Oklahoma Sooners HC Brent Venables praises efficiency of offense, wants more explosives. 'Have to pull the trigger'

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Oklahoma, efficiency-wise, didn't have a bad game. There were plenty of positive things on film to take away from that game, even if it doesn't feel like it based on the results of that game.

The Sooners' offense actually had more successful plays than Texas did in that game. The difference, ultimately, came down to turnovers and poor execution. In the second quarter, the Sooners fumbled the ball twice, missed a field goal, had multiple penalties, and couldn't sustain on offense. All of a sudden the score goes from 7-3 to 21-3.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Brent Venables praised the efficiency of the offense but harped that the team just wasn't hitting the explosives on offense. Texas did, and that ultimately proved to be the difference maker.

Oklahoma's offense has generated explosives seemingly every season until this one, which limits their ability to stay in competitive games. They nailed a few explosives against Auburn to help lead their comeback win in Week 5, but it's been a season-wide struggle.

Oklahoma's offense has generated 13 plays of 20+ yards this season. That is 133rd in the FBS. Only 0-6 Kennesaw State has fewer.

When Venables talked about this at his press conference, he mentioned that the plays were there against Texas, they just "have to pull the trigger".

I have a theory about this that I'm still workshopping, but I think it's worth discussing. Many fans throughout the last two seasons with Jeff Lebby as the offensive coordinator hated how un-complementary the offense was for the defense with its quick-play ability and inability to really chew the clock.

When the Sooners hired Seth Littrell, partly to keep continuity for Jackson Arnold, they discussed at length the ability to play complementary with better ball control and efficiency. That point was mentioned repeatedly in the offseason.

When Jackson Arnold was committing too many turnovers to start the season, the point the coaching staff made about them wasn't that they were happening, it was that they were putting the defense in bad spots.

With Michael Hawkins under center, the staff is prioritizing scrambling, keeping the ball out of harm's way, and having him throw the ball away in an effort to keep the offense on the field and not risk any turnovers. A talented freshman who started multiple years for one of the best high school programs in Texas just doesn't forget how to throw the ball deep. There were plays available against Texas that Hawkins just didn't risk and I believe that can be attributed to coaching.

One play that stands out to me was early on in the game, wide receiver JJ Hester toasted Texas CB Malik Muhammad deep. The throw was just over Hester's head. The Sooners never tested that again. They are actively not pursuing big plays as part of their game plan, and that's ultimately a coaching decision.

Now, I'm wondering if Venables realizes that playing ball control, even if it works (had five more minutes of possession than Texas), isn't going to be enough to win them games in the SEC. With how often he said that the offense has to be more explosive moving forward, I'm curious to see if the offense begins to adjust moving forward.

If Venables is changing his stance on how the offense has to be played, that's a good sign, in my opinion, that he is recognizing the faults of his plan to start the season instead of stubbornly sticking to it. We'll see if the offense changes its approach this weekend against South Carolina.