Brent Venables hardly gives out compliments.
When he does, though, it’s a sign of how much he believes in his statement.
After No. 8 Oklahoma football’s 17-6 win Saturday against No. 22 Missouri, OU coach Brent Venables called his team grimy.
The win wasn’t all that clean — the Sooners were out-gained, again, with a struggling offense — but, it’s working.
The way the Sooners have won the past three games is working.
It’s relying on the defense while also playing turnover-free football on offense and making clutch plays when needed.
The Sooners were down 3-0 after the first quarter with a total of -7 yards, but both sides of the ball got into a groove, with the defense getting much more success than the offense, leading the Sooners to a grind-it-out win.
“I’m so thankful for the mindset, the grit, the toughness of this football team. Call them grimy,” Venables said. “That’s a very grimy group, and I say that with great, great respect. Relentless mindset, passionate about one another. They love to compete and never lose hope or belief.”
Grimy is the word of the day.
It’s not used often, but it’s the definition of the Sooners’ win — both Saturday and the two games prior against Alabama and Tennessee.
Venables is not one to give out praise all that often, at least not in the locker room, but when he does, all the Sooners take notes.
“That’s the first time he’s used it, but he doesn’t compliment very often, and so whenever he does, I take it very, very heavily,” said OU defensive back Peyton Bowen. “So, whenever he’s saying we’re a grimy group, we’re physical, we’re tough, you’re kind of like, ‘Dang, OK, coach V really thinks that.’ That gives us more confidence in the end because I feel like how we practice and work, it gives us confidence during the week, and just having those words coming from him, it gets us even more.”
What is grimy? Grimy is, well, covered in dirt.
On the football field, it’s about — not to sound like a coach — toughness and grit. It’s what the Sooners have shown, especially on defense, that they are what Venables calls them; Grimy.
“We talk and we put it into action,” said OU defensive lineman Gracen Halton. “No matter what we talk, we can say some grimy things, but we’re going to do some grimy things on the field with our pads. Swarming to the ball, hitting guys left and right, getting to the quarterback – that’s what grimy is.”
The Sooners have been staying alive the past three games playing the grimy way.
In its three wins against Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri, OU has been outgained in all three, combined to 324 yards. The Sooners, though, have used clutch defensive touchdowns and turnovers to flip momentum.
The Sooners’ defense is not dominating opponents, but is finding ways to limit opponents in the most important moments, which is why the Sooners are winning games like they are right now.
“The games aren’t always pretty, but we come out on the winning side,” said OU linebacker Owen Heinecke. “Each game has been a playoff game for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s top-ranked Alabama or Mizzou, every game is a game we need to win to keep our season going and that’s kind of been the belief and the mindset for the whole team.”
The Sooners’ offense has certainly had a lot of struggles the past three games, but — like the defense — showed up at the best-possible time.
In Saturday’s win, OU quarterback John Mateer found wideout Isaiah Sategna III for a crossing route that turned into an 87-yard touchdown to flip momentum to the OU sideline.
Last week against Alabama, Mateer had a gutsy 20-yard touchdown run, piling into the end zone with multiple Crimson Tide defenders dragging Mateer to the ground.
Against Tennessee, running back Xavier Robinson sealed the game with a 40-yard run.
It’s not been an entertaining spectacle on offense from the Sooners, but they are playing winning football, which is all that matters for the Sooners.
“I think it just doesn’t have to be pretty,” Mateer said. “Football’s not a pretty game. It’s not a cute game. You gotta push the pile and be the most physical team. And I think that’s what he means. Like, it’s not gonna be perfect and all well-flowing, but when the waters get rough, that’s when we enjoy it.”
