Brent Venables Explains Oklahoma's Defensive Collapse: 'I Let My Guys Down'

DALLAS — After three offensive possessions, it seemed Texas had no road map, no plans, and certainly no solution against the Oklahoma defense.

For the Sooners — ranked No. 1 in the nation in so many defensive categories, even compared frequently to some of the great OU defense throughout history — Saturday’s Red River Rivalry seemed very much business as usual.

Then, suddenly and without warning, everything changed.

The No. 6-ranked Sooners — ranked No. 1 nationally in quarterback sacks — couldn’t get to Texas quarterback Arch Manning. 

OU — ranked No. 1 nationally in third-down stop percentage — couldn’t get off the field on third down.

Finally, Oklahoma — ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense, yards per play, tackles for loss, and punts forced — collapsed in a dramatic 23-6 defeat.

The OU offense, even with quarterback John Mateer attempting an heroic comeback from a broken thumb, did nothing to support their defensive counterparts. Even the OU special teams couldn’t sustain their winning pace and gave up a 75-yard punt return.

But the utter collapse of the Sooner defense was most perplexing of all.

“That starts with me,” said head coach Brent Venables. “We have to do a better job. I let my guys down when it comes to that. 

“We’ve played with a focus, passion, intensity all year long. We didn’t have it when we needed to, particularly to start in the third quarter.”

The Longhorns finished with just 302 yards of total offense and averaged just 4.9 yards per play.

But when they needed a play — particularly a third-down conversion or an escape by Manning or a tough run by Tre Wisner — they got it.

Texas ended up converting 10-of-17 on third down.

“We tried to limit possessions intentionally in this game,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We slowed things down, we sped things up, we huddled more — and that’s a credit to the guys on offense of handling a game plan that was not easy but they did a really nice job of it.”

When things started tough for the Horns and Sarkisian adjusted, Venables and his defense didn’t react well.

Texas’ first three possessions consumed just 14 plays and netted 20 yards.

Their next three possessions went 12 plays for 75 yards, 14 play for 75 yards and 13 plays for 65 yards — and turned a 6-0 deficit into a 13-6 lead. The Longhorns even missed two long field goals that could have added to OU’s misery.

“We helped play a part in that with our mistakes,” Venables said. “Being offsides, again, not tackling like we need to tackle like we have tackled, knocking people back. I thought the pile went the wrong way too often. All year, it had been complete opposite.” 

“I put it on me,” said senior safety Robert Spears-Jennings. “I’ve got to tackle way better. It’s third downs, I’m missing tackles that I need to make and I’m putting our defense in a tougher position because they’re converting on third downs and that’s not our standard. So I put that loss on me for real for real because I have to make the tackle. That’s unacceptable. We practice it every day and I have to make those layups.”

It wasn’t all on Spears-Jennings, of course. Everybody contributed.

“I sacked him and jumped offsides, so it just basically cancels each other out,” said senior defensive end R Mason Thomas. “So it’s bad, and that’s on me. And I said that to the defense. That’s like a drive-killer for us on defense.”

“We've gotta stop having ’My bads,’ “ said senior linebacker Kendal Daniels. “We're deep enough in the season. Even myself, we can't have ‘My bads’ deep in the drive. Teams can't go on 14-play drives on a defense like ours.”

Meanwhile, Manning — who had been beaten up by Ohio State, Florida and basically the college football universe — responded like a first-round draft pick, deftly getting himself out of pressure and frequently delivering big-time throws for first downs. Texas averaged 9 yards to go on its 17 third down plays, but Manning was cool under fire.

After going 0-for-3 on third downs in the first quarter, Texas was 2-for-3 in the second quarter, and that fueled a third quarter in which they were 7-of-8. That changed the game.

“We possessed the ball, we extended drives, we were getting third downs, we scored a touchdown,” Sarkisian said. “That kind of started that, and when we got in the locker room it was kind of, ‘OK, we got 30 minutes, now let’s go play.’ “

“We just weren't getting off the field on third down,” Daniels said. “We had an offside, and then we couldn't make the tackles. We let the quarterback get out and scramble. Gotta be able to get off the field on third downs. That's what made it go on so long.”

“The discipline, the physicality, doing the things we had done in the five games — we didn’t do it with the consistency that we needed to,” Venables said. “We had several times, even within those drives, had them knocked back second-and-16, third-and-long, they blocked us and protected. We didn’t have the edge and the fire, to me, that you need to go in there to go and win that game. That starts with me.”