Sooners HC Brent Venables did not hesitate to slam his team at SEC Media Days regarding what happened last season
The Oklahoma Sooners were a good football team in 2025, but there’s one thing in particular they did pretty badly that Brent Venables talked about at SEC Media Days, and that’s the run game.
The Oklahoma Sooners are entering the 2026 season with a big chip on their shoulder. They know they are good enough to compete for a National Championship. They also know they likely had a good enough roster last season to do the same.
But some things have to be changed. And, honestly, the most important changes needed to start on the offensive side of the ball. There’s one thing in particular that Oklahoma was terrible at last season, and we’re all thinking the same thing. No need to say it or be harsh about it, though; head coach Brent Venables did that for you at SEC Media Days.
Brent Venables talks about the Sooners run game at SEC Media Days
“We’ve got to run the ball a hell of a lot better than we have the last couple of years,” Venables told reporters at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida.
And he’s not lying. The last two years have been some pretty pathetic showings in the run game. The highest run grade on the team last season, per Pro Football Focus, was backup quarterback Michael Hawkins with a 76. The team’s run grade was a 75.6. John Mateer, the quarterback, led the team in Yards After Contact, with 326.
He also led the team in missed tackles forced with 22, among several other basic stats. Your quarterback should not lead your team in those stats when the offense is as bad as it is. It’s different if you have a guy like Lamar Jackson or Cam Newton. Even those guys had good run games around them with the correct offensive line, tight ends, and running backs.
And now the Sooners believe they have that. They went out and got a better wide receiver room. How does this help the run game? Well, now they’re more of a threat in the passing game, thus opening up softer defensive fronts for the run game. They went and got some very good blocking tight ends.
And they have pretty much the same offensive line with some changes made here and there. So, there’s continuity. Venables seems excited about the run game entering this season.