Brent Venables calls upon Oklahoma run game to show up in the fourth quarter against UCF: 'Guys got to do their jobs'

Brent Venables is calling on the Oklahoma run game to wake up in the fourth quarter against UCF.

Speaking with ESPN before the clock started ticking in the final quarter against the Knights, Venables explained what the Sooners must do to comeback from a six-point deficit. Evidently, he believes it starts with running the football, as Oklahoma is only averaging 3.3 yards-per-carry at the moment.

“We’ve got to pop guys loose,” theorized Venables. “We’ve got to break tackles on the second and third level. When we do have a play designed, we’ve got guys we’ve got to clear out. Guys got to do their jobs. It’s a lot of little things.

“A lot of little details. … We’ve got to do a better job cleaning up some details in the run game.”

A loss against the Knights would be a death-blow to Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff chances. Time will tell if the Sooners can right the ship over the next fifteen minutes of football or not.

Dillon Gabriel reveals what he wants Oklahoma offense to improve on in second half of year

Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s offense was firing on all cylinders versus Texas and beyond throughout the first half of the season with quarterback Dillon Gabriel under center. Gabriel leads the Big 12 Conference with 1,878 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes, serving as the engine of the Sooners’ high powered offense that leads the conference in scoring at 45.2 points per game. 

But Gabriel and the offense are still looking to improve during the second half of the season, which he recently discussed following the team’s Tuesday practice. 

“Yeah I just think it’s just as a group we gotta be better, and I say that there’s parts where we can get away from people and we leave them in the game,” Gabriel said. “And I think us being able to take advantage every opportunity, close the door early, and just knowing how good we can be because we haven’t played our best football.” 

The Sooners have slightly taken their foot off of the gas in the second half of a handful of games offensively this season, but if they’re yet to play their best football yet, the Big 12 Conference better beware.

Only three teams in the nation score more points per game than Oklahoma, and their passing attack ranks fourth in the nation averaging 341.2 yards through the air per game.