Brent Venables on failed two-point conversion vs. Navy: 'I'd go for it again'

Oklahoma put it all on the line in the Armed Forces Bowl and walked away empty-handed. On Friday, Oklahoma scored with six seconds left in the game to cut Navy‘s lead to 21-20.

Instead of taking the extra point and heading into overtime, the Sooners tried to end the game there and then, electing to go for two instead. On the two-point conversion, Navy sacked Oklahoma QB Michael Hawkins Jr. before ever had a chance to throw it. Ball game.

Naturally, many fans questioned Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables‘ call to go for two in the situation. After the game, Venables defended his decision.

“We had a chance to win there,” Venables said. “We got the coverage that we hoped to get and they did a good job of staying back outside of the route. If we were able to hold it a little bit longer, I think we worked one over the middle over late. But, I’d go for it again in every situation.”

Oklahoma was playing through adversity on Friday. More than two dozen Sooners had entered the transfer portal ahead of the game. Moreover, Oklahoma was without standout LB Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman, who both opted out of playing to instead prepare for the NFL Draft.

The unfamiliarity of some of Oklahoma’s players showed despite their best efforts. The team had six dropped passes in the loss largely due to the fact that all of scholarship receivers on the field were freshmen.

Now, Venables and Co. must take the pain from their 6-7 season and loss to Navy and use it to improve this offseason.

“Everything falls on me,” Venables said. “Everything falls at my feet. Really disappointed in myself. I need to be a lot better, and that goes without saying.”

“… Everybody’s disappointed, embarrassed, all of those things. But I’m not embarrassed of the fight, the commitment, the work, the belief, the strain, the sacrifice, all the things that these guys have represented. I’m not in any way, shape or form embarrassed in them for that. But we’ve got to be better. This is a game of performance…and we fell well short of that this year.”

This season was Brent Venables’ third at the helm of Oklahoma. It was a step backward for the Sooners, who finished with a 10-3 record in the 2023 campaign.