Brent Venables on Red River Rivalry: 'It doesn't get any better than this'

Ahead of the Red River Showdown, ESPN’s Chris Fowler got on the Cotton Bowl Stadium field to interview Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables.

The first question posed by Fowler: just how great an opportunity is this Texas game for his Sooners? Venables responded:

“Again, there’s pressure in the moment. Pressure is a privilege. And so, again, dominate this moment. The greatest opportunity in the world is today. Be present in this moment, embrace all the chaos of GameDay. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Next, Fowler shifted focus to ask Venables what he’s looking for out of his team after last season’s 49-nothing embarrassment.

“Well, it’s everything, you know. Handling the moment, find a way to win, No. 1. That’s our goal, you know, get to 1-0 today,” said the OU coach. “I mean, after today, half of our season will be finished, we’ll have a chance to be 6-0 and we still have the back half of our season.”

But he knows that’s no easy task. Texas was clearly a strong unit last season and appears to have only improved in 2023. Obviously, they showed their might early in the year with a win in Tuscaloosa against Alabama, so getting the win is going to be a very difficult task for Oklahoma, no matter how you slice it.

“You know, Texas is a really good football team. It’s going to be a great challenge. But through it all, you need challenges to have the change that you need,” explained Venables of the test his team faces today. It’s just another chance to keep building towards their ultimate goals.

“We got to continue to grow. We’re not anywhere close to what the vision is. But our players, man, have they worked hard — incredibly invested. I love what we’ve done for the last 12 months with this group of guys since we were here last.”

This is no longer the Lincoln-Riley-era Oklahoma that dominated Texas. No, these Sooners have to re-gain that respect, and it starts with putting on a terrific performance in Dallas.

“A lot of growth, a lot of development, a lot of new faces. And to get something that they’ve never had, you got to be willing to do something that they’ve never done. So, these guys are willing to do that and pay the price today.”

There you have it. Brent Venables is fired up and ready to go for what is a tremendous opportunity for his Oklahoma team.