Oklahoma State seems to be sorely missing its age-old nemesis, the Sooners. The last time the infamous ‘Bedlam’ occurred between the two, it was 2023. Not much time has passed since then, but a lot of changes have happened in the college football scenario. Mike Gundy seems to be all for reviving their old rivalry for the spirit of the sport. For Brent Venables, however, it might just be beneficial for him to move on and stick to what he’s doing right now.
SEC programs are cancelling their spring games, which includes Oklahoma. In 2024, Venables had a poor season record, ending the year with a 6-7 score. Naturally, he is going all in at spring practice and preparing for a better result this season. Gundy, with an even poorer record of 3-9, thinks it might be a good time to restart their scrimmage tradition, aka Bedlam 2.0. “Honestly, for us, we should do a home and home with OU in the spring… They should come here on the 19th. I think theirs is earlier in the year, we should go down there and play a home-and-home against each other in the spring. Charge $25 a head; they can use it for NIL, we can use it for NIL.” While this may be great to re-energize things in the spring, an insider suggests why Bedlam 2.0 may not be looking good for Oklahoma.
In a March 28 video of Locked on Sooners, insider Jay Smith explained how the scrimmage would not be profitable for Brent Venables. He told host John Williams, “Like you said last time when we talked about it, it is a lose-lose situation.” According to Smith, the conversation around the game will be directed at OU, which would take away the essence of the game. “No matter what, the reporting is going to be slighted against Oklahoma.” He then lists the following headlines that could come up. “‘Oklahoma dominates Oklahoma State in a practice’; shocking. ‘Sooners show up for a scrimmage, but they don’t show up for the game.’ ‘Sooners get dominated by Oklahoma State.’ […] So you’re gonna have all of the negative views in slight, when it comes to reporting; when it comes to Oklahoma on that.”
However, Smith also had some suggestions for Venables to make use of the challenge. He wants both the coaches to pitch in from the funds to make this an actual event. “I want them to play an actual game,” Smith demanded. “You got teams on your schedule, you can cut, you can do it. Just pay the buyout. Believe me, both teams have enough funds in the background to be able to make that happen […] Just add an additional team to your schedule. It sucks, yes, because you’ll be paying, you don’t get to have a ‘preseason,’” Bedlam added. He, however, was still not very impressed by Gundy’s plans for the Bedlam. “I’m still not feeling it. I’m sorry.”
Venables might not be much interested in jumping ship with Gundy, because things on campus are already pretty demanding. The road until their season opener is a long and difficult one, according to quarterback John Mateer. Gundy might just have to take a deep sigh and rely on his memories of their Bedlam rivalry for now.
John Mateer and Brent Venables are very, very busy with practice
Venables is busy fixing his offense. They’ve already got Ben Arbuckle to be the Sooners’ new offensive coordinator. And things have been looking up for the Sooners on this side of the team since his arrival. John Mateer also came into Oklahoma from the same program, with an impressive record last season (3,139 passing yards, 64.6% completion rate, and 29 touchdowns). This season, Venables is not cutting them any slack at practice.
Without the Spring game, the Sooners are looking at an exhaustive schedule until fall. Mateer gave a peek of what their routine looked like. “A lot of the reps, you know? There are a lot of routes in this offense, and there are a lot of routes where the receivers can do different things based on a defense,” he said. “In a lot of offenses, it’s that way, but this one too. So, getting those live reps is important. That’s why spring ball is so important.”
The Sooners have 45 practices lined up for the fall. Mateer, like a true leader, understands the demands of the schedule and knows it will pay off. “It’s not going to be perfect right now. In the summer, we’ll get the live looks, doing seven-on-seven stuff, and it’s going to be good. But those choice routes, option routes, that’s what it takes.”
It’s clear why Venables isn’t too cheery about the Bedlam; he just doesn’t have the time for it! Gundy’s hopes for a spring scrimmage will probably have to rest for a while now. At least until Sanders and Brown’s joint motion sees a breakthrough, it won’t be anytime soon that the Sooners will face off against the Cowboys.
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