Oklahoma football head coach Brent Venables said Saturday’s 23-21 upset of No. 4 Alabama didn’t happen by accident; it was the product of four years of work, buy-in from players and staff, and a steady commitment to the identity he’s tried to build. Venables made the comments at his postgame news conference, handing credit to the roster and coaches who “stuck with it.”
Brent Venables on what this win means for the Oklahoma program. Says they have been building the last four years for this. Gives a lot of the credit to his players and staff for sticking with it. #Sooners pic.twitter.com/3abX1iDZK5
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) November 16, 2025
Oklahoma forced turnovers, won the hidden-yardage battle, and executed on special teams at key moments, the little things that don’t always show up in box-score bragging rights but decide games against elite opponents. He singled out the defense’s physicality and timely takeaways that flipped field position and momentum.
The signature play, Eli Bowen’s 87-yard interception return, bookended a night in which the Sooners didn’t dominate yardage but did the necessary dirty work. Venables said the team’s ability to create pressure, strip the ball, and “get our hands on a lot of balls” traced back to the work put in over multiple seasons. That emphasis on fundamentals, he added, is starting to show fruit.
Venables also praised the mindset in the locker room, calling this group one of the closest he’s coached. He highlighted leaders who’ve matured under the program’s process and staffers who passed up outside opportunities to stay in Norman. Those collective choices, he argued, built a culture resilient enough to win a signature road test.
This upset does more than boost Oklahoma football’s résumé; it validates a multi-year plan Venables laid out when he took the job, recruiting for toughness, stressing turnover margins, and sharpening special teams. If the Sooners keep winning the slimmest of margins against top competition, the program’s trajectory becomes harder to deny. For Venables, Saturday was proof of concept that patience and process can beat pedigree.
Upcoming games will tell whether this is a turning point or a memorable peak, but for now Venables and his players can point to a win that, by his telling, has been four years in the making.
