Mussatto: OU's Brent Venables and USC's Lincoln Riley are heading in opposite directions
NORMAN — As the warm Santa Ana winds whip through Southern California, the leaves are turning in Oklahoma. Like their locales, the seasons of Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables have flipped.
Years 1 and 2 of Riley’s USC tenure have been the inverse of Venables’ first two seasons in Norman.
Riley has a better overall record than Venables, but Riley’s approval rating in Los Angeles is lower than that of an L.A. County Republican candidate. After going 11-3 (8-1 Pac-12) in Year 1, Riley’s Trojans finished the 2023 regular season 7-5 (5-4 Pac-12). USC lost five of its last six games, capped by an embarrassing 38-20 loss last weekend to crosstown rival UCLA.
Riley almost has as many losses in two years at USC (eight) as he did in five years at OU (10).
Meanwhile, Venables rebounded from a disastrous Year 1 (6-7, 3-6 Big 12) with an encouraging second season (9-2, 6-2 Big 12). Venables notched a marquee win by beating Texas before stumbling against Kansas and OSU. Still, a 10-win regular season — pending OU’s finale against TCU at 11 a.m. Friday — is not only palatable, but downright tasty compared to last season.
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With OU set to enter the SEC inferno and USC moving to the bearish Big Ten, the Sooners and Trojans are trending in opposite directions. So are the coaching outlooks of Riley and Venables at their respective schools.
Assuming coach Brandon Staley gets booted by the Los Angeles Chargers, Riley seems as likely to be coaching against the Chiefs and Broncos next season as he does the Wolverines and Badgers. If not the Chargers, maybe Riley leaves for another NFL job. USC obviously wants him back — at least it should — but Riley doesn’t have the makings of a USC lifer. Or a lifer no matter the spot.
Like Kevin Durant, another offensive savant by way of Oklahoma, Riley might be a nomad — two superstars that feel infinitely unsettled.
Venables is the anti-Riley in a lot of ways. Defense over offense. Hat instead of visor. Loyal to an extreme.
Don’t kid yourselves, though. Winning is what really matters.
Riley, he of the Heisman-producing, high-powered offenses, was more or less beloved in Norman. He was the chosen successor of Bob Stoops.
Only now is anyone finding fault in Riley’s personality or questioning his seemingly squishy values. The same man would be adored in Norman had he stayed here and kept racking up conference titles and College Football Playoff berths.
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And Venables? Joe Castiglione couldn’t have found a better candidate to restore morale in Norman. A throwback to the Stoops era, who’s all about physicality over flash, is exactly what the Sooners needed. But Venables will only keep warm the hearts of Sooner fans so long as he wins. Patience wears thin, especially in the cutthroat SEC.
“Success is never a straight line,” Venables said Monday.
“My vision is for us to continually invest and be committed to the improvement process,” he added. “There’s certainly several benchmarks where you could say, ‘OK, we’re better here.’ Whether you start with the obvious with your record, or again, sometimes you just watch how guys play. Consistency is what I’m always looking for, and when you don’t have it you’re always disappointed.”
No one doubts Venables’ spirit, defensive acumen or recruiting prowess, but it’s too soon to know what to make of him as a head coach. This is a year-to-year business, and he’s had one good year and one bad. Batting .500 isn’t an acceptable benchmark at Oklahoma or USC.
From the outside, it looks like Venables is still searching for the right balance of managing a program versus managing a defense. Making in-game calls versus calling blitzes.
But Venables and Co. look to be figuring some things out. Step 1 has been putting better players on the field.
“Everybody’s a little better at what they’re doing,” Venables said. “Nobody’s perfect, but we’re always pushing for more.”
So, progress in Norman for Venables and the Sooners. Regression for Riley’s Trojans.
But it’s only Year 2. Winds can shift fast.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU's Brent Venables, USC's Lincoln Riley are on divergent paths
