Ryan Chapman- Brent Venables Backs His Defense to Improve After 'Sloppy' Performance in Oklahoma's Opener

Written By Ryan Chapman

The OU head coach has high standards, and he wanted more from his defense early in the Sooners' victory over UTEP.

Ryan Chapman |

NORMAN — Oklahoma shut UTEP out in Friday’s opener, but Brent Venables is far from satisfied with how his defense played. 

“There's plenty of things we got to clean up,” Venables said after the 51-0 win. “… Thought we were sloppy tackling on defense. I didn't like that at all. We got a little loose in coverage as well. They didn't make us pay, but good teams are going to make us pay moving forward.”

Click here to read more.

Ryan Chapman

Ryan is a journalist who also works for Sooners on SI. He was born in Norman, Oklahoma, and has lived in the state his entire life.

He has covered Oklahoma Sooners athletics since he joined The Franchise in 2019 and has also extensively covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and Oklahoma City Energy, as well as the U.S. Men’s National Team during the Gold Cup. 

When he’s not covering sports, Ryan relaxes with Scout the Dog, and he also loves to hit up local food spots with his friends.

Previous

Steve Curtis- Oklahoma Storms Into 2026 With a 51-0 Beatdown Over UTEP
Next

Ryan Chapman- After Rolling in the Opener, Oklahoma's First Major Road Test is Here