Brent Venables insists ‘our fans deserve better’ following 3-3 start
By Ethan Stone
Published:
2026 has been a year of disappointment for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners.
Oklahoma is 3-3 on the year, having lost to Kentucky, Michigan and Georgia to offset a massive upset win over rival Texas a few weeks ago. Quarterback John Mateer and the Sooners’ offense have struggled to match Venables’ consistently sound defense, leading to its current state entering Week 8 against Mississippi State.
On Monday, while speaking on his radio show, Venables had this to say about the Sooners’ rough start, specifically mentioned that the OU fans deserve better than the product on the field:
“Our fans deserve better,” Venables said, via Sooners writer George Stoia III. “And that’s my responsibility: to play winning football… Play to the standard of Oklahoma.”
Apart from their 41-13 loss to Georgia, the Sooners have been in every game they’ve played this season. Oklahoma fell by 7 to Michigan, then 8 to Will Stein’s red-hot Kentucky squad in Week 7.
As alluded to above, Oklahoma’s woes are mostly offense. The Sooners currently rank dead last in the SEC in total offense, averaging just 311 yards per game. The second worst mark in the SEC is Arkansas, which is averaging 343 yards per game past the halfway point of the 2026 season.
A trip to the College Football Playoff is out of the question for the Sooners following their loss to Kentucky. How will Venables’ squad respond the rest of the way?
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
