Dave Aranda says Oklahoma is 'finding themselves' under Brent Venables

Things got off the rails quickly for Oklahoma during the month of October. They were the nation’s No. 6 team towards the end of September but a loss to Kansas State sent them spiraling as they entered Big 12 play. They followed that loss to the Wildcats with two more losses to TCU and Texas by a combined score of 104-24. It hasn’t been the season the Sooners were hoping for but, ahead of their game with Baylor, Dave Aranda says he has seen improvement from Brent Venables’ squad.

Aranda discussed Oklahoma’s season during his press conference on Monday. He says they’re much like the Bears in that they’re searching for who they are as a football team. Their recent pair of wins over Kansas and Iowa State over the last three weeks show Aranda a team that is now stepping in the right direction.

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“I think, right now with Coach Venables, they’re still kind of finding themselves. Which you could say about us too over here,” said Aranda. “I think there’s been improvement these last couple of weeks. They’re playing hard for him. So you can see the inspired play.”

The defense is what really has the Sooners back playing competitive football. After giving up 48.3 points to open conference play, they’ve only allowed an average of 27.5 in their wins over the Jayhawks and Cyclones. That’s still not great but it’s far more manageable, especially considering the return of Dillon Gabriel to the Oklahoma offense.

Over the last three weeks, Aranda says Oklahoma has come together. They’re developing into who they were meant to be, which makes them a far more formidable challenge for Baylor this weekend.

“You can see a defense that has found an identity and is playing towards it. They really ran the ball well (offensively) this last game, and I’m sure that helped the defense. So you’re seeing a collective team emerging,” Aranda said. “I think that’s probably the best way to answer that question. This Oklahoma team is becoming right now.”

Neither Baylor nor Oklahoma has had the season they were hoping for in 2022. With that said, this is a big game for both teams as they stand at 5-3 overall on the season. If Aranda’s team wants to come out on top, they’ll need to topple a Sooner team that’s finding its footing. Having to do so in Norman too only adds another layer to that challenge.