Florida State football: 3 takeaways from Cheez-It Bowl win over Oklahoma
2. The end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end?
The Sooners’ upset bid to salvage their season came brutally close, but once again, this year from hell for Oklahoma ends in heartbreak and disappointment. It has been a little more than a calendar year since Lincoln Riley stunned the college football world and left Oklahoma for Southern California. In year one for new head coach Brent Venables, the Sooners had their first losing season since 1998.
Is this the end of a difficult transition process, or a sign of dark days ahead?
It’s probably tough for people to remember, but Oklahoma was 3-0 this fall and ranked in the top five in the country. Since their destruction of Nebraska that tricked many voters, the Sooners have fallen off the map, going 3-7 the rest of the way. What went wrong, and can it be fixed?
From an offensive perspective, the Sooners had a strong, but sometimes inconsistent season, finishing 33rd in the country in scoring. The only problem is that one, that’s the first time Oklahoma hasn’t finished top 10 in offense since 2014. Without an elite offense, their 99th-ranked defense once again failed to provide any resistance in 2022.
Their Cheez-It Bowl defeat was a perfect microcosm of their season. A 10-point underdog to FSU, the Sooners looked like the better team for large portions of the game. Inconsistent accuracy issues by Gabriel, and the inability to finish drives when they had FSU on the ropes, put their fate in their defense hands which is not a good plan.
Brent Venables’ first season was a humbling one for those in Norman, but I believe the worst is behind the program.
On Thursday night, we saw the Sooners absolutely run over a top-30 defense, rushing for 253 yards while totaling nearly 500 yards. What’s even more impressive is Oklahoma did this without their star running back and both their tackles, all three choosing to sit out the bowl game. If offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby can get Dillon Gabriel to be a little more efficient and accurate, this offense should be a top-10 unit next year, with a potentially dominant run game.
The fate of the Sooners in 2023 will fall on Venables’ ability to fix the defense. Their defense needs to not necessarily be a top-10 unit, but they need to cut their ranking in half. A top-50 defense in 2023, and Oklahoma is probably the favorite to win the Big 12. This should be possible thanks to a top-six recruiting class that will see 16 five and four-star recruits (nine on the defense) join the Sooners for 2023.
On top of that, Oklahoma has been the clear winner of the transfer portal adding immediate impact talent in Jacob Lacey from Notre Dame, Dasan McCullough from Indiana, and old friend Austin Stogner back from South Carolina.
This team should look very different and have a new energy going into 2023. With an easy non-conference schedule, expect the Sooners to have a major rebound in 2023.