Brent Venables Doesn't See Many Weaknesses For Texas 'On Paper Or Tape'

Brent Venables met with the media today for a preview of the Red River Rivalry with Texas on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

Does Texas being good make your job more difficult?

Venables: "That’s not a measuring stick for myself or for this program. Their success doesn’t have anything to do with ours and their lack of success doesn’t have anything to do with ours. We focus on us, the things that we can control. We compete on the field once a season and it’s a big game, always is, but they’re all big. We don’t measure our program to their program in any way shape or form."

What is challenging about the Texas offense?

Venables: "They’re going to do what they do and they do it well. They’re going to run the football, set up play action, take a lot of shots and create explosives. Very vertically challenging offense and the quarterbacks, it’s driven by those quarterbacks. They play very accurately. Veteran within the system in Ewers. I think Steve is an excellent offensive-minded coach, knows what he’s doing, his presentations are fantastic, puts his players in position to be successful. He knows how to create leverage and he knows how to attack a defensive structure. When you have that along with experienced, explosive, talented players, it’s a recipe for success. He’s had it at the highest level and they’re playing that way right now."

On the Texas experience and the offensive line

Venables: “We’re going to play a great Texas team, playing incredibly well. They’ve won 19 of their last 22 games. Coach Sarkisian and their staff have done a really nice job. Really good team, it’s a veteran team. I think 20-21 of their top 22 guys on offense and defense are juniors and seniors. A veteran team; 134 or so starts with their offensive line. From an offensive standpoint it kind of all starts there. They’ve got really good players at every position but the way they’re playing up front, the cohesion, the chemistry, the physicality that they’re playing with, they kind of lead the way from an offensive standpoint.” 

No weaknesses on paper…or on tape