What Brent Venables Said After Beating Alabama For Second Straight Season

No. 11 Oklahoma earned a signature win, as the Sooners walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium and upset No. 4 Alabama for the second straight season under head coach Brent Venables. The game snapped the Crimson Tide's nation-leading 17-game home winning streak, while keeping Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff hunt as the Sooners rose to 8-2 with the victory.

Venables spoke to the media following the upset win.

Transcript

Opening statement…

"What a football game. First, I want to congratulate Coach DeBoer, their staff, and their players. Nobody really deserved to lose that game. It was well-played, hard-fought, a real slugfest. I'm incredibly thankful and proud of our players for laying it on the line for four quarters. I've been bragging about this team because it's one of the best I've been around when it comes to brotherhood and belief in one another. There's something special about this group. These guys like to work, they like to compete, and they genuinely like each other — and it shows.

"I don’t think you win your fourth true road game the way we did, against a quality opponent like that, unless you have a lot of ingredients that don’t show up on a stat sheet. We have the right people in every huddle. I thought our second half was much more complementary than the first, even though we did some good things early. We talked all week about the turnover battle and about physicality. I love how we struck people, how we moved the line, how the pile kept falling in the Sooners’ direction. We got our hands on a lot of balls. I think we forced three fumbles, had maybe three picks — one called back for interference — and we blocked a field goal before half. Taylor Wein had a strip sack. Those plays were the product of constant pressure.

"This is a place with the nation’s longest home winning streak, and they hadn’t lost an SEC home game since maybe 2019. This was our highest-ranked win since 2017, and our best road win since 2017. Special teams were a big emphasis coming in, and I think we separated ourselves there. I don’t have the final numbers yet, but I felt like we dominated the hidden yardage. Our returns were huge. We protected the ball, didn’t let it hit the ground, our coverage units had tackles for loss — really impressive stuff.

"I’m impressed with how this team continually responds. Grayson Miller — he’s a great guy, and he played like one tonight, man he was just amazing. Tate Sandell, school record with 21 straight field goals. Just big-time.

"Alabama had some explosive plays in the first half, so the numbers were lopsided, but we were still up by three at halftime. Turnovers were a big part of that, and then just having the toughness that kept them out of the end zone. We held them to a field goal, they called timeout, and then missed the next one — and Taylor Wein played a big part in that. They went 5-for-13 on third down; we were 3-for-13. Turnovers, the kicking game, and second-half defense were the difference. We got into a rhythm, got stickier in coverage, changed up a few of our coverages, and the sheer will of the players closed it out.

"Nobody on the staff covered anyone, tackled anyone, or caught the ball. The players did that. All credit goes to them. They made the decision to be in the conversation. We're 8-2, and proud of the effort it took to get here, but we’ve got quality opponents ahead, starting with Missouri. We’ll celebrate this for a few hours, get back to Norman, and get right back to work."

Turnovers kept the Sooners in this game. What does that say about the defense you built?

"We really attacked and forced major turnovers. Sometimes people say, “Well, if that hadn’t happened…” but it did happen, and we forced it. We created pressure up front, we ran to the ball, we attacked the football. There were several plays where we didn’t get the takeaway, but we were right there. Turnovers are the most important stat in football. We said all week that whoever wins that stat would win the game. And the physicality, the eye test, showed we were the most physical team. Alabama was physical too, but in the end we did a little more. I’m really proud of our guys."

You’ve talked all year about one-score games. Do you feel like this team is learning how to win those even when it isn’t pretty?

"'Not pretty' is subjective. Some people think it’s pretty. I like it. In this league, against these kinds of teams, there will be struggles, turnovers, momentum swings. The team that learns to handle all of that wins. I don’t apologize for winning tough. I’m proud of our guys’ fight."

You used words like “toughness” and “sheer will” to describe keeping Alabama out of the end zone. Where do those qualities come from, and how do you finish those drives?

"We’ve recruited tough players who believe in themselves, each other, and in how we do things. We put a lot of stress and pressure on them during development. Guts, will, edge, belief — those come from the players. We try to create a vision for them. It starts there. Then it’s belief, then action, being willing to line up nose-to-nose and compete. Our guys haven’t flinched when the fire is raging. They’ve responded all year, especially the last few weeks. They represented our brand incredibly well."

How big was Bowen’s touchdown? Second straight trip, you weren’t doing well, and then you get a pick-six.

"It was huge. The game came down to one possession. They were in an empty set, we were showing a double-mug look. Different call than last year, but they got the protection wrong and threw it quickly. The kick was unblocked, our guys had zone eyes and saw it coming. Just a massive play."

You’ve had ups and downs the last couple of years. What does this say about the program and the players you’ve invested in?

"I’m appreciative of the foundational guys, some in year four, some in year three. Others weren’t here last year, but they chose to come even when it wasn’t the popular choice. Our staff had opportunities to leave, but they stayed because they believed. The tree is judged by its fruit, and we’re starting to see that. We're 8-2, there are no trophies being awarded, but I’m not surprised we’re here. We’ve had great administrative support, too. It takes everybody. We talked last night about how no matter what happened today, we have Missouri coming next week, and we’d need to get back to work quickly. The leaders in that locker room have drawn a line, no excuses, no hiding, no backing out. I’m proud of that."

We heard the team playing “Dixieland Delight” and “Sweet Home Alabama” afterward. How special is it to come into that environment and win?

"They’ve worked really hard for it. I’m not the boastful type, but I’ll brag on our guys. They deserve it. We paint a vision for them, and part of that is showing them what victory looks like and telling them to enjoy it. It’s easy to skip past the moment, but I want them to feel the joy. We’ll fix the mistakes later. It was fun to see them having fun."

After Alabama took the lead, what adjustments did you make defensively for the rest of the game?

"Our coverage got better. We turned up the pressure at the right times and created negative plays that stalled drives. Special teams gave us field position. Offense put together a couple of scoring drives. Then we had the timely turnover, forced a fumble, and we got a big stop to close it out. They scored seven in the second half; we scored six, plus the three we were already up by. We did what we needed to win."

With Mason out tonight, how critical were Taylor Wein's plays in leading the defense?

"He was fantastic, exactly who he’s been all year. One of our best defensive players. He’s fun to be around, very coachable, loves being pushed, and he’s willing to have tough conversations that great players need to improve. He’s become a great leader because he consistently shows up and works. He was disruptive tonight and made critical plays. I’m really proud of him."