Sooners suddenly better in Venables' eyes

Could Oklahoma run the table? Though he may not have meant to, the head coach sure made it sound like he believes they might

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables directs his team during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. Oklahoma won 27-13. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

While Big 12 country wondered how no-loss TCU could possibly find itself behind one-loss Alabama in the season’s original College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday evening, it may have missed the slight change in tenor of Oklahoma’s head football coach as he spoke about his team earlier in the day.

Does it matter?

Perhaps, because if you listen to coaches long enough, even those who work hard to keep it general and positive, to live in the forest, not the trees, charismatically filibustering about process, toughness and what it takes, there’s still times they let a few thoughts drop signifying something’s changed.

That was Venables on Tuesday.

All season he’s gone on and on about the commitment of his players. Through bad times and awful times and finally some good times, too.

But he may not have said this:

“Loved our preparation all week after the Kansas ballgame,” Venables said. “I thought our guys came back and responded really well, hungry, super coachable, ready to get better, willing to put the work in.”

Never mind he conflated an idle week and a game week as simply “all week.” If anything, be more impressed with the thought, because the players had to sustain that edge for two weeks, not one. 

But that’s not the point.

Instead, focus on “super coachable.”

Because “coachable” is not coach-speak. Coaches will say plenty to be positive without being particular and plenty to sound positive when the opposite may be true. And still, they won’t dole out “coachable” or, egads, “super coachable” unless they mean it and feel it for real.

So if you’re trying to extrapolate a flipped switch from Venables’ regular Tuesday media meet — not to mention the Sooners’ 27-13 victory over Iowa State, the second-most points put up on the Cyclones (to Baylor’s 31) this season and the largest spread Iowa State’s endured in a loss — feel free, because the head coach has now offered evidence.

Venables said something else.