The Oklahoma Sooners started the season rocky at 2-2, but now hope to turn things around after an improbable win over the No. 1 Texas Longhorns on Saturday. The Sooners won 27-24 despite trailing 17-7 at halftime.
Oklahoma's three phases contributed in a major way. The special teams scored a touchdown after Danny Okoye blocked a punt and Dakoda Fields recovered it in the end zone. The offense scored on a short run by Lloyd Avant. The defense also scored a touchdown on a Peyton Bowen pick-six of Arch Manning.
Head coach Brent Venables spoke after the game about why he still has belief in this team despite the rocky start.
"When we get out of our own way, we've got a good football team," Venables said. "I said going in, they're 4-0; we're 2-2. We
earned the 2-2, and they earned the 4-0. But I've been saying we've got a good football team when we put it all together. Obviously, that was certainly far from perfect. We gave up some explosives on defense and too many three-and-outs (on offense)."
The win over Texas gives Oklahoma a foundation to build on as it moves deeper into SEC play. The Sooners showed they can respond to adversity, with all three phases making game-changing plays when the team needed them most. Now, the challenge is turning that performance into a more consistent standard rather than treating it as a one-week breakthrough.
Venables and the Sooners will have little time to dwell on the rivalry win, with the rest of the schedule offering more opportunities to strengthen their College Football Playoff hopes. If Oklahoma can clean up its offensive struggles and limit the explosive plays it has allowed defensively, the win over the Longhorns could mark the turning point the program needs.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Sooners support Brent Venables belief in upset of Texas Longhorns
