Oklahoma Sooners HC Brent Venables gets as big a compliment as he can from Georgia HC Kirby Smart, considering what’s gone down so far
The Oklahoma Sooners have a good head coach in Brent Venables, and Georgia HC Kirby Smart seems to realize that.
The Oklahoma Sooners squeaked past the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, and now they face a massive SEC test against the Georgia Bulldogs. Based on what we’ve seen from Oklahoma over three weeks, this game could get ugly.
The Sooners’ defense remains elite, but the offense still holds the team back. Georgia coach Kirby Smart, however, is not overlooking Oklahoma, and his praise for Brent Venables and the Sooners’ defensive identity should mean something to every OU fan watching this Week 4 matchup.
Smart is not batting an eye at Oklahoma the way Georgia did against Arkansas last week. The Bulldogs ran practice drills between reps against the Razorbacks because of how lopsided that game was. Oklahoma is a different challenge, at least on one side of the ball.
Kirby Smart respects what Venables has built on defense
Smart praised Venables ahead of the matchup. He called him one of the best in the business.
“I have the utmost respect for him as a coach, a man, and a person,” Smart said.
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He also credited the way Oklahoma’s players execute Venables’ defensive scheme.
“I don’t think people give their coaches and kids enough credit of how they play. They play with unbelievable pad level and really an intensity that is unmatched,” Smart said.
That’s great praise from Kirby Smart because that is exactly what Venables prides himself on whenever he’s calling the defense. It’s what we’ve seen for three years now: an elite defense. The pass rush is great, the secondary is really good, and the linebacker room remains strong despite injuries to Kip Lewis and a few other guys on that side of the ball.
The offense remains the problem
The frustrating part for Oklahoma is that the elite defense continues to be squandered by an incompetent offense. The Sooners couldn’t put up more than 14 points against New Mexico, and they certainly won’t be able to do it against Georgia. Sure, Oklahoma could fix everything it needs to fix between now and kickoff, but that’s unlikely.
This is still a defense that can win you football games. We saw it last week against New Mexico. The difference now is the opponent’s magnitude. Georgia is a different beast, and the Sooners’ offense will need to do something it hasn’t shown it can do this season if Oklahoma wants to keep this game competitive.
Kirby Smart realizes what he’s going up against defensively, and you have to respect that as a Sooners fan. Venables’ teams never quit. They’re always well-coached on defense, and the intensity is always there. Georgia knows that, and Smart’s comments prove the Bulldogs aren’t taking this matchup lightly. The Sooners’ defense will keep them in the game for as long as it can. Whether the offense can do its part is another question entirely.
