TheOklahoma Sooners' offensive woes have returned for the third straight season under head coach Brent Venables. Oklahoma ranks No. 115 in total offense, No. 123 in rushing offense, No. 81 in passing offense, and No. 99 in scoring offense.
This year, the Sooners expected to see an offensive jump after last year's disappointing performance. The Sooners returned quarterback John Mateer, four of five starting offensive linemen, star receiver Isaiah Sategna, their two leading running backs, Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson and playcaller Ben Arbuckle.
That has led some to wonder if head coach Brent Venables should be more involved with the offense. However, he made his role clear during his weekly press conference.
"I don't want to be the offensive
coordinator," Venables said. "I want the offensive staff to come up with a great game plan. To have great balance. To be physical. Take care of the ball. Run the football. Create explosive plays. Have great balance. Attack people's weaknesses. All of those types of things. I want them to play with more confidence and continuity... We are working hard and diligently to do that."
That's an important distinction for Venables. He isn't removing himself from the offensive conversation, but his role is to establish the standard and hold the offensive staff accountable for meeting it. After the New Mexico game, Venables acknowledged that Oklahoma needs improvement, particularly in creating explosive plays and developing a rhythm on offense. He also said Arbuckle remains the team's offensive coordinator.
The problem is that Oklahoma has yet to consistently deliver the things Venables listed. The Sooners have struggled to run the football, have turned the ball over, and have failed to generate enough explosive plays to sustain drives. That puts even more pressure on an offense that was expected to be better simply because of the experience returning.
With the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs waiting next, Venables and Arbuckle don't have much room left to let the same problems continue.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables makes his role in Oklahoma's offense clear
