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Sooners kick off Venables era with 45-13 win over UTEP

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It wasn’t great. It wasn’t bad.

For a debut of a new head coach, new quarterback and many other players, it acceptably set the Sooners ship back on course after a tumultuous end of last season. 

And it marked the beginning of the head coach career of what may be the next legendary skipper.

That is my take on Oklahoma’s 45-13 win over UTEP on a humid hot day in Norman on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, it was going to be about Oklahoma re-establishing the soul and the spirit of this program,” Venables said after the game. 

Clearly, the Sooners did just that as soon as they stepped off the bus, to be greeted by several hundred screaming funs who lined the Jenkins Avenue path to the stadium.

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The play of the season that defines these Baker Mayfield-led Sooners

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With just 4:58 left in the fourth quarter the game had come down to one play. A third and goal from the seven yard line. Oklahoma was leading 37-34.

Score a touchdown and the Sooners would likely put this slugfest of a game over. End this drive with a field goal would put Oklahoma up by just six — an uncomfortable place, given the rapidity with which the Baylor Bears had scored.

I texted friends: “This is a game winning or game losing play right here.”

Baker Mayfield, who had been brilliant all night and exceptionally lucky all night (two fumbles providently bounced back in his hands to save disaster), dropped back to pass. He was looking for Sterling Shephard running a corner route. Covered. Mark Andrews was running another route. Covered. Mayfield started to run for it — but no, the opening closed. The Baylor pass rush was closing in. And Mayfield scrambled.

It looked like one of those run-a-thousand-yards scrambles that would end in an incomplete pass, or a sack or something worse.

Then fullback Dimitri Flowers — who had been blocking in pass protection — didn’t have anyone to block as the Bear defenders were “bearing” down on Mayfield. Flowers slipped into the end zone and started waiving his hands.

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Natives are restless, time for Stoops to right the ship

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Two weekends ago the Sooner fans booed in Norman.

It wasn’t because Oklahoma had been shellacked by Baylor. In fact the expressed displeasure occurred when the Sooners were only down 10 points in the third quarter.

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It came when fans discovered the coaching staff was making a decision doomed to fail.

Oklahoma fans are a sophisticated bunch. Sure, they don’t take into account all that a coach does.

But when Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops stuck to his soft prevent defense and allowed Baylor to march down the field at will – enough was enough. That defensive scheme gave the game away and everyone who saw it on television (commentators included) and everyone who saw in in person in Norman knew it.

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