Brent Venables takes shot at Mario Cristobal, Miami football struggles

Last year, it’s safe to say, didn’t go well for Brent Venables as he took over at Oklahoma. The Sooners finished 6-7, including a 35-32 loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Venables put his first season as OU’s head coach into interesting perspective at Big 12 Media Days this week. In the process, he appeared to take a shot at Mario Cristobal and Miami after their struggles in 2022.

“6-7, none of it’s any good,” Venables said. “But had we gotten blown out by Middle Tennessee, had we gotten beat by Florida State 45-3, the conversation’s probably a little different.”

Middle Tennessee and Florida State had one thing in common in 2022. Both teams blew out Miami. The Blue Raiders beat the Hurricanes 45-31 in September and the Seminoles flew past UM 45-3, as enables mentioned. Cristobal’s group finished 5-7 to miss out on a bowl game.

Venables’ point was more about how different seven-loss teams can be. Both Miami and Oklahoma were in the first years of new eras, but lost in different ways. The Hurricanes lost five games by double-digits while the Sooners lost just two, including a 49-0 loss to rival Texas.

The Sooners were picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll and have a win total of 9.5, according to VegasInsider. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes’ win total is 7.5 and came in at No. 7 in On3’s Jesse Simonton’s post-spring ACC power rankings in May. The ACC preseason poll hasn’t come out yet.

But both programs put together strong recruiting classes in 2023. Miami finished with the No. 6-ranked group in the nation and Oklahoma came in directly behind the Hurricanes at No. 7 during the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. As the 2024 cycle heats up, the two teams are neck-and-neck again. Miami has the No. 15 class and Oklahoma sits at No. 16, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

As the 2023 season approaches, all eyes will be on quarterback play at both UM and OU. For Miami, Tyler Van Dyke is back for another year after getting plenty of hype entering the 2022 season. Injuries got in the way as he struggled, throwing for 1,835 yards and 10 touchdowns along with five interceptions in nine games.

Dillon Gabriel is also in his second year at Oklahoma with Jeff Lebby pushing the buttons on offense. Last year, after transferring from UCF, Gabriel threw for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns in 12 games.