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Why Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables Says Playing at Night is a "Great Opportunity"

The Sooners will play their third night game of the year on Saturday when the West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Norman for Week 11 of the college football season.
Randall Sweet|
Why Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables Says Playing at Night is a "Great Opportunity"
Why Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables Says Playing at Night is a "Great Opportunity"

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Oklahoma Sooners

For years, Oklahoma fans have been clamoring for less 11 a.m. kickoffs and more nighttime games. 

This came to a boiling point two years ago, when the Sooners renewed their historic rivalry against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While many OU fans believed the two teams should have played in primetime, both the 2021 and 2022 meetings between the longtime rivals kicked off at 11 a.m..

For fans, being able to attend a night contest creates a fun, unique environment that adds to the experience of attending an OU game. Later kickoff times mean that fans don't have to wake up as early to arrive at the game and that once they get to the stadium, they're typically more fired up. 

Any primetime matchup under the lights makes fans more excited than having to wake up at 8 a.m. to wade through crowds of people just to get into a game that kicks off in the middle of the day. 

So far this season, the Sooners have played two night games, and will play their third on Saturday against West Virginia. Oklahoma took down SMU 28-11 in a Week 2 matchup that kicked off at 5 p.m. and then defeated Iowa State 50-20 in a Week 5 showdown that started at 6 p.m..

Against the Cyclones, OU tried out its stadium light show for the first time all season, which seemed to be a hit amongst fans and recruits. 

Playing games after dark allows the Sooners to get creative in their game day presentation to both fans and recruits, resulting in fun light shows and other unique experiences. While this may not seem very important, it is a huge marketing tactic for the program to help recruit high school prospects and sell more tickets to fans.

At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables talked about playing at night instead of during the daytime. 

"Our fans, they do a great job showing up all the time, but for whatever reason, night games draw a few more people," Venables said. "Preparation, everybody'll have the same amount of time, so I'm not sure if it's an advantage or not. I've said it many time — I think most players and coaches prefer to wake up and go play. But it is an opportunity."

Coming off of two consecutive losses on the road, OU will need its fans out in full support with a 6-3 Mountaineers team coming to town. 

There was some worry that fans may not have as much interest in attending this weekend's game after Venables' team has tumbled down the rankings, which would result in a flat, emotionless crowd on Saturday. With the matchup slotted for primetime, however, there should be renewed interest from Sooners' fans that makes Saturday night a lively atmosphere at Gaylord-Family Memorial Stadium.

In addition to the fan experience, night games are a huge recruiting tool. Not only are recruits able to see a packed house and an energetic environment, but it is easier to bring in prospects from further away when playing at night. 

If the recruit has a high school football game on Friday night, it makes it very difficult for a prospect from Ohio (like OU 2024 DB commit Reggie Powers III) to get on a plane and fly to Oklahoma early the next morning. 

When the game is at night, however, it is much easier for players like this to take their time and be much less rushed when taking their visit to Norman.

At his press conference on Tuesday, Venables talked about the recruiting advantages that night games present. 

"It's a great opportunity for people to travel from a recruiting standpoint from a little farther away," Venables said. "Gives an opportunity from a time standpoint whether you're getting in a car or catching a plane as an official visitor or things of that nature. For recruiting, it can be a real plus for you as well."

For example, during this weekend's night game, the Sooners will play host to elite 4-star offensive lineman Grant Brix, who is reportedly in the final stages of making a decision between Nebraska and Oklahoma. 

There is sure to be a large handful of recruits at the game, as OU loves to bring local prospects to campus when the team is playing a home game. In the Sooners' third game under the lights of the season, Venables' squad will have the chance to get back on track in front of its home crowd.

Oklahoma will meet West Virginia at 6 p.m. on Fox this Saturday in Norman.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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