The Oklahoma football team has been here before under coach Brent Venables. The question is how Week 4 goes.
For now, Venables and the Sooners stand at 3-0 three weeks into the season. They have started with three straight wins in each of Venables’ four seasons. What’s different about 2025, though, is that Oklahoma already owns a win over a major competitor after beating Michigan in Week 2.
Temple didn’t quite put up as much of a fight.
Oklahoma’s defense allowed just 104 yards, the lowest total allowed in 11 seasons. John Mateer was good enough – one touchdown throwing and another rushing – to leave in the third quarter. And freshman running back Tory Blaylock picked up the first 100-yard game of his career as he ran for that number to go along with two touchdowns.
Here’s what Venables had to say after the game.
Opening remarks
I thought the guys did a great job, got in a really good rhythm on offense and defense. Kicking game, for the most part, was really good all day. … Offense, again, really got into a great rhythm. We had that turnover late just before half. Probably my favorite part of the game to watch that defense come out and knock them backwards and hold them to a field goal. … Then our offense gets the ball and 10 plays, 60-plus yards later, we’re able to milk the clock for the most part and kick the field goal there. Tory Blaylock was really good again. Isaiah Sategna, just a really good football player. (Jaren) Kanak made some really good plays again. Offense rushed the ball for 5 1/2 yards per carry. Can still be better. Offensive line played pretty good all day. Defense gave up 38 yards in the second half. … I thought our guys fit things pretty good. Got them to third down, third-and-long, it was going to be hard for them. … Proud of the guys just for good tough-mindedness. It’s a fun group. They’re very competitive. Just a really passionate, high-energy football team that believes in themselves and one another. They like to play and compete. That was cool to see.
On ejection of R Mason Thomas
I didn’t see it. Put your face to their face, the quarterback, they’re going to call it most of the time. We’ll be without him, obviously, first half of next week.
On Tory Blaylock
Just a tough guy. Not 100 percent healthy. He loves to compete. Been bragging on him since way back in the spring. led the spring with most explosive plays. Got great speed. You saw that. His burst. He’s got really good patience as a running back. Runs through his pads and arm tackles.
On Kendal Dolby
Kendal Dolby, how cool was that for me. Want to make a grown man cry? To see him back out there this week in practice. Pre-game, I was ‘you need to pull back.’ He was wide open in pre-game. Great for him. Good for us going forward. One of the best leaders we have on the team. A lot of passion and energy when Kendal Dolby is around.
On Reggie Powers III
Reggie, first career sack. Him and Boganowski. He plays really fast. He’s super physical. Plays good in coverage. Really serious all the time. … He’s got a lot of great qualities that are going to take him a long way.
On overall thoughts
I think just efficient. No badge of honor or anything like that. Chest-thumping. But that’s not easy to do either. I don’t want to diminish the ability to execute, to complement one another, to be ready, to compete. Seemed like the game was six hours long. Seemed like it was a long game. To see our guys continue to play, that’s what you want to see. Things don’t get sloppy.
On nearly safety/lack of turnovers by defense
How disgusting is that? We’ve been preaching it. We start every practice with turnover circuit. They’ll come. If we’re getting our brains beat in and we don’t have any turnovers, I wouldn’t like any of it. That’s going to be a really improtant part as we just into SEC play here next week. That’s going to have a big impact. We need to just continue to hang in there and they’ll come. We’re playing fast. We’re doing all the right things when it comes to drill work and finishing the football. Just hasn’t gone our way right now.
On John Mateer
Steady. Consistent. Tough. He’s a great leader. Team really has latched on to his personality and his passion. I think that you have an opportunity to become great at what you do in this space when you can reproduce that passion and energy. I think he brings out the best in people around him.
On depth
I really liked all three levels. I think we really have, we have good depth at all three levels. Not amazing depth. But we have good depth. What that looks like is right now we have a rotation. it may not be a solid two-deep at each position, but maybe it’s a 1 1/2. Or maybe it’s not a three-deep but it’s a solid two. I do think that this is a very hungry, driven, humble, tough, high-standard group of young men that they like to be pushed, like to be challenged. And when they go play together, it resembles recess. I say that respectfully. They have fun. When you’re passionate about something, you have a chance to be great.
