The Oklahoma Sooners had to look themselves in the mirror this week after a demoralizing loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. That 42-25 beatdown essentially ended the Sooners’ chances of making a run to the College Football Playoff.
The Sooner players had to figure out what they wanted to do with the rest of the season. Despite the end of the season, goals were likely over with; they had to decide what was worth playing for. Ultimately, that resulted in the Sooners fighting for each other as they dominated the Florida Gators 23-7 in Gainesville on Saturday.
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Head coach Brent Venables said he loved the fight of his team.
“I love the fight,” Venables said. “I love the belief. I love our willingness to continue to show up. Love one another, to fight for their opportunity and fight for each other. That’s not necessarily normal. It is an expectation, but everybody’s got to make a choice, and you can’t fake this thing.”
The response in Gainesville showed that Oklahoma’s players have not given up on the season, even with their College Football Playoff hopes all but gone. Rather than allowing the disappointment of the South Carolina loss to define the rest of their year, the Sooners delivered a complete performance against a ranked opponent on the road. That kind of response speaks to the culture Venables is trying to build in Norman.
Now, Oklahoma must prove that the performance was more than a one-week response. The Sooners will have plenty to play for, including the opportunity to finish the season strong and build momentum heading into the offseason. If they continue to play with the fight and togetherness Venables saw against Florida, they can make the final stretch meaningful regardless of what’s left on the postseason table.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables on Oklahoma’s win over Florida: ‘I love the fight’
