About this episode

Lee and Grant discuss Oklahoma's unusual defensive statistics and make predictions for SEC teams.

Lee and Grant open the show by digging into OU’s strange takeaway numbers from last year and talk about why 2025 was a major outlier in Brent Venables' career. The guys also discuss Parker Thune’s observation about Oklahoma’s projected defensive starters being almost entirely recruited and developed by OU, and what that says about the defensive staff under Venables. Later, the guys make predictions for half of the SEC, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt and OU. Chapters/Timecodes 00:00 — Opening Take -- Oklahoma’s bizarre 2025 takeaway numbers 05:04 — Revisiting the takeaway discussion from Through the Keyhole 14:23 — What would be a satisfying takeaway total for Oklahoma in 2026? 17:32 — Parker Thune’s tweet about OU’s projected defensive starters 21:26 — Why OU’s defensive trajectory under Venables still has room to grow 27:16 — Running back development concerns and offensive staff questions 30:17 — Brent Venables vs. Lincoln Riley: defensive head coach vs. offensive head coach 32:05 — What OU needs to show against UTEP in the season opener 38:26 — SEC Media Days setup and preseason prediction format 42:37 — Kentucky season…

More episodes of West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

• Ep. 425 - OU Football Breakouts, Red Flags, and SEC Predictions · July 19, 2026 · 1h 42m
• Ep. 423 - EVERYONE is Talking About John Mateer · July 6, 2026 · 1h 26m
• Ep. 422 - OU's Defense Underrated? Plus John Mateer Would You Rather · June 28, 2026 · 1h 56m

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