Oklahoma LB Kendal Daniels After Loss to Ole Miss: 'We Have to Get Better'

Kendal Daniels had a strong individual game for the Sooners, but they still lost 34-26 to the Rebels to fall to 6-2.

Oklahoma defensive back Kendal Daniels | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma defensive back Kendal Daniels came to Oklahoma after playing on a 3-9 Oklahoma State squad in 2024.

Even after losing nine times a year ago, Daniels isn’t numb to the pain of defeat.

“You never get used to losing,” Daniels said. “I came in here and they treated me so well, I want to do so much for them, so it hurts.”

The Sooners lost their second game of 2025 on Saturday, falling 34-26 to No. 8 Ole Miss. The loss comes two weeks after OU fell 23-6 to Texas in the Red River Rivalry. After a 5-0 start, the Sooners are 6-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play.

In both of OU’s losses, the Sooners’ defense played exceptionally at times but couldn’t string together four quality quarters.

Against Ole Miss, OU allowed 431 yards of total offense. The Rebels converted on nine of their 21 third-down tries and held possession for 35:36.

Ole Miss dual-threat quarterback Trinidad Chambliss gave the Sooners fits: He finished the game with 315 passing yards and a touchdown, and he also rushed for 53 yards on 12 carries.

The players around Chambliss complemented him well, too. Running back Kewan Lacy went for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and three Ole Miss wideouts reeled in 60 or more receiving yards.

Oklahoma had plenty of positive defensive moments on Saturday, as the Sooners finished the game with 14 tackles for loss.

But the Rebels’ offense — more complete than any that the Sooners had previously faced — found a variety of ways to expose weaknesses in the nationally acclaimed OU defense.

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“We’ve just got to get back to the drawing board and fix the things that we’ve got to fix,” Daniels said. “We can’t let guys run free, and we’ll get better at it.”

Individually, Daniels was one of OU’s better defenders in the loss.

The Oklahoma State transfer led the Sooners with 2.5 tackles for loss. Daniels also had a team-best Pro Football Focus (PFF) tackling grade of 77.1.

But Daniels’ goal for Saturday wasn’t to have a strong individual performance — it was to win.

“We have to get better, keep putting one foot in front of the other,” Daniels said.

Oklahoma’s road doesn’t get any easier.

The Sooners play road games against Tennessee and Alabama before hosting Missouri and LSU to end the regular season. 

Whether it’s Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II or Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, Oklahoma’s defense will be tasked against some of the SEC’s most explosive offensive playmakers.

The loss will sting for the time being. But Daniels and his defensive teammates can’t allow the pain to affect their preparation for the final four games.

“You have to get used to playing top 10, top 25 teams every week,” Daniels said. “You have to be able to let it go, the good and the bad. Every game is the biggest week of the year. We just have to get back and work, work harder and get back to the drawing board and go down to Knoxville.”