Sooners Launch Venables Era With Solid Performance.
Thank the Lord above for Brent Venables and the masters of the football world he has assembled around him.
Saturday on Owen Field was a welcome homecoming – for Sooner Fans salivating for a new era of OU football, for the mighty Brent V. – who already has secured for himself a place in the annals of Big Red gridiron history – and for all players, and the fans, many of whom still may harbor a wish that Lincoln Riley’s house in Beverly Hills someday burns down without anyone being injured.
There’s surely a lot of hard football games ahead this season for our beloved Crimson and Cream warriors….but, as the saying goes, “the sky’s the limit!”
The kickoff of the 2022 season was steady, dynamic and driven; filled with exciting plays on both sides of the ball.
Rattler? Williams? Forgotten.
Marshal Dillon Gabriel was just what the football doctor ordered for the Sooners for the next few years – a steady, talented, capable, quarterback, who led his team down the field, raising the entire team with his confidence and success.
Our running backs…looked solid, instead of the offensive game plan after-thought they were under Riley.
Most exciting for me was that we finally had a defense show up that looked to be on the verge of being good, possibly really good….
They plowed down the field for consistent and sometimes huge chunks of yardage. Hard hitting and elusive. Even our quarterback looked solid on the run!
Most exciting for me was that we finally had a defense show up that looked to be on the verge of being good, possibly really good and maybe even great by season’s end.
Big Game Bob and Larry Lacewell, who sadly died last year, no doubt had big smiles on their faces last Saturday afternoon with Bob in the luxury box and Lacewell looking down from the heavens.
Sacks, QB rushes. A mean defensive line. Solid defensive backfield coverage (how about that!) and some nasty looking linebacker hits.
Reminded me a bit of the dirt-dog-mean era of the Selmon Brothers, Rod Shoate, Roy Williams, Brian Bosworth, Jimbo Eldrod and Dusty D!
I hope the D reaches that level consistently this year.
OU’s defense has a way to go before we can say it’s fully restored to the elite, historic standards we all came to expect over the years, but there definitely was some grit, bad-boys determination, steaming from those defensive players’ helmets all game long.
Jeff Lebby’s play calling seemed amazing to me. Right play at the right time nearly all the time.
Bill Bedenbaugh always does a good job with OU’s offensive line, and our receivers were outstanding.
Next week another victim looms, Kent State, which has known its share of tragedy on and off the football field.
Then it’s the mystery Cornhuskers. Are they really as bad as they have looked? Does Scott Frost make it through the entire season as head coach (I don’t think he will).
After that it’s get serious time.
We may go undefeated. We may not. We might lose one or two…Baylor and OSU will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination, although the Cowboy defense gave new meaning to the word “stunk” on Saturday against a powder-puff opponent.
We might win them all and the conference championship!
We might make the college football playoff!
We might play for a college football championship!
We might win the college football championship!
Long shots? Maybe.
But not as long as they were before the Mighty Brent V came back home.
How many hours until the next kick-off?
— Mad Dog
Editor’s Note: When was the last time Mad Dog was this giddy? Someone check his medicine cabinet.
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