NORMAN — With preseason training camp over and the season opener less than two weeks away, OU coach Brent Venables addressed the media Tuesday night after the Sooners’ practice.
Here are four takeaways from Venables’ media briefing:
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The Sooners switch from preseason training to game preparation
After a light practice on Monday, the Sooners started to step up their game a bit on Tuesday and will take another step forward on Wednesday before playing a simulated game day on Thursday.
“We’re still doing quite a lot of work on ourselves,” Venables said. “Still a lot of good-on-good work, a bit of individual and team scout work, just things we need to improve and do better.”
Venables said the team is doing some work to prepare for Temple, but that Wednesday will be a big step forward in specific preparation for the opening game, which he said will serve as a blueprint for how the team approaches the rest of its games during its first run through the SEC.
“There’s a new DNA to get to know,” Venables said. “It’s going to be a challenge for this team. We’re going into a new league. All league members have to get to know two teams. We have 11 teams. That’s not an empty promise, that’s the reality. You don’t know the DNA of 11 of those teams, so that’s a challenge.”
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OU struggles with injuries on offense
The Sooners have had several injuries on their offensive line, but Venables said he doesn’t expect any of the recent injuries to keep players out of games for very long.
“Was it perfect? No,” Venables said. “But I’m sure that’s the case with most camps. But I like where we are now. We’ve had the opportunity to work together in a lot of different environments, but I think we’re in a really good position right now.”
Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh’s track record of developing both players and groups gives Venables a lot of confidence.
“Bill knows what to focus on to put a group together,” Venables said. “I’m not just talking about five guys, I’m talking about eight to 12, twelve guys. Whether it’s the development, the drills, the walkthroughs, the film study, all of that is important. Finding the best combination of guys and then all the what-ifs when it comes to keeping guys healthy.”
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“No limits” for Andrel Anthony
One of the most significant injuries to watch out for in preseason training was the return of wide receiver Andrel Anthony, who suffered a knee injury against Texas last season.
Before his injury, Anthony was OU’s leading receiver with 27 catches for 429 yards and one touchdown.
Anthony missed the spring and is working steadily on his return, but it looks like he will be back in full swing for the season opener.
“He’s doing well,” Venables said. “He doesn’t have to wear (the braces). We’re obviously trying to be careful with him. He has no limitations.”
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Venables: Defensive depth showed in camp
Venables said he expects the Sooners’ defense to be better than last year, when OU made significant strides on that side of the ball.
“We should be better on defense,” Venables said. “Why? Well, you bring guys back. That doesn’t make you better. Like I said, we have a chance to be really good, especially at some positions, and we still have a lot of work to do on being a really good defense. We still have a lot of work to do on being a dominant defense. We weren’t an elite defense last year.”
“We’ve done some outstanding things, we’ve done some things really well, but that’s not how you define a defense. To me, that’s not the endgame you’re looking for. You want to develop a defense that’s going to do whatever it takes every week to give us a chance to win. And that means making the crucial stop. That means being prepared for the situational part. That means being physical and not letting people constantly give you problems in the run game or the pass game.”
