The Oklahoma Soonersare coming off one of the most dominant performances of the season. The Sooners went into "The Swamp" and left with a 23-7 win over the then-No. 24 Florida Gators.
Oklahoma dominated on both sides of the ball. The offense totaled 351 yards of total offense, with 144 of that coming on the ground. The defense responded after a bad performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks, holding the Gators to just 203 yards. That included holding Florida to 70 yards on the ground. Star running back Jadan Baugh was held to just 35 yards on the ground.
Brent Venables was asked about the great performance from his offensive line, who put together likely their best performance of the season. He said it was good, but has to be even better.
"The unit played better," Venables said. "Cleaner than they've been all year and played together as an offense. And there's plenty to clean up. There were way too many penalties, particularly in the second half. Taking points off the board is one of the most basic fundamental things coming out of a huddle. I'm fine with effort-type penalties, but you want to limit those, too."
The performance against Florida was a big step forward for an offensive line that had struggled to find consistency throughout the season. Oklahoma showed it could establish the run game, protect its quarterback and sustain drives against a ranked opponent. However, Venables' comments make it clear that one strong outing is not enough to erase the issues that have plagued the unit.
The Sooners will need to carry that momentum into their next matchup while cleaning up the penalties and execution mistakes that continue to cost them opportunities. If the offensive line can build on its performance in Gainesville, Oklahoma's offense has a chance to become much more balanced and productive down the stretch. The challenge now is proving this wasn't a one-week breakthrough.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables praised the OL for its play against Florida
