At his weekly press conference, Venables discussed what the Sooners will do without Reggie Powers III in the first half.
held his final weekly press conference of the regular season on Tuesday ahead of the eighth-ranked Sooners' matchup with LSU.The Sooners play LSU at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Oklahoma's Kendal Daniels Embraces Bittersweet Finale: 'Time is My Enemy'for the first half against LSU after Powers was ejected for targeting in the second half of last week’s win over LSU. OU’s depth chart at the position is thin with the only other cheetah on the depth chart other than starter . Dolby has missed the last five games and appears to be positioned to redshirt to play another season. Venables said the Sooners had worked out what to do at the position during the first half Saturday, though he didn't give much in the way of concrete details. "The number one challenge is, we have players that can play that have great skill to play that position," Venables said. "So you're either looking to, what's the easiest transition there? So we've worked through that from a scheme standpoint and the ability to maybe somebody playing more than one position. Because you don't want to compromise the ability to execute the things you need to execute within the game plan.", who is listed as the backup at middle linebacker and has played a significant role as a reserve, spent time at cheetah last season.Though Mateer said Monday he had to do a better job, Venables said he didn't see Mateer putting too much pressure on himself either. "He's been great," Venables said. "He doesn't walk around like he's carrying all these heavy burdens. He's an alpha. He's somebody that runs toward that responsibility and what you've gotta carry, the weight you've gotta carry at that position. I think it brings out good qualities in him as a leader. The team sees him working every day. He's got great humility, but he's also got great passion and energy at practice."was voted one of OU's captains before the season, and has remained a presence despite suffering a season-ending injury shortly after the season opener. Everett will be one of the Sooners participating in Senior Day ceremonies Saturday, although he did say on Monday that he has appealed for an extra year of eligibility based on injury hardships but doesn't know the decision yet. "We're applying for it right now, but we don't know for sure," Everett said. "I still don't know what I'm doing yet. It's either this or just go back home, learn a trade, and start doing HVAC installation. So, we don't know what's going on.""He has stayed emotionally engaged," Venables said. "He cares greatly about his teammates and this team and certainly being his last year. A guy that's very, very invested on the field, off the field. He's got great relationships with everybody in the locker room. So it's a natural place for him. I would say I think coaching is in his future."Venables was asked Tuesday to reflect on that decision. "You've always put that pressure on yourself as a coach, that everything rides on your position or your unit's ability to produce," Venables said. "That's who I've always been, and the staffs that I've been on hold the same type of philosophy, mindset, attitude. Again, the credit goes to the players. They're the ones that are putting in the time, straining, knocking people back, getting off the ball, chasing with incredible passion and pursuit and physicality."Ryan Aber has been covering Oklahoma football for more than a decade continuously and since 1999 overall. Ryan was the OU beat writer for The Oklahoman from 2013-2025, covering the transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables. He covered OU men's basketball's run to the Final Four in 2016 and numerous national championships for the Sooners' women's gymnastics and softball programs. Prior to taking on the Sooners beat, Ryan covered high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Oklahoma City Barons for the newspaper from 2006-13. He spent two seasons covering Arkansas football for the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas before returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Ryan also worked at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Muskogee Phoenix. At the Phoenix, he covered OU's national championship run in 2000. Ryan is a graduate of Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.
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