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Brent Venables wants OU to 'kick ass' at running the football in 2026

headshotby: George Stoia03/27/26GeorgeStoia
Brent Venables
Brent Venables spends time looking over his running back position during OU football's first spring practice of the year. Photo by Carey Murdock/SoonerScoop

One of the biggest points of emphasis this spring for Brent Venables and his coaching staff is figuring out how to run the football. Since OU lost Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the Oklahoma head coach has made it well known that he wasn't happy with how his team ran the ball in 2025. Immediately following the loss to the Crimson Tide, one of Venables' first comments was about improving the run game in the offseason. And that has certainly been the case. OU has tried to improve every aspect of its ground attack, from improving its offensive line to hiring new position coaches to elevating senior offensive analyst Kevin Wilson to potentially changing some of its run schemes. Ultimately, though, it's about having a better attitude, according to Venables.

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