The Oklahoma Sooners are heading into a key matchup on Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Sooners and Gamecocks enter at 4-3, and a win for either could set up a promising finish.
The Sooners are still hoping to find an identity, especially on offense. Oklahoma has one of the worst offenses in college football, but part of that is the Sooners not knowing whether they want to be more of a running or passing team. Oklahoma hasn't committed much to the run game this season, despite emphasizing it this offseason. However, against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Oklahoma ran it 41 times for a season-high 184 yards. It was also the first time this season two running backs carried the ball 12 or more times.
Head coach Brent Venables talked
about the process of developing an identity.
"Every single season I've ever coached, it's every team has an identity that you figure out the players, as you know, it's a player's game," Venables said. "So, you start to figure out what those identities are. You know, what you can quote unquote hang your hat on."
Oklahoma's performance against Mississippi State offered a potential blueprint for moving forward. The increased committment to the ground game helped the Sooners produce their most productive rushing performance of the season while taking some pressure off quarterback John Mateer. Giving multiple running backs consistent opportunities could help establish a rhythm and make the offense less predictable, especially if the offensive line keeps improving as key players return from injury.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables breaks down the challenges of developing team identity
