Brent Venables Expected Oklahoma's Running Game 'To Be Better' After Offseason Work

Venables made it a priority to improve the Sooner rushing attack — after four games, the head coach is disappointed and surprised at how it's missed the mark.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines. | Carson Field / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma emphasized it all offseason. They stuck to it for their season opener.

Then against Michigan, the Sooners didn't even try to run the football. Against New Mexico and Georgia, OU tried, but failed to build any sustainable rushing attack. All this has led to a bottom-feeding running game that's on life support heading into the team's only bye.

For Brent Venables, who called the Sooners' rushing efforts "pathetic" over the last two seasons back in March, he's just as surprised as anyone else at the lack of juice in run game.

"Expected it'd be better," Venables said after practice on Wednesday. "Thought it would be better. So that's been disappointing, that we're not as far along as you want to be, and we need to be."

I asked Brent Venables if based on what he saw during the offseason, has the #Sooners lack of rushing attack been surprising after four games.

"Expected it'd be better. Thought it would be better." pic.twitter.com/o01Fd40gea

— Brady Trantham (@BradyDoesSports) October 1, 2026

Venables knew that no matter how much they worked on the running game, it was going to be a challenge to establish it. In Oklahoma's first four games, they've faced the No. 9, No. 29 and No. 1 defensive units according to ESPN's SP+ metric.

Even with the gauntlet of teams the Sooners have faced in September — it's not getting much easier moving forward — Oklahoma's lack of a running game continues to be an indictment on the staff's abillity to identify an offensive flaw and work to rectify it.

Without a rushing attack, Ben Arbuckle is forced to put more responsibility on the shoulders of John Mateer, who has since seen his confidence take a nose dive. Venables knows that in order to have the offense he envisions — a "successful, cohesive, explosive offense" — it's not all on one unit or player.

"Just have gone right back to work and continued to try to make it better," Venables said. "Play with more velocity, play with better pad level, striking people, straining to finish."

The fifth-year head coach believes that there's too much variance in the ability of the cast of characters necessary to make the running game work. Whether its communication, aggressiveness or lack thereof, Venables doesn't like the combined effort on the offensive line, tight ends or running back room.

"Some guys do it well, and then some guys, they're learning how to do it well, what straining to finish really looks like," he said. "And so that's football in some ways, but we gotta be a lot better. And it takes more than words, it takes more than me."

Venables is right. It's going to take more than words for OU to manifest a running game. Sure, losing Michael Fasusi and forcing players to shuffle around the offensive line out of position will affect things.

But so far in 2026, the running game's lack of ability to become a force is another piece of evidence of Venables' staff not fixing a glaring issue in the offseason.

"The only thing that's gonna get it done is work and developing and improving," he said.

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