Why it’s so crucial for Oklahoma and the coach Venables Brent to defeat Texas this year

By | Niranjan Bhargav 7 Oct, 2023

Brent Venables and the Sooners must defeat Texas on Saturday if they are to follow in the footsteps of Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, Bob Stoops, and Lincoln Riley—the five winningest coaches in Oklahoma football history.

If Venables suffered a defeat, his record versus the Longhorns would fall to 0-2—a start that Owen, Wilkinson, Switzer, Stoops, and Riley all managed to avoid. These five combined for a 42-29-2 record versus Texas. The five players that won the most games versus Texas were Riley (5-1), Stoops (11-7), Switzer (9-5-2), Wilkinson (9-8) and Owen (8-8).

Of course, Venables won’t be thinking about history when No. 12 Oklahoma takes on No. 4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. For the Sooners, a perfect season, a Big 12 championship, and a spot in the College Football Playoff are all on the line.

The position of Oklahoma under Venables is also under question. If the Sooners defeated the Longhorns, a prospective SEC opponent who earlier this season defeated SEC monarchs in Alabama, it would be a clear indication that they are SEC-ready.

The 19th contest of Venables’ head coaching career will be the 119th Red River Rivalry. It is, without a doubt, the biggest, too.

In his two seasons as Oklahoma’s coach, Venables is 11-7. So far, his most memorable victory is a Bedlam triumph over a 7-6 Oklahoma State squad last year.

The performance of Oklahoma’s coaches versus Texas will be compared against Ohio State’s coaches’ performance against Michigan. At least somewhat.

In an Oklahoma-produced interview with Venables and Switzer, Stoops noted, “At Oklahoma, it isn’t OK just to beat Texas and not win the rest of them.” So I had a difficult time. Why would I do a task this week better than I performed last week? Because winning every game is the expectation at OU.

Stoops makes a good argument. Although the coaches may prepare similarly for Texas and Iowa State, this does not imply that the outcomes are of comparable importance.

Do you want to discuss this week’s opponent in the opening week of the season? Venables made a joke during his news conference on Tuesday.

In light of the fact that Oklahoma’s first five opponents were Arkansas State, SMU, Tulsa, Cincinnati, and Iowa State, the answer is undoubtedly yes.

Quinn Ewers, a Heisman candidate and quarterback for Texas, is surrounded by weapons.

With 119 running yards per game, Jonathon Brooks leads the Big 12, and Texas boasts three of the top 12 receivers in the league in Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq, and Nic Anderson are three of the top 12 receivers for OU, and Dillon Gabriel, the league’s most accurate quarterback (75% completion rate), is throwing passes to them.

Out of the Big 12 clubs, Oklahoma (4.61) and Texas (4.71) are allowing the fewest yards per play.

Oklahoma shook things up this week, only making four players, including Gabriel, accessible for interviews after practice on Monday and none on Tuesday, as opposed to the customary practice of having numerous guys available.

When you speak to the boys on Mondays or Tuesdays, it’s frequently still about last week, Venables told the reporters. “It’s never been about this opponent.”

If you believe Oklahoma-Texas doesn’t mean more to players and coaches — as it does to fans — think again. This is not to rip off the tagline of their future league.

It has the biggest significance in terms of regular-season contests.

According to history, coaches at Oklahoma must regularly defeat Texas in order to have significant success.

Lincoln Riley and the Killer Bs, Bennie, Bud, Barry, and Bob, are your best bet.

Let’s see if Brent can accompany them.

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