When the Oklahoma Sooners hired Brent Venables, he promised to bring a relentless, physical, and suffocating defense to Norman. Something the fans hadn't seen in at least a decade.
Venables was known for his elite defenses during his time with the Clemson Tigers, helping them win two national championships over legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. In four short seasons, that's exactly what he built. The Sooners ranked in the top-10 in the country in several categories, including being No. 1 in tackles for loss and sacks.
Film expert Brooks Austin revealed what makes Venables' defense so tough to prepare for.
"It's the adaptability of what he does," Austin said on 'The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.' "It's the unpredictability
of what he does. I think he gives offensive coordinators nightmares because they don't know what it's going to be. That is so different and so unique across all forms of football. Most defenses are what they are. Once they put the defense in. Once they put the game plan in. Once they put the install in through fall camp, that's what they are... almost every single week there's a new wrinkle."
Austin's assessment helps explain why Oklahoma's defense has become so difficult to prepare for. Venables isn't simply relying on the same defensive calls every week. His willingness to change looks and add new wrinkles forces opposing offenses to prepare for a much wider range of possibilities.
That adaptability can be especially valuable over the course of a long season. Even if an opponent studies previous Oklahoma games, there is no guarantee it will see the same defense when it takes the field against the Sooners.
The next challenge is turning that defensive dominance into postseason success. Oklahoma already has a defense capable of giving opponents fits; now, the Sooners need that unit to remain a strength while the offense catches up. If that happens, Venables could have the formula necessary to take Oklahoma from being a College Football Playoff team to a legitimate championship contender.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables' 'unpredictability' makes him tough to prepare for
