What did Brent Venables say about Oklahoma's start against Maine?

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 5-4 this season a 59:14 victory about the Maine Black Bears on Saturday. OU ended a three-game losing streak with the 45-point win on an overcast day in Norman.

While there was no doubt for most of the game against their FCS opponent, OU started way too slow and fumbled on their first offensive attack after a few plays. The Black Bears then went straight down the field and scored on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. Oklahoma rallied, scoring on all but one more possession and stifling any further attempts by Maine until the Sooners were high up on the depth chart. They used their superior talent to overwhelm Maine.

Slow starts on offense are nothing new, as the Sooners have struggled to score all season. What was concerning was the ease with which Maine dictated play when they first got the ball. The Sooners have started well on defense for the most part this season, but OU has now given up a relatively easy touchdown rush on its first possession in the last three games.

Third-year head coach Brent Venables was asked about his poor start Press conference after the game. He expressed his displeasure with the way his defense came into Saturday's game.

“Today I was really disappointed,” Venables said of the defense’s opening attack. “We have to be better. We did some undisciplined things at the start of the game. I understand that the guys get tired, you know, they make some plays, we make plays later in the game, sometimes that it, but maybe it's gotten out of control and the guys coming in aren't used to it like that to be outside often. But right at the start of the game, several times we had no advantages for our defense and just some undisciplined And whether it was the eyes, the adjustments or the structure, it was a lot of little things and they reacted really disappointingly and I thought, that they reacted better at halftime.”

Venables continued his message to the team: The Sooners must respect the game, perform and play at an elite level, regardless of the caliber of the opponent on the other side of the line.

Oklahoma has much tougher opponents on its schedule and subpar starts could prove crucial in the hunt for a bowl berth. After the poor start, the Sooners played very well on Saturday as a more talented team on their home court. They won't necessarily be the more talented team over the next month, so they'll need to find a way to get going sooner if they want to ignite the spark for a strong finish to the season.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: What did Brent Venables say about Oklahoma's start against Maine?