What Brent Venables had to say after Oklahoma beat LSU

A year ago, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables found himself on the hot seat. The Sooners had finished 6-6 during the regular season for the second time in his three years.

On Saturday, following the Sooners' win over LSU - a win that practically cinched up OU's spot in the College Football Playoff - Venables was asked to reflect on how far his team had come in that year. Oklahoma finished the 2025 regular season at 10-2, also the second time they've achieved that mark under his guidance.

Except now, it has come in the SEC. And it came Saturday against an LSU team that has long been considered, just below Alabama and Georgia, the standard-bearer in the conference.

Venables smiled for a majority of his post-game press conference. He knows Oklahoma was one big play away from not making it to this point.

Here's what he had to say after the 17-13 win.

Opening statement

The stats, there’s not a whole lot to really brag about on the stat sheet other than that score. Our ability, I thought the night was really about kind of persevering, getting out of our own way. Between turnovers and penalties. Some things you’d like to get back as coaches at times. Our guys are just able to figure it out and find it a way. The stat sheet is kind of grimy. That’s what the stat sheet is. We talked about five weeks ago, in our team meeting after the Ole Miss game, obviously, it’s not a very positive mood initially. The guys come in and it’s really quiet. We kind of circle-the-wagon moment and try to instill confidence. We lost a tough game that night against a really good football team. We had our opportunities and the game teaches you a lot of hard, tough lessons. I’m not really one to put the cart before the horse, but put a big graphic on the screen, had an ESPN playoff simulator or whatever, percentages, if the Sooners go 4-0 in their last four regular-season games, what the chances are. It was like 92%. I’m not really like that. But I think our guys kind of needed a shot in arm and a vision for what is in front of us if we just put our head down and go have a great Monday practice. We had good self-awareness about the areas that we need to improve and clean up. We really felt like this team, if we did the things we needed to do, what we could accomplish. It was at the moment kind of unthinkable for a lot of people. But thankful our players, that day, they made a decision. What a cool story that they have. The narrative wasn’t always on their side. They kind of had to fight through that, as well. … Still takes action. The words are just words. The graphic is just a graphic. This team is about action. Even in the game tonight, when it didn’t look very good for the good guys, they were able to overcome a couple of interceptions to start the second half. We just grinded away. Isaiah Sategna, he’s pretty special. He’s somebody on the stat sheet that looks pretty dang good. Nine catches, 60-yard touchdown, the return, what a huge play that was. Just a room full of a bunch of misfits and they believe and they’re kind of grimy and they like it. We’ll see what is front of us right now. We’re going to take a couple days off, get a couple lifts in, get our bodies and our minds and our spirits where they need to be. I’m super thankful to be their coach. Man, they just got the right stuff.

On John Mateer

Not surprised. He threw for over 300 yards. Ran the ball. A lot of it didn’t look like a lot. But he took shot after shot. Blow after blow. Responded. Thankful that he’s got the right kind of toughness and the resolve to believe there at the end. He’s done that at several of the games. He did it again here tonight. We really took the whole game to complement one another, but we finally did. I believe in John and what he’s got, absolutely.

On thoughts during last defensive stand

The last drive? I’m glad they burned a couple timeouts. If we can create negative plays here within the drive and be smart about it. I’m like, this drive is dramatically different (than the previous drive). We were going to call a timeout there on third-and-medium, see what they’re in. They saved us from having to do that. They used their own. Then he kind of scramble for a couple yards there and I’m like ‘Oh, we got them.’ And I’m saying this super humbly. But we worked really hard on what was going to go down on fourth-and-short, fourth-and-1, fourth-and-2, fourth-and-3, each one of those scenarios. It was like ‘Oh my gosh.’ We had the right personnel, the right everything. We didn’t do the little things right when we played Ole Miss in the same situation. We were a little off. Here we are five weeks later and we were just better. We pulled up those plays all week. This is what they’re watching. I’d like to think we blow somebody out. No. It’s just not our luck or not in the cards or not in our league. But we were worked really hard on that scenario and that situation to win the game. Walking through last night, getting a little chitty chatter going on, getting a little loose. I blow the whistle at the hotel, challenge the guys. ‘You guys wanna win the game? There ain’t another time. This is the one of one time to get the details down one last time to get the details down to win the frickin’ game on this side of the ball. This is the moment. All right? So get your eyes where they belong. I know everybody’s good. Nobody’s trying to murder nobody or anything. But this is the moment to freaking lock-in and have laser focus.’ And they did. Finished up in a great way then the moment came to fruition. Man, we had a lot of cool moments tonight where we were just punching back in all three phases.

On Oklahoma offense

That’s a side of the ball we’ve had a few more injuries, a bunch of new guys. The things that they’ve been able to do at the times they’ve been able to do it is really great. Plenty of things we’ve got to get better. I hate saying it. Feeling like it’s a broken record, but it is. In some ways, there’s plenty of it that wasn’t good enough. Could have lost the game because of the mistakes that we made in this game. But when you’re good enough - again, I don’t think it’s an act of God. I think when you’re good enough you can find a way to overcome it and we did.

On playoff picture

I don’t even know what that means. I’d love an invitation. I don’t care if it’s on the road or if it’s here. I say I don’t care, of course, I’d love it to be here. I’ve spent no time looking at that. I don’t know. They’re not listening to me. There’s plenty of things to look at for them to make the decisions that they make. I’m sure it’s not easy. Wherever they ask us to play, we’ll show up.

On close games

If anything we’re comfortable when it ain’t going great. I think that this is a team that has poise in those moments. Being battle-tested, I think there’s confidence in the things we’ve had to go through and overcome. Again, the teams that we’re playing have the ability to punch back. It’s not like we’re going against a bunch of chumps. We’re going against good players, elite players, elite coaches. This is a team that, again, we described them, they know how to find a way in these moments. Keep playing, keep throwing punches back. Certainly it’s prepared us.

On how far team has come

In the locker room, we’ve been talking about it. We had 25 seniors that we recognized. The things that several of those guys have been through. You’re incredibly thankful, proud. You judge a tree by its fruit. The fruit in this business is winning. The fruit at this school is being in the conversation and having a season that’s worthy to talk about. Still haven’t done anything, quote-unquote, but we’ve built on a really good foundation. All of our best days are sitting in front of us still. Still haven’t played our best four quarters of football. ‘Well, when is that going to happen?’ I don’t know. I don’t know. I can’t say. Wish I could.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: What Brent Venables had to say following Oklahoma's win over LSU