Venables confident this year's offense will resemble 2023 season
NORMAN — After one of the worst offensive seasons in OU football history, all of the focus will be on that side of the ball in 2025.
Head coach Brent Venables is confident it’ll be a completely different story this fall.
The Sooners posted horrific numbers offensively in 2024, ranking 97th nationally in scoring offense and 113th in total offense. It’s a big reason why the Sooners fell flat in their first SEC season, finishing 6-7 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
But Venables is confident this fall will resemble his second season as head coach, when the team finished 10-3 behind an explosive offense and an improved defense.
“This will be more like the ’23 season, where we were top 5 in the nation in every offensive category,” Venables said Thursday during the annual Coaches Luncheon. “We really complimented each other and I think you’ll see more of that this year.”
If Venables is right, this fall could be a lot more promising for the Sooners heading into a season full of pressure.
The 2023 offense, led by then-quarterback Dillon Gabriel and former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, did finish as one of the most explosive in the country. They didn’t finish in the top five in every category, but they were close — the Sooners finished third in scoring (41.7 points per game), third in total offense (507 yards per game), 10th in yards per play (6.8), sixth in passing offense (324.8 yards per game) and 35th in rushing offense (182.2 yards per game). The offense wasn’t perfect and had some disappointing outings — including the UCF, Oklahoma State and BYU games — but it was much better than the product last season, which eventually led to the midseason dismissal of then-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.
There’s a few reasons why Venables is confident the offense will be better.
The Sooners remade their entire offense during the offseason. They brought in new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and brought in a slew of new playmakers, including quarterback John Mateer and running back Jaydn Ott. Mateer was one of the most explosive players in football last season and the top overall player in the transfer portal.
Mateer, along with Arbuckle, were key in helping Washington State finish sixth in scoring offense, 17th in total offense and 11th in yards per play a season ago.
“I think one of the things that’s most different from a year ago — I really love the group of players that we’ve brought in that are new, both freshmen and the transfers,” Venables said. “Coach Arbuckle and the offensive staff have done a great job creating culture through relationships, through connection and just being passionate and bringing a lot of energy every day, demanding excellence. John Mateer makes everybody around him better.
“On the offensive side of the ball, he was immediately able to plug in and have a real impact certainly on that side of the ball, but really even on the defensive side. If that’s a more competitive practice — last year, there wasn’t a lot of competition. The defense was really dominant. This year, the offense has been able to punch back almost from the very first practice. That’s when you know you have a pretty good team, when there’s ebbs and flows, back and forth.”
The Sooners are also hoping for better injury luck. Venables noted that nine starters missed all or most of last season, including seven on offense. That includes the majority of the wide receiver room and several players along the offensive line.
If all of those things come together, and the defense remains steady, Venables hopes that’ll naturally translate into more success on the field.
“We really like where we’re at right now,” Venables said. “I think there’s more to the depth of the players that are invested in the program. They have real ownership in the product. It shows. It’s a confident group of guys, believe it or not. I know it’s hard to say that coming off a year where there was a lot of disappointment when it comes to our overall record.”
“We’re in a much different place (compared to a year ago), a different team completely. I don’t think you carry over, good or bad, other than experience.”
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