As OU football makes push in CFP race, Sooners aim to stay aggressive offensively
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NORMAN — OU football has relied on its defense and special teams to win games the past couple of weeks.
The Sooners‘ offense has come through in spurts, notably quarterback John Mateer’s rushing touchdowns against both Alabama and Tennessee on the road. But as OU prepares for a two-game home slate that will define its College Football Playoff destiny, beginning with Missouri on Saturday, Brent Venables wants to see more balance.
“You want to stay aggressive and you’ve got to play smart football,” Venables said Tuesday. “We always are working together. What is the winning formula this week look like?”
Is continuing to win the way Venables’ group has sustainable if they want to make a CFP run?
During the first half of the season, the Sooners found success with chunk plays through the air. Whether Mateer’s hand is still bothering him or it’s affected how offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle calls games, OU needs more.
Over the last six games, the Sooners are averaging only two passing plays of 20-plus yards per game.
“Maybe I’ve got to call them more, or John’s got to throw it, or we’ve got to come down and make a catch,” Arbuckle said. “But at the end of the day, we have to do that to be able to generate explosive plays, push the ball down the field and continue moving to get the ball in scoring position.”
Brent Venables says OU’s RB depth will be tested down the stretch
Over the past month, the Sooners have found some success on the ground.
Mateer and running back Xavier Robinson have stood out and OU’s offensive line has improved drastically. But with Tory Blaylock previously dealing with an injury and Robinson exiting the Alabama game before returning, how concerning should the Sooners’ depth be at running back moving forward?
“It’s going to be tested, without question,” Venables said. “Hopeful that we can stay healthy, we’re probably going to have to spread it out a little more to manage the next couple of weeks.”
What that looks like remains to be seen. Blaylock has only carried the ball 11 times over the past three games. If Blaylock and Robinson aren’t fully healthy, would Jaydn Ott get more run?
Either way, Arbuckle is always evaluating at practice and has proven he’s not afraid to ride with whoever is producing.
“Those are tough kids. That room is a bunch of tough kids who want to play football, who want to be out there for their team,” Arbuckle said. “As the season continues, you have to continuously, every single day, see how they’re doing and see how they’re practicing and you have to lean on the medical staff.”
Does Brent Venables see Missouri as a future rival?
OU and Missouri have history.
Not only did the two programs play frequently as members of the Big Eight and Big 12, but they’ve been in contentious recruiting and transfer portal battles the last few seasons. Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz called out former OU coach Bob Stoops by name following last season’s win over the Sooners.
The Sooners and Mizzou were chosen as annual opponents by the SEC. OU used to play three traditional rivals each season, now it’s down to one with Texas.
Does Venables see a rivalry brewing with Missouri?
“They’re going to be on our schedule every year for the foreseeable future,” Venables said. “All those other things, they mean nothing to me. They probably mean something to somebody else. But I don’t get into all that.”
Venables’ focus is purely on preparing for a quality opponent aiming to spoil the Sooners’ playoff chances at home.
“Laird Veatch, their athletic director, is a linebacker mate of mine in college,” Venables said. “Got great respect for Eli and who he is as a coach, certainly known him way before Missouri, faced off against him and he does a great job.”
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How OU footaball aims to stay aggressive offensively in CFP race
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