There is certainly a lack of experience on offense due to injuries, but in a “next man up” world, the next man up are not prepared to take advantage of their opportunities. It is the responsibility of the coaching staff to develop the younger players.

It starts with Brent Venables and moves on to the assistants and analysts. Yes, they won four games, but in their biggest tests against Tennessee and Texas, the Sooners suffered defeat primarily on offense.

When Venables says, “We have to get better everywhere,” it starts with the coaching staff and especially the head coach. Ultimately, he is responsible for ensuring that his team is physically and mentally ready to play. And in two of their last three games, the Sooners have been unwilling to play on offense.

Venables may not be an offensive guy, but he is the guy who hired the offensive lineman and, as head coach, is responsible for what happens in all aspects of the program.

Injuries cannot be an excuse for what happens on the field every week. At some point you have to develop the people you have and put them in a position to be successful. For the second time in three games, the Sooners coaching staff failed to put the offense in a position to succeed.