OU notebook: Brent Venables says practice isn’t lacking physicality
A Brent Venables-run OU practice doesn’t lack physicality.
Despite some believing Venables might change his methods on practice, after talk of Oklahoma running out of gas halfway through last season, the Sooners are still practicing with an edge in fall camp.
“We have the exact same amount of live plays that we had a year ago,” Venables said Monday following OU’s ninth practice. “We might have less time on the field, but we have the same amount of plays. Just being more efficient, getting in and out of periods quicker, a little bit more of that. But the physicality has been good.
“It’s still about being physical. That’s been the same emphasis as it was a year ago. We’ve just got to be better at it. We weren’t very good at it a year ago as we needed to be. We’ve got to continue to still work hard to become a more physical football team.”
Oklahoma did have its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, which was full contact other than the quarterback. Venables was pleased with how the scrimmage went, ending with no injuries.
A few players who stood out in the scrimmage were wide receivers Andrel Anthony and Nic Anderson on offense and linebackers Danny Stutsman and Jaren Kanak on defense. You can read the full notes from the scrimmage here.
“The scrimmage was good to see,” Venables said. “Guys doing a good job in protection. The other side of the ball, doing a good job of condensing the pocket, playing physical in coverage. Receivers playing physical and making plays in coverage… Again, the physicality as a defense – we had some really good moments and we had some moments that we faded at the wrong time from a defensive standpoint. From the offensive standpoint, they did a good job in making you miss in space. But I like running the ball physically. The offensive line, man, they’re really coming along. I like that group of guys. The backs are running with power and physicality. And we’re playing a little more physical in our front seven.”
It did sound like the offense had a better day than the defense during the scrimmage. Still, Venables is happy with the progression of his defense so far through fall camp.
“Confidence. Aggressiveness. Physicality,” Venables said. “Consistency in that two-deep. It’s never where you want it to be, but it’s improved from where we were. That’s the biggest thing. I like watching guys that have really invested that have been here for whatever amount of time, I like to see them invested in chasing excellence. And knowing that again, I may not get there, but I like watching — there’s an intent that matters. And so we’ve got a lot of guys that are straining and competing and having the right mindset when it comes to every moment on the practice field, every rep in the meeting room, everything matters. So that’s part of it too. Just developing a culture of expectations and the willingness to move the expectations in the right direction.”
Stutsman working at MIKE and WILL
Stutsman is one of OU’s most experienced players returning on defense, having started at WILL linebacker for the Sooners last season. And he’s penciled in to start at WILL again for OU this year. But throughout fall camp, Stutsmand has played both WILL and MIKE linebacker, according to Venables.
“He can (play both). He certainly can. And we’ve done that some with him,” Venables said. “Just always looking at trying to anticipate, you know, what’s a worst-case scenario? You lose a guy, lose a couple of guys, what’s the next plan? Who’s the next best guy? And so we’re trying to figure all that out and develop that, nurture that development. And I like where we’re at that way.”
Kanak, Kobie McKinzie, and Konnor Near are the three frontrunners to start next to Stutsman. Kip Lewis has also been thrown into the mix, mostly working at the WILL position. The two inside linebacker positions, while each has different responsibilities, they are somewhat interchangeable. Right now, Venables is just looking for the best pairing with Stutsman.
Oklahoma certainly has more options than a year ago, with little depth behind Stutsman and David Ugwoegbu. And with that comes high expectations for the linebacker group.
“Comparing last year, looking at it with a new system, guys were kind of slow to pick things up,” Stutsman said. “But now we’ve got guys who’ve already been in the system a little bit and able to kind of teach those younger guys. It makes the transition so much easier for those guys who are just now coming in. We’ve already kind of laid the foundation for them, so they can just take our stepping stones and learn so much faster.”
Who is standing out among OU tight ends?
One position group that OU doesn’t have a lot of depth at is tight end. South Carolina transfer Austin Stogner is the only player who really has much college football experience. And from the outside looking in, it doesn’t appear OU has the dynamic weapons it’s used to having at the position.
But Venables said others are starting to step up, including Texas A&M transfer Blake Smith, true freshman Kade McIntyre, and Michigan State transfer Hampton Fay, who is a converted quarterback.
“Obviously Stog’s done a great job. Blake and Mack (Kade McIntyre), Hamp(ton Fay) — those guys, in particular, are guys who have gotten most of the reps,” Venables said. “They’ve done well, really well. That’s a group that’s continued to evolve and improve and getting better.”
And it sounds like Fay could be the surprise contributor of the group.
“Hamp’s a guy that, he’s big, he’s super athletic, can really run,” Venables said. “He’s strong, he’s tough, he’s competitive, he’s physical. And he comes with some confidence having just been an offensive player at quarterback. He’s not like the right guard who has to learn tight end. He’s a guy who has a quarterback background that understands what a tight end’s supposed to do. I think that’s helped him from a transition standpoint.”
Jayden Rowe trying to stay healthy
One guy we haven’t heard much about this offseason and in fall camp is redshirt freshman defensive back Jayden Rowe. From Tulsa Union High School, Rowe is considered one of the best athletes on the team at 6-foot-2, 224 pounds. He can play multiple positions but has primarily been working at cornerback. He could be a potential cheetah candidate, too.
It sounds like though Rowe has been a little injured this fall and is just now getting back to full health.
“He’s been doing good,” Venables said. “He had some minor bumps and tweaks, things like that. He has really had that since he’s been here, been snakebit that way. One of a handful of guys. When he’s been out and been available, as I said before, your best ability is your availability. He’s got all the ability in the world. We just gotta keep him out here on the field, because when he is, he’s a sponge, he plays hard, he plays incredibly competitive, really smart. He’s big and long and fast. So hopefully we can keep him healthy and bring him along. He could really help us.”
OU cornerback competition
One of the most competitive position battles this fall camp is at cornerback. Senior Woodi Washington is expected to start on one side, with freshman Jasaiah Wagoner, sophomore Gentry Williams and JUCO product Kendel Dolby leading the way. It also sounds like freshman Makari Vickers has had a nice camp and could also be apart of the rotation.
“The competition’s been great. Love that group of guys, and just trying to strain them, get them ready, and get them game-ready,” Venables said. “Dolby’s a guy that’s actually played some college football, and he’s had a really good camp — had a better camp than he had spring. Makari Vickers is having a better camp than he had spring, not that that’s earth-shattering there, just making improvement that you want those guys to make. Really, the whole group is improving. So, I’m really excited about that group of guys, about the improvement they’ve made.”
Justin Harrington’s growth at cheetah
A player who has been all the buzz during fall camp is senior Justin Harrington, who is competing for the starting cheetah position. Harrington has always had high expectations, but it hasn’t translated to the field yet. Harrington played in a limited role last season as backup safety and cheetah. But now in his third season at Oklahoma, Harrington appears to be coming along in Venables’ defense.
“He’s good. A year ago, he came right at the end of spring football because we let him back on the team, so he didn’t know anything,” Venables said. “He went into the summer not knowing anything. And hadn’t played much football in a while. So, really wasn’t able to find a niche other than some special teams and really dedicated the offseason to getting better and becoming more knowledgeable and making improvements in all the areas fundamentally in strength and explosiveness. He has had some great moments and some great learning moments as well in camp. He’s got some versatility. He can play multiple spots and we’ll continue to develop that part of his game.”
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