’ll just reiterate that we have never said any particular thing will happen. We’ve simply maintained that all options will remain on the table.
Keep Perspective
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 13, 2024
I know there is a ton of negativity out there right now and we here at TFB are pretty upfront about the challenges directly in front of OU, but I don’t think it is time for anyone to say or believe that Oklahoma is done as a major power in college football…no matter what shakes out over the rest of this season and next season.
If Brent isn’t the guy at the end of the day, whenever that is, OU will not be the first program to have made a bad coaching decision.
The Sooners football program is in a better situation than like 120 other Division One programs and that is not going to change. OU will not be Nebraska (in regard to a 25+ year irrelevance sentence).
Look at Alabama 20 years ago. Dead. Look at USC more recently. Dead. Look at Miami making their way back to relevancy from being dead. Look at Texas before Sark. Heck, look at Michigan.
Bad runs happen. We are just not used to them around the University of Oklahoma.
If Brent ain’t it, you can bet the administration, the donors, and even the SEC will make sure they find their way in short order.
Brent Venables Missed Media Opps
– Charlie S – Posted on: November 13, 2024
Just a quick note and I am not going to get too deep in the weeds on it, but in an effort to quell the inevitable questions that will be bandied about in the wake of Sooners Head Coach Brent Venables missing two scheduled media opportunities today, I point you back to James’ notebook from Monday.
Venables missed this mornings SEC conference call and a scheduled appearance with local media this evening after practice.
If you recall, back on Monday in his Notebook, James wrote:
“***Coach Venables has a lot on his mind right now as his wife Julie needs more surgery to remove a tumor.”
We know Coach Venables and Julie traveled to an appointment earlier in the week and we believe his lack of availability is likely tied to this situation.
We will leave it at that.
