Tramel's ScissorTales: Why Brent Venables has to play psychologist for OU vs. Kansas State
Brent Venables says beating Nebraska wasn’t an emotional victory. At least not for him.
And who can argue? The only emotion for most Sooners with a sense of history was sadness at how far the Cornhuskers have fallen.
Routing Nebraska 49-14 – the game wasn’t that close – was like any other game, Venables said.
“Preparing and getting ready and competing in a game is really hard,” Venables said. “Winning is even harder. So you always want to have an appreciation for what it takes to win. But last week's game is not unlike any other game to me.”
Eventually we’ll have some clues on whether that’s coachspeak or truth. Whether that plays out on the field or is debunked.
But that kind of mindset would/will be valuable Saturday, when OU hosts Kansas State in a game that has lost its luster.
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The Wildcats, considered a darkhorse in the Big 12 race this season, got a lot darker Saturday, losing 17-10 at home to Tulane.
Tulane is capable of scaring a good Big 12 team. We saw that last year on Owen Field, where the Green Wave lost 40-35 to the Sooners and had the ball at midfield in the waning minutes before a lost fumble sealed the win for OU.
But still. Kansas State is a team with six players selected for the preseason all-Big 12 team (OU had one). And the Wildcats were outclassed by Tulane, which didn’t even win the turnover battle (2-0 ‘Cats).
This seems like a trap game for the Sooners. Coming off Nebraska (which was billed as a big deal, whether it was or not) and now facing a team seven points shy of Tulane.
Can Venables get his team to buy into that preparation stuff?
“Again, with all due respect, if it's about us before, it's certainly about us after as well,” Venables said. “And it will be moving forward. So I don't have to change anything up.
“We have a very clear vision for a routine and what it takes to get our guys ready to play and compete at a high level.”
Venables already is doing his part, building up K-State's offense as an intricate, sophisticated machine that causes defensive problems, though quarterback Adrian Martinez has averaged just 101.3 yards per game passing. That’s a number from 1964.
Venables admits his job is to reprogram his players every week.
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“What's difficult, as you prepare every week, is again, starting over, flushing that - and you're talking about young people, so if they had success, it's the hardest time to teach and coach with your success,” Venables said. “So who likes to be told, ‘OK, great job here, but man, these things were terrible.’
“That doesn't resonate with a whole lot of people. But in our world, it needs to. Because they're gonna find you. You know, when people are breaking you down (on video), they're not looking at all the great things that you do. They're looking for opportunities. They're certainly looking for tendencies. But they're looking for opportunities to expose weakness and to neutralize what you do best. So this week will be no different than any other week.”
This much we know. Kansas State is well-coached. We’ve seen enough of Chris Klieman in his three-plus years in the league to know that.
And while this is an extreme makeover OU roster, at least half the players have lined up against K-State and know the recent history. Klieman’s first two Wildcat teams beat the Sooners, 48-41 and 38-35, and lost just 37-31 a year ago.
The psychological side of football is not new to Venables. He’s been trying to play Vulcan mind tricks on his defenses for a generation. Now he’s got the added duty of doing the same with the entire squad.
“What I told myself, I'm gonna be a head coach now and I need to lead everybody, but I don't mind that,” Venables said. “Getting our guys to have the right mindset and the right focus. I've been doing it on one side of the ball, now I gotta get everybody to do it. And I gotta lead by example.
“And when I'm at my best is just focusing on, again, what it takes to win this week. And what helps me is staying in the structure, in a minute-to-minute, focused intensity and structure to help be the compass for the week. Here's what we do Monday. Here's what we do Tuesday. Here's what we do Wednesday … I think that's what helps all of us stay in our lane.”
I have no idea what will happen Saturday. I can’t figure out the Wildcats. But for now, I’ll buy the Venables mantra and believe he’ll have the Sooners ready.
Let’s get to the predictions.
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Berry Tramel's Week 4 college football predictions
Kansas State at Oklahoma: Sooners 30-10. The Wildcats have been to Norman in three Septembers this century; KSU has gone home twice with a victory and once with a 38-37 loss.
Baylor at Iowa State: Cyclones 23-22. The home team has won four straight in what has been a really close series – Baylor leads 10-9 in the Big 12 era.
Texas Christian at Southern Methodist: Horned Frogs 42-32. Until Chandler Morris’ knee injury in TCU’s season opener at Colorado, this figured to be a matchup of former OU quarterbacks. Now, SMU’s Tanner Mordecai will go against TCU veteran Max Duggan.
Duke at Kansas: Blue Devils 31-30. Duke, 3-0, already has matched its 2021 win total. KU, 3-0, already has surpassed its 2021 win total.
West Virginia at Virginia Tech: Hokies 26-24. The Mountaineers need a win desperately to right this season, and even a win might not do it.
Texas at Texas Tech: Longhorns 28-21. Tech doesn’t seem capable of scoring enough points to pull the upset. The Red Raiders have just four regulation touchdowns in two games against Division I-A foes.
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M in Arlington: Aggies 20-13. A&M can get its season back on track with a victory at JerryWorld. But a loss would put the Aggies at 2-2, with three straight road games upcoming – including Alabama.
Florida at Tennessee: Gators 28-26. The Volunteers have beaten Florida just once since 2004 but are 10½-point favorites Saturday.
Missouri at Auburn: Plainsmen 26-21. Auburn begins the season with five straight home games, and this is No. 4. Auburn has eight home games total.
Vanderbilt at Alabama: Crimson Tide 51-7. Bama is 45-2 vs. Vandy since 1959, with the Commodores winning in 1959 and 1984.
Tulsa at Ole Miss: Rebels 38-28. TU’s only loss, at Wyoming, doesn’t look so bad. The Cowboys knocked off Air Force last week.
Charlotte at South Carolina: Gamecocks 32-14. Quarterback Spencer Rattler’s touchdown/interception ratio at OU: 40/12. Rattler’s TD/interception ratio in three South Carolina games: 2/5.
Northern Illinois at Kentucky: Wildcats 26-14. Mark Stoops’ next four games – NIU, at Ole Miss, South Carolina, Mississippi State. Kentucky could be unbeaten going into an Oct. 29 game at Tennessee.
New Mexico at Louisiana State: Tigers 48-10. LSU gets Auburn next week, then comes five straight games against teams ranked in the current Associated Press poll – Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas.
Bowling Green at Mississippi State: Bulldogs 42-17. Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers has big numbers (57 touchdowns, 19 interceptions in 25 Bulldog games). But he hasn’t gotten Mississippi State over the hump. The Bulldogs are 12-13 with Rogers at the helm.
Kent State at Georgia: Bulldogs 55-10. The Golden Flashes’ three-game death march comes to a merciful conclusion. Kent State has played at Washington and OU, and now it plays between the hedges.
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Wisconsin at Ohio State: Buckeyes 42-20. Would you believe me if I told you that Badger quarterback Graham Mertz is the fifth-ranked passer in college football this season? Doesn’t seem likely, but it’s true.
Maryland at Michigan: Wolverines 45-10. Maryland would have no chance even if quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa plays like Tua.
Minnesota at Michigan State: Gophers 24-20. Were the Spartans exposed as frauds last week against Washington? I’m betting yes.
Indiana at Cincinnati: Bearcats 31-21. IU is precariously close to an 0-3 start. The Hoosiers were fortunate to skate past Illinois, Idaho and Western Kentucky.
Iowa at Rutgers: Hawkeyes 21-3. Lost in all the Iowa offensive jokes is the truth that the Hawkeyes’ defense is for real.
Florida Atlantic at Purdue: Boilermakers 40-14. Purdue lost to both Penn State and Syracuse on last-minute touchdowns.
Central Michigan at Penn State: Nittany Lions 38-18. The Chippewas followed a 58-44 loss at OSU with a 38-24 loss to South Alabama that suddenly doesn’t look so bad, since the Jaguars almost won at UCLA.
Miami-Ohio at Northwestern: Wildcats 20-14. Hey, what happened to Pat Fitzgerald’s program? Northwestern lost to Southern Illinois, and even the narrow victory over Nebraska has lost its luster, since we know the Cornhuskers stink.
Chattanooga at Illinois: Illini 42-16. I can find no evidence that Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito, a Syracuse transfer, is related to the late Tommy DeVito of Four Seasons fame. Both grew up in New Jersey. Tommy DeVito probably is a common combination among Jersey boys.
Southern Cal at Oregon State: Trojans 51-40. The Beavers will dent Alex Grinch’s defense, but Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams know a thing or two about winning high-scoring games.
Oregon at Washington State: Ducks 37-28. The first of the six Pacific Northwest showdowns involving Pac-12 teams, all of which figure to be big in the conference.
Utah at Arizona State: Utes 34-14. OSU’s running success against the Sun Devils lost some steam when Eastern Michigan’s Samson Evans rushed for 259 yards on ASU, and Herm Edwards was fired a day later.
Stanford at Washington: Huskies 41-16. Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. quarterbacks a UW offense that seems quite legit.
Arizona at California: Golden Bears 27-24. The Wildcats are making some progress.
UCLA at Colorado: Bruins 30-14. Some wonder if this will be the last game for CU coach Karl Dorrell, whose athletic director, Rick George, seems ready to look for the pink slips.
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Notre Dame at North Carolina: Tar Heels 31-17. One of these teams can score, and it’s not Notre Dame. Sudden thought: Why didn’t Casey Thompson transfer to South Bend?
Clemson at Wake Forest: Tigers 28-18. In the last four years, Clemson has scored 48, 37, 52 and 63 points on Wake. A big comedown from that would not be a good sign for the Tigers.
Boston College at Florida State: Seminoles 35-15. Things get a lot more difficult for Florida State after this one – Wake Forest, at North Carolina State, Clemson.
Virginia at Syracuse: Orange 31-10. Unbeaten Syracuse gets Wagner next, then comes the meaty part of the schedule – N.C. State, at Clemson, Notre Dame, at Pittsburgh, Florida State, at Wake.
Georgia Tech at Central Florida: Knights 33-13. The George O’Leary Bowl. O’Leary left Georgia Tech for Notre Dame but never coached the Irish after his resume’ was found to be fraudulent. He landed at UCF, coached the Knights from 2004-15 and turned the young program into a legitimate college football entity, going 81-68.
South Florida at Louisville: Cardinals 21-20. Baylor transfer Gerry Bohanon nearly led the Bulls to a huge upset at Florida. Can USF settle for upsetting Louisville?
Connecticut at North Carolina State: Wolfpack 52-14. UConn has five wins since 2017 and is cobbling together an independent schedule. At some point, someone has to ask why.
Middle Tennessee at Miami: Hurricanes 47-7. Miami failed to score a touchdown in a big game at Texas A&M. Generally, you need touchdowns to win.
Rhode Island at Pittsburgh: Panthers 49-8. Pitt opened the season with two challenging home games. The Backyard Brawl against West Virginia, then Tennessee. But Pitt then beat Western Michigan, now has the Rams and has a cushy rest of the schedule – Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia, Duke, Miami. Lots of wins in there.
Rice at Houston: Cougars 34-14. Wow, what a mess for Dana Holgorsen. A loss to Kansas was overshadowed by in-team fighting on the sideline. Is there a culture problem with the Cougars?
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Southern Mississippi at Tulane: Green Wave 23-20. No one would have guessed Tulane was headed for a 2-10 season after it almost upset OU last season.
North Texas at Memphis: Tigers 44-34. That UNT defense is awful. The Eagles gave up 576 total yards to both SMU and Nevada-Las Vegas, and it’s not like Texas-El Paso (400) or Texas Southern (458) failed to move the ball.
Navy at East Carolina: Pirates 27-12. The Midshipmen seek their first win.
Massachusetts at Temple: Owls 31-6. This was interesting when it was basketball and John Calipari vs. John Chaney. Otherwise...
Wyoming at Brigham Young: Cougars 33-20. Be careful, BYU. Wyoming is capable, having upset Air Force last week, and Mountain West teams always are looking for an opening to land a punch on the departed Cougars.
Nevada at Air Force: Falcons 24-14. The Academy was the favorite to win the Mountain West. But now, who knows?
Boise State at Texas-El Paso: Broncos 31-17. Maybe Boise State is better than we thought after losing 34-17 at Oregon State. The Beavers look quite solid.
Toledo at San Diego State: Aztecs 23-21. Fascinating intersectional game between mid-majors. I’d like to see more of these. Boise State-Coastal Carolina? Appalachian State-Air Force?
Nevada-Las Vegas at Utah State: Rebels 40-27. Wonder if former OSU assistant Marcus Arroyo, now head coach at UNLV, could make a run in the Mountain West?
Hawaii at New Mexico State: Aggies 20-10. Two of the worst programs in America play for the third time in 365 days. They met twice last year, both Hawaii victories.
Western Michigan at San Jose State: Broncos 29-21. And there you go, a mid-major, intersectional clash. Just not as interesting as Toledo-San Diego State.
Sacramento State at Colorado State: Rams 27-24. Rough start for Jay Norvell’s tenure in Fort Collins – losses to Michigan, Middle Tennessee and Washington State.
James Madison at Appalachian State: Dukes 31-28. James Madison is following the Appalachian State plan. Excellent Division I-AA program that makes a big impact immediately in I-A.
Coastal Carolina at Georgia State: Chanticleers 35-25. Tulane, James Madison and Coastal are the only unbeaten mid-majors remaining.
Arkansas State at Old Dominion: Monarchs 31-19. Remember when Arkansas State was one of the better programs in the Sun Belt. Conference realignment has made the Red Wolves’ journey much more treacherous.
Marshall at Troy: Thundering Herd 27-22. Someone should write a master’s thesis on the effects of losing football games via Hail Marys. Troy (at Appalachian State) is the latest victim.
Louisiana Tech at South Alabama: Jaguars 31-28. Last week, La Tech played in front of 80,000 at Clemson, while South Alabama played in front of 800 at UCLA.
Ball State at Georgia Southern: Eagles 42-40. Wow. The intersectional mid-major matchups just keep coming.
Last week: 53-14. Season: 169-42.
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SEC's Greg Sankey says keep college football national
Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey ended up supporting the 12-team College Football Playoff, with six automatic berths for conference champions, because he wants the sport to avoid being too regionalized.
In other news, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow support the FDIC’s attempts at protecting banking assets.
Sankey told ESPN on Tuesday that retaining college football’s national appeal is important. But Sankey’s conference took a direct shot at national appeal by pilfering OU and Texas from the Big 12. The Big Ten did the same this summer by luring UCLA and Southern Cal from the Pac-12. And the elevation of the SEC and Big Ten has dropped the Atlantic Coast Conference to a lesser status.
It’s a bit disingenuous for Sankey to now be so concerned about regionalization of college football.
But give him credit. Sankey did support the return of the 12-team playoff model that indeed keeps access for schools and conferences across the whole of the sport.
"My view is how do you bring more people into November, including in our league," Sankey told ESPN. "Our league would be fine, even at 16 teams (in the conference) with a four-team playoff. At 14, we've taken half the field a couple of times. Nobody else has done that.
“When we go to 16 and add Texas and Oklahoma, we're not going to have less opportunity by adding those two. We're going to have more.
"But we've excluded (from the playoff) the West Coast and everything west of the Rockies for all but two years. We want college football to be strong nationally, and I think that's the responsibility we all have."
Geez, that would have been a good notion to have two years ago, before SEC expansion rocked the sport, causing major realignment. The SEC didn’t land a shot against the Pac-12, but the residuals of SEC expansion did.
Still, the 12-team playoff is a balm for the Big 12 and Pac-12 and mid-major leagues. And Sankey’s support is sort of like being patched up by a doctor who just shot you.
Sankey, then-Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick formed the four-man committee that came up with the 12-team format, which was widely hailed when announced in June 2021; rejected earlier this year by the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC, in the wake of the OU-Texas exodus; and finally approved a few months ago as most everyone accepted reality and came to their senses.
In the eight years of the current four-team playoff, Alabama, Clemson, OU and Ohio State have combined for 21 of the 32 berths. Only twice has a Pac-12 team been invited (Oregon 2014, Washington 2016). Only once has a mid-major been invited (Cincinnati 2021).
So the 12-team format absolutely will blow some fresh air into the post-season, no later than the 2026 season and perhaps as early as 2024, if logistics can be worked out.
The SEC is the only conference that has been represented in all eight four-team playoffs, and three SEC teams have won the championship (Alabama 2015, 2017 and 2020, LSU 2019 and Georgia 2021).
"I'm fine if we win the championship every year, but we have a responsibility to think about the game from a bigger picture," Sankey said. "I want to win and am not going to apologize for that, but I'm also going to challenge myself and us collectively to think about the big picture...
“The beauty of going to 12 is you could have as many as 40 teams with a chance to get into the playoff entering November.”
Sankey is right about that. And that’s a good thing for college football.
Some thought the SEC might throw its support to no automatic qualifiers – just the top 12 ranked teams making the playoff. But that eliminates some entire conferences and many teams.
"If you're the sixth best conference or seventh best conference, and it's close, and you've got three or four teams vying for a championship in each, that's all of a sudden 20 teams that have an opportunity, which is good for the sport," Sankey said.
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Will Dennis Schröder cost Russell Westbrook minutes?
The Los Angeles Lakers signed Dennis Schröder to a contract last week, and a bunch of thoughts went through my head.
Starting with this one. Hey, I forgot Schroder still was in the league.
Schröder is one of those turnstile Thunder players. He arrived via trade in summer 2018 and left via trade in autumn 2020. Seems like forever since he was here, but it also seems like no way he could have been part of OKC’s Westbrook era. But Schröder was.
Schröder came to the Thunder in the Carmelo Anthony trade, a steal for OKC. Atlanta was ready to hand its point-guard reins to Trae Young and didn’t want an ousted veteran loitering on the roster. So the Hawks took on Carmelo’s bloated contract.
Schröder was an excellent player in two Thunder seasons. On the Westbrook/Paul George team of 2018-19, Schröder averaged 29.3 minutes and 15.5 points a game. He was OKC’s third-leading scorer, shot a decent (for him) 34.1% from 3-point range and tried hard on defense. He gave the Thunder its best sixth man since at least Reggie Jackson.
Then the PG13 and Westbrook trades happened, and suddenly the Thunder roster was completely different. Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari came aboard, and Schröder was even better. He averaged 18.9 points a game, barely behind SGA’s 19.0 and barely ahead of Gallinari’s 18.7 and Paul’s 17.6. The Thunder’s three-point-guard lineup was a load.
That quite-appealing team came back from the pandemic break and played well in the Orlando bubble but lost a first-round playoff series to Houston in a classic Game 7.
Then Sam Presti tore down the team. Paul traded to Phoenix. Steven Adams traded to New Orleans. Gallinari signed-and-traded to Atlanta.
And Schröder was traded to the Lakers.
For whatever reason, it didn’t work out great in Los Angeles. Schröder played in 61 games with the Lakers and started them all. But he wasn’t a great fit with LeBron James. LeBron needs shooting around him and likes the ball in his hands. Schröder isn’t a great shooter and needs the ball in his hands. Schröder shot 33.5% from 3-point range.
The Lakers fell to seventh in the Western Conference standings and lost to Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs.
Still, the Lakers’ payroll was strapped, with LeBron and Anthony Davis. LA had few options in free agency, other than retaining its own players.
The Lakers offered Schröder a four-year, $84 million contract. He turned them down.
LA moved on, the market crashed and Schroder was the man without a country. He ended up signing with Boston on a one-year contract for $5.8 million.
It didn’t really work out in Boston, either. The Celtics traded Schröder to Houston in February. With the tanking Rockets, Schröder played out the string, averaging 26.9 minutes and 10.9 points over 15 games.
There seemed little market for Schröder, but this summer, he averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 assists in leading his native Germany to a third-place finish in the Eurobasket tournament.
That drew interest from NBA teams, and Schröder settled on the Lakers. He said he and the Lakers have been in talks for a few months.
So for now, Schröder and Westbrook are reunited, and Schröder conceivably could steal minutes from Westbrook.
Will the Lakers still start Westbrook? For now, they’re saying yes.
But Schröder is five years younger (he’s still only 29) and a better shooter. The Lakers need a playmaker when LeBron sits, and you’d think that would slide in Schröder’s favor, too.
First Patrick Beverley. Now Schröder. The Lakers are adding pieces from Westbrook’s past that would seem to cut into his playing time.
Schröder and Westbrook appeared to get along during their lone Thunder season together, but keep an eye on their relationship with the Lakers.
This doesn’t look good for Westbrook.
OKC Thunder mailbag: How many wins is Chet Holmgren worth? Derrick Favors' future & more
Mailbag: End of Bedlam
More confirmation arrived Tuesday that Bedlam football is headed for the graveyard, and readers, of course, responded.
William: “In the greater scheme of things, whether the two schools play every year or never again isn’t that important. What is important is for the boosters, regents, officials, athletic departments, football coaching staffs and students to realize that both schools are owned by the taxpayers and citizens of the state. They were created and have been maintained since the 1890s to benefit the state of Oklahoma and its citizens. The greater good of the state is more important than any financial considerations of either school, especially when no longer playing the game will probably cost the schools money in the long run. I don’t care about Castiglione’s opinion or Mike Gundy’s. It is time the legislature stepped in and forced the two schools to play every year regardless of their conference affiliation or monetary considerations. And while they are at it, they should force both to play Tulsa every year, too.The owners and employers of the two universities (taxpayers and voters) should be making the decisions and not the employees of the universities.”
Tramel: I disagree. A university is not a factory, where people push buttons. A university is a place of thought and discovery and education. The last thing any college campus needs is more legislation, and certainly not on this issue. College football scheduling should be market-based.
And as for the taxpayers and voters deciding, what’s next? Who plays quarterback? Who is the head coach? If the legislature wanted to get involved, it should have gotten involved in the macro decision of OU leaving the Big 12, not the micro decision on what the schedule looks like.
I want Bedlam to remain. But it should remain based on market forces.
Carlson:Isai Rodriguez survived a fiery car wreck. Now, the OSU runner is chasing the NCAA title.
The List: NCAA passing yards leaders
The national leaders in passing yards is a wildly entertaining list, with names that will surprise you:
1. Davis Brin, Tulsa: The senior from Boerne, Texas, is off to a great start, with 1,208 yards and 11 touchdown passes. TU is 2-1, with a close loss at Wyoming.
2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington: Penix was great at Indiana in 2020, not-so-great at Indiana in 2021 and has been great through three games at UW, with 1,079 yards.
3. Tanner Mordecai, SMU: Mordecai lost the starting job to Spencer Rattler in the 2020 OU quarterback derby. Did Lincoln Riley pick the wrong guy? Mordecai was a monster last season with the Mustangs and has thrown for 1,013 yards this season.
4. Aidan O’Connell, Purdue: The Boilermakers have an old history of great quarterbacking. Lenny Dawson. Bob Griese. Drew Brees. Mark Herrmann. Jim Everett. Can O’Connell (1,000 yards this season) join them?
5. N’Kosi Perry, Florida Atlantic: Nebraska’s Casey Thompson actually ranks fifth, but that’s through four games. Most QBs have played just three. Perry has 987 yards.
6. Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern: How has Vantrease thrown for 980 yards considering one of his Saturdays was spent handing off so his running backs could smash Nebraska?
7. Will Rogers, Mississippi State: Rogers has thrown for 977 yards. Did you think Mike Leach was going to let his quarterback miss this list?
8. Gavin Hardison, Texas-El Paso: The UTEP slinger has thrown for 970 yards. We thought he looked capable in that season opener in Norman.
9. Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern: Another quarterback who got to play against Nebraska. Shame on Dillon Gabriel for not making this list. Hilinski has 962 yards.
10. Stetson Bennett, Georgia: Huh? The Bulldogs can run the ball at will, they’ve played three blowouts and Bennett is not considered an elite passer. So what’s he doing on this list?
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: Brent Venables knows Kansas State a trap game for Sooners
