Watch Brent Venables fiery postgame speech after Sooners win

Oklahoma’s narrow 31-29 victory over the UCF Knights was their closest win of the season, just edging out their four-point triumph against Texas. In the first five games, the Sooners dominated their opponents, winning each match by at least two touchdowns and averaging a massive 36.6 points per game.

However, Saturday’s game was different. The UCF Knights gave Oklahoma a tough challenge, but the Sooners fought back relentlessly. Despite both the offense and defense facing difficulties, they displayed determination and resilience to secure a two-point win and maintain their unbeaten record. While there is still room for improvement, this team has positioned itself as one of the best in college football.

Surprisingly, Brent Venables, the team’s coach, is not shocked by their success. In a postgame speech, he emphasized the importance of ignoring skepticism and focusing on their capabilities as a team:

“When we stay inside out, we’re not going to listen to all the noise,” said Venables. “People are doubting us. As I told you, everybody that ain’t a Sooner is holding their breath, waiting for Oklahoma to collapse. Right? To fall on our face. Man, there were some people they was ready to celebrate.

“But they don’t know. They don’t know. The heart of this football team. The leadership of this football team. The capability of this football team. This team, again, I’ve said it for a long time. No Limits on this one. I just stand back and watch for a little bit. Okay, since January. I didn’t say this in January. I didn’t say it in spring ball. I didn’t say it at the beginning of the summer. I wanna see you guys prove it. You’ve proven it to me. No limits on what this team can do.”

During the summer, Coach Venables expressed his belief that this team had the potential to “hang a banner” in 2023, provided the defense improved. After their win against Texas and their undefeated start, that statement no longer seems far-fetched. Both the offense and defense have shown significant improvement, resulting in this team’s ability to win games even when they are not at their best.

In 2022, the Sooners struggled in close games, losing all five one-score matchups. However, this season, they have flipped the script, winning both of their narrow contests. This turnaround has propelled Oklahoma toward a Big 12 title game appearance and has sparked conversations about their potential inclusion in the College Football Playoff. The team currently holds the 6th position in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.

As the season progresses, there is still much work to be done. The Sooners will face challenges in their upcoming games against Kansas, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, BYU, and TCU. However, their performances in the last two games have demonstrated their readiness to take on any challenge.

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Story originally appeared on Sooners Wire