Brent Venables talks how, QB Dillon Gabriel’s health heading into Kansas game

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Oklahoma and head coach Brent Venables are off to a historically-bad start to 2022 with one-sided losses to TCU and Texas in back-to-back weeks. The Sooners are 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 play for the first time since 1998. Venables is well aware of the critiques he’s received from media and fans through the recent rough patch and – for what it’s worth – he’s facing the blame head on.

The criticism that’s taken place is well-deserved,” Venables said during his Tuesday press conference. “That’s how I look at it. Doesn’t mean our guys aren’t working and putting great effort into trying to be successful. I know I see that every day. This is that week that we start to tweak our schedule. Maybe it’s a week or so too late, I don’t know. I wouldn’t use that as an excuse. We got destroyed two straight weeks. And we’re missing wide-open guys and not tackling people and things of that nature. I put that more on us as coaches and fundamentally trying to help them better than I do. So I do think that we need to help our guys get fresh.”

The Sooners’ problems with execution have been compounded by an injury to starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel suffered a head injury on an illegal hit in Oklahoma’s loss to TCU. He missed the Texas game while in concussion protocol. In order for the quarterback to be back for the Sooners game against No. 19 Kansas Gabriel has to be cleared by doctors.

“Having a good Tuesday and Wednesday, just because those are our hard days,” Gabriel shared in his Sunday media availability. “Keep talking with the trainers. But like I said, I feel really good and me being out here on a Monday is very positive news for me. And I feel really good. So, I’ve just got to keep stacking days.”

Quarterback depth also seems to be a weak point in the Sooners roster, and Venables discussed the quarterback instability that Oklahoma has faced over the recent year in his press conference. For more Sooners coverage, you can visit 247’s OU Insider here.

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Here’s what Venables had to say…

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