Brent and OU beat the devil
Brent Venables is beating the devil to guide OU football God's way.
Brent Venables is a devout Christian who openly lives his faith as the key component of his life. He speaks openly about his Christian beliefs and how they influence him as a coach and person. He believes faith in God is a tool for success, saying it gives him strength and guidance. What's more, Brent believes it helps players develop character and succeed both on and off the field.
As sure as there's a God, there most definitely is a devil dedicated to frustrating the efforts of Godly men. Sports commentators were unknowingly close to the truth last losing season when they remarked things happening to Brent's program were "demonic" and "unholy."
At the press conference to introduce him as the Sooners head coach, Venables reflected on his path from a poverty-stricken and at times violent upbringing to becoming the leader of a college football powerhouse. "Those that know my background, having grown up in a very dysfunctional way ... as I stand before you as a head football coach at the University of Oklahoma, only God can do this. And so I just want to take this opportunity to thank the Lord.”
Venable's program is based on wisdom from the Holy Bible.
Venables’ unashamed commitment to living out his faith in Christ, especially while on the job, was evident from his very first team meeting. He actually began it by reading the Bible aloud. According to defensive lineman Ethan Downs, “[Venables] starts reading Scripture, not to force the Bible on us, but to apply the morals of the Bible and how messages in the Bible unified people to make them stronger together, so even in our weaknesses, we are strong. He brings it in and says, 'These messages in here can unify us and bring us together and can motivate us to really achieve something with each other.''”
The team culture Venables has established highlights a player’s character and true concern for others in all aspects of life, not just wins and losses on the field. Everything is grounded in faith, not production. The thought is that such a strong culture will inevitably lead to victories.
Considering the fact that the original "sooners" cheated to stake claims illegally before the 1890 land run, and that OU had the reputation for using players who broke the law, this is a redeeming effort that the evil one doesn't want to succeed. The devil has made sure Venables' goal is extremely difficult to achieve.
Venables' Sooners have had to beat the devil as well as oppoments.
Few coaches' seats were hotter than Brent's as the Sooners faced arguably the toughest schedule in the nation. Gloom and doom were forecast by many. Yet there is Oklahoma in the playoffs.
You're likely thinking God doesn't care about football in general or support one team over another, right? However, the Lord does back those who seek to do things His way, especially if it produces uncommon men who are good husbands, fathers and community leaders -- rather than those who, because they are famous players, feel above the law and give the sport a bad name.
Venables and his Sooners have not only survived Michigan and Alabama and Tennessee and Missouri and LSU to get this far, they've had to beat the devil! Now that's quite an accomplishment to be noted and celebrated by Sooner Nation, regardless of what happens next.
