OU notepad: Brent Venables details how Sooners have handled second bye week
NORMAN — Oklahoma’s second bye week of the season comes at a good time.
The Sooners snagged a significant road win at Tennessee to generate some real momentum. They also came in at No. 12 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday, indicating they control their own destiny for the postseason.
Now, the Sooners (7-2, 3-2 SEC) just need to get healthy. The bye week allows key players like R Mason Thomas, Kobie McKinzie and Gentry Williams to return before a pivotal home stretch that includes No. 4 Alabama and No. 22 Missouri.
After Wednesday’s practice, OU coach Brent Venables discussed how the team has handled the bye week.
“We’re finished (Thursday), so we’ve got an early morning practice (Thursday) and meetings and practice,” Venables said. “So it’s been a good week. We’ve had meetings and lots of meetings. Lots of weight room stuff. Had a career fair for the team and had about 30 Fortune 500 companies here that guys are networking with, and did that some yesterday afternoon. And had a great practice today. Really good physical practice, full padded practice, and we’ll be in shells tomorrow. Get some really good good-on-good work. Fundamental.
“A lot of work on ourselves. Scheme, fundamentals, a little bit of work on opponent prep, but really focusing on ourselves, getting guys healthy. It’s been a good week and they’ll have a weekend off.”
It’s still an adjustment for teams like the Sooners to have a second bye week during the season, but Venables views it as a positive.
“I do. Never would have thought that in the past,” Venables said. “But I think everybody — player, coach, everybody — you don’t feel like it prolongs the season. You feel like it comes at the right time, so you can kind of regroup, and again, just everything I just said. You can really take an opportunity to focus on the things to improve your football team so that you can play your best football here in November.”
Venables on CFP rankings
The Sooners landed at No. 12 in the CFP rankings and were listed as the “second team out” if the playoff began this weekend.
However, there’s still plenty of season left, including a pivotal game at No. 4 Tennessee next Saturday (2:30 p.m. ABC). That’s what Venables is focused on.
“None of that stuff matters,” Venables said about the CFP rankings. “I know that’d be cool for me to have an opinion. I don’t have an opinion. I really don’t. All we’re ready about is the next one, having a great bye week, getting better. The next week is going to be an enormous challenge and everything that goes with that. That’s where my focus is. I don’t control any of the other things other than what we can do on our end.”
Jer’Michael Carter steps up
The veteran wideout hadn’t played much this season before the Tennessee game. But against the Vols, Carter played a season-high 33 snaps and caught two passes for 21 yards. Both of his receptions went for first downs.
It was noteworthy, considering Keontez Lewis has missed the last three games and Javonnie Gibson is trying to find his rhythm after missing the first several weeks.
“It’s been pretty good… It’s just my opportunity,” Carter said. “I was the next man up at that time, and I just came and took advantage of my opportunity.”