"NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma coach Brent Venables carried a somber tone. Disappointed. Embarrassed. An unsmiling Venables had plenty of words to describe a disastrous 2024 football season in the minutes after last December's Armed Forces Bowl. It had ended, mercifully, in a 21-20 defeat to Navy that afternoon. The Sooners had dropped six of the final eight games in their eagerly anticipated debut SEC campaign."
"'He looked me in my eyes and told me, 'We're going to be all right,' McKinzie recalled after a recent practice. 'I saw the passion. I could feel it in his presence. He couldn't take enough deep breaths to calm himself down because he was so eager to get this figured out. He was ready to go to work.'"
Oklahoma endured a disastrous 2024 season, finishing with a losing record and dropping six of its final eight games, capped by a 21-20 Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy. Venables left the bowl game on the hot seat but immediately signaled urgency and determination, promising to fix problems and get to work. He announced plans to assume full control as the Sooners' defensive playcaller for the first time as a head coach, placing a calculated bet on a make-or-break season. Returning to hands-on defensive leadership revitalized the unit and helped propel Oklahoma to a College Football Playoff berth.
Read at ESPN.com
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