Brent Venables Drops Unexpected Truth After Oklahoma’s Stunning Victory Over South Carolina

After a week full of anticipation, the Oklahoma Sooners stepped onto the field and delivered a statement win against the South Carolina Gamecocks, stamping their authority with a decisive 26-7 victory. Improving their record to 6-1 overall and 2-1 within SEC play, the Sooners showcased a defense that refused to relent and an offense that executed with precision—perfectly capitalizing on red-zone opportunities with three touchdowns from four scoring drives. The Gamecocks struck back before halftime, trimming the lead, but Oklahoma’s resilience shone through as they dominated the second half 12-0, suffocating their opponents’ offense to a mere 1.6 yards per carry and piling up six sacks alongside 13 tackles for loss. On the ground, freshman Tory Blaylock turned heads with a career-high 101 yards and a touchdown, while Xavier Robinson added his best performance of the season. It was a game that rekindled the Sooners’ momentum—and Brent Venables had plenty to say in his postgame remarks about toughness, determination, and the small details that make a winning team tick. LEARN MORE

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 6-1 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play with their 26-7 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. It was another strong performance for the defense, and the Sooners‘ offense put together four scoring drives and were perfect in the red zone, scoring three touchdowns.

After South Carolina cut the Sooners’ lead in half before halftime, Oklahoma responded, outscoring the Gamecocks 12-0 in the second half.

The Oklahoma defense held South Carolina to just 1.6 yards per carry and 3.3 yards per play. The Sooners recorded six sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

Offensively, the Sooners were able to establish the running game early with Tory Blaylock leading the way. The true freshman running back recorded a career high of 101 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Robinson had his best game of the season with 11 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Oklahoma played a strong game to get back in the win column, and here’s a look at what Brent Venables had to say after the win.

Brent Venables Opening Statement

Well, incredibly proud of our team and the courage, toughness that they responded with coming off, you know, a tough game a week ago. Loved the line of scrimmage all day. Really thought that was a big deciding factor in the game. Thought we had a great rhythm today. Thought we ran the ball efficiently, better against a really good, tough front that’s committed to stopping the run. Our guys, we really challenged them, just about the pile, just moving forward in favor of the good guys on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And there were several times in the game I’m able to make a nice little cut up just to affirm what winning looks like. Just falling forward and just kind of taking the life out of your opponent one, one play at a time. I believe in that I’ve been on the wrong side of it as a defensive coach, when the line of scrimmage isn’t going where you want it to go, and that’s a team that’s very competitive in all three phases. Again, coming off a game where they rush for just under 200 yards in Baton Rouge a week ago. Set the tone on defense and on offense. Got the ball right out the gate, and we go right down the field and score, and two fourth down stops to start the game and getting us into a really good rhythm on the road, creating energy and trying to, you know, create a little doubt as a byproduct, you know, on the opposing sideline. Really thought that, you know, again a week ago, where we left a lot to be desired in the third quarter, certainly when the game was still in doubt, we didn’t play great football, and we certainly didn’t complement or compensate for either side of the ball. But thought the second and third quarter on defense, man, against 63 yards on 32 plays, two yards of play, just really not allowing them to get in the game. Obviously, going in at halftime, there’s, you know, talk about a game of inches, when I really felt like we had a chance to really slam the door in the first half, whatever that looks like. Just I love the strain of our players. I’m mad at the execution and some of the smallest details of playing good defense, but they poke one in there going into halftime. And I just love the attitude, the courage, the toughness, the determination, the belief, never flinched, and just, just a great day, man. Again, I think they had it under two yards a carry on the day. I don’t think they had a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter, when the game was already in doubt, and offensively, man, red zone, again, we’re 100% on the year. Going on the road, you’ll take the field goals, but man, you can really set the tone for the day when you score touchdowns. And we were three out of three scoring touchdowns today, they were one out of two, and we had gotten to a great rhythm. Again, defensively, six three-and-outs. Offense, I think they had one on the day until late in the game, when we had some of the we’re just trying to run the clock out. Plus two in the margin. So good for us. It’s about time, way overdue. You had eight different guys caught balls. I thought John really responded in a great way. Made some really good plays, great decisions. Grayson Miller was good. Had a bad punt, but made up for it. John had a good punt there, put him on a one and funky Marcus strong, got in there and got himself a safety. I just saw a team that was hungry and even angry, hangry, hangry football team, and the team that, again, felt like we had a lot to prove, and know that we have a good football team. And you know, the game of football will punish you when you don’t do the little things right. And we certainly did a lot a week ago in the in the second half and the third quarter, where we didn’t give ourselves a chance, but really, just again, proud of our guys and just really, just playing together. There’s a really good synergy about it. Really happy for our fans. We had an amazing showing with our fans. So I’ve said this a lot, one of the most fulfilling and gratifying things for me is to have people be proud of, you know, our team, and just for a moment, you know, we got high standards at Oklahoma, justifiably so. I’m aligned with them and but today was a day that they could appreciate our guys. You know, I feel like this is a team that’s been battle tested on the season even going into today, and I think that was a, you know, a great advantage for us. Our guys didn’t flinch, and they believed. And again, as the saying goes, judge, judge a man, judge a team, judge a unit. You know, when times when things aren’t going well, and when everybody questioned, you know, the team a week ago and our guys had the ability, the maturity to, you know, block out that noise and focus on again, doing the things that winning requires, and the energy, the execution, the physicality, great focus to them. So real thankful for our players and just their determination today.

On Starting the Second Half Strong

Yeah, it’s our players. Our players made the decision. Here we are again. You know, get used to it. You know. This is, you know, college football, you know. And you know, we watched again. I think I talked to you guys about it. Can’t remember for sure, but just watching Georgia 14 play drive, what does it look like? What does winning ugly look like? But just winning, what does it look like? There’s good and there’s bad, there’s there’s penalties, there’s big plays, there’s execution. It goes back and forth, and you gotta, you gotta get yours more than you get got. We watched a little video on on that, but that’s, you know, the game of football, and it’s certainly again, this conference, but it says a lot again, about their ability to respond and punch back, keep striking. And what I’ve said, and when you don’t win a week ago, it doesn’t really resonate with anybody, and I get that, but we have been incrementally improving. There’s not a position on your entire football team that that that requires the chemistry and the cohesion, the trust that’s developed in the offensive line, and we’re getting a little better. We protected pretty good, and we we ran the ball, we covered people up, we strain. And if you go back and just challenge, you know, you to go and just watch the pile. You know, for the most part, all day, both sides went in the right direction and just finishing the strain business finishing with toughness. Don’t be satisfied. You’re at your effort. You know matters. And man, that’s what a hungry, tough team does. They finish, you know, play in and play out.

On Tory Blaylock’s First Big Run and the Run Game vs. South Carolina

Yeah, again, I think they were playing, you know, with coverage that I think they maybe got out of the gap. We we had a good run that was designed. They were plus and over a certain way, and our guys took advantage out executed them on that particular play. Tory ran through some trash, guys covered people up and gotten the into the secondary. And that’s, that’s what you have to do. I say this to our players all the time. You know, this game will punish you, which is from the smallest incremental, you know, mistakes. And at the end of the day you look back, and it’s going to be the sum of all those, you know, mistakes that can really, again, expose you. And so, you know, we were on the right side of it, you know, today, for a good part of the day. But that was again, a tone setter, you know. And again, proud of the offensive line and Tory. And you saw that happen, you know, when we needed it. You know, quite a few times today.

On Taylor Wein’s Emergence

He’s very humble. You know, he’s rooted in his work and he’s raised the right way. He’s thankful for his opportunity. He, you guys interviewed him, and he kept saying the same thing, like not a real human being, right? But he’s, he’s a robot when it comes to that, and that being, he understands and respects the work, the detail of how you play at a high level. He really respects Coach Chavis. And Coach Chavis has done an amazing job with his whole group. Taylor is a byproduct to that of just a lot of work, a lot of sweat equity and maximizing being ready for his opportunity when the opportunity is there.

On being ready for the Gamecocks Fake Punt

You know, we said it every time our punt return went out there, it was a bunch of times. I don’t know how many times they punted, how many times they punt, a lot, but you know, Coach Beamer has done an amazing job. That unit has been a real weapon for him for several years, and creating big plays and explosive plays. And you know, that was a huge focal point for us, not allowing, like, stopping a fake, you know, sniffing out a fake, having amazing protection, a lot of funky overloads. And those are big plays in the game. I mean, everybody else doesn’t necessarily, maybe see it that way, but those are the plays that you know a good team is ready for. And I just appreciate Coach Deakin having the guys ready. And our getting our guys respecting you know the you know how you go in and not, not be vulnerable to those things. So now again, you’ve written book. People are going to write book on you. Oh no, they’re disciplined. Look, they’re ready for a fake and then you start to squeeze and condense up, you know, a call sheet or a Rolodex and now you don’t open, you know, Pandora’s box. So really, heads up by our guys.

On taking the energy out Williams-Brice Stadium Early

Yeah, and that would be true anywhere. But the environment here is fantastic. As good as there is in college football. The fan base is passionate. They’re loyal and and you go on the road, you know, you’re going to have to be able to play through, you know, the, you know, the chaos of game day. And but at the end of the day, you can set the tone, you know, for the day. And I think I get a couple of those fourth down stops early in the game. Offense going down, scoring on that first drive kept everybody a little bit, you know, edgy and maybe a little more quiet. But you know, that’s what happens when your your guys, you know, play and compete. You know, with great strain.

On the response of the defense in the second half

man, I just our toughness and coaches doing a good job players believing that doesn’t keep happening without belief and without the physical and the mental toughness, having a bad case, the wants and lot of, lot of strain, you know, the physical strain, they fought for each other. And I challenge the team. Everybody’s individual success is tied to the man next to you. Mine is to you, yours is to mine, and everybody’s to everybody around him. And so man, lean on each other, have each other’s back. You know, doing your job with everything you got, laying on the line when you know the we watched the video together, man shows the respect that you have for your opportunity and for your teammates. And so you do that because of love, trust, cohesion, toughness, physicality, fundamentals knock back all of the things that you know, define, you know, good football. And, man, those were huge plays. I’m really, really proud to watch that happen. Again, just, it just takes me back to three short years ago, when against Baylor in a one-score game, we couldn’t, we couldn’t stop them, you know, in those third and ones, and it was, those were gut punches. But our guys have fought in battle. There’s seven of those guys that were there and didn’t have great roles at that time, but they kind of grown up into, you know, the mentality, you know, what we want to be about and known for.

On Xavier Robinson’s performance

Yeah, had some good, tough runs today, some really good things to build off of. Had a good week of practice and some of the same. He gets a little thin on some of the, you know, the blocks. He knows how to work, where they’re set up and where, where they’re a little vulnerable, even if it’s just for two more yards. He knows where those spots are, and that’s what a good running back needs to do, you know, needs to find those and he got into a good rhythm. You know, showed some good things today.

On Ben Arbuckle bouncing back after last week

That starts with us, so you have to; he’s going to carry that burden. But, man, he’s a tough guy, and I said that a lot about him. I felt that through the evaluation process, the hiring process, that he’s got really good toughness to him, super, ultra competitive, but he’s got great humility, so not hard-headed. Take an honest, you know, evaluation of what’s good what isn’t, what we need to get better at and emphasize the right things. And think collectively as an offensive staff, you know. He can’t do it alone and and so I think all of them together, you know, did a great job of, again, just showing great belief and determination and putting our guys in position to, you know, to go win.

On John Mateer’s performance

again, just what I said on Tuesday. I’m not going to be surprised. This is the dude. And I say that, like in the football world, just a dude that is going to own everything good and bad, not just the good. And if he has a fault, it’s he wants to carry the weight up for the whole team. And listen, this is focus on getting better, not be perfect. You’re never going to be, and making good decisions, you know, in that position, don’t try to go win the game every drive. And so, just a competitive maturity. He’s displayed that, you know, and this is year two for him, as far as the starting quarterback, and he’s got a he’s got a track record of responding, you know, after some tough moments, and every quarterback is going to have some moments they’d like to get back. And heavy is the crown goes to that position, and he’s exactly who I thought he was, and nothing more, nothing less. But he’s got all the right stuff, the guts, the toughness, the humility. Because you don’t, you don’t handle that moment without humility. And just, you know, I appreciate his leadership, one of the best leaders I’ve been around, adult or young man, you know, wearing a uniform. He’s really pretty remarkable.

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