Ryan Chapman- Oklahoma's Defense is Back in a Familiar Spot in the Brent Venables Era

Written By Ryan Chapman

OU's defense is saying all the right things, but it knows that it must play perfectly to overcome the offense's shortcomings.

Ryan Chapman |

NORMAN — The entirety of the 2026 season rests on the shoulders of Oklahoma’s defense. 

Ben Arbuckle’s unit put out another incompetent display in Saturday’s 14-6 victory over New Mexico — something that is more common than not for Brent Venables’ offenses since the Sooners moved to the SEC — and if things don’t rapidly improve over the coming weeks, the Sooners’ best hope for victory will be if the defense can score (and score often). 

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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.

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