FORT WORTH, TEXAS – The Sooners’ post-game contingent was in a familiar place Friday.

Brent Venables – attached to Michael Hawkins, Jake Roberts And Kobie McKinzie — sat in front of the media after the Sooners’ disappointing 21-20 loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. The loss unceremoniously ended the Sooners’ season, and the 2024 season ended as the program’s second losing season in three years.

It was another winnable game where the Sooners simply came up short.

“Just disappointed,” Venables said. “Obviously it’s all on me. “If we lose the ball or don’t convert on fourth down, if we miss field goals or miss out on explosive runs, everything falls at my feet.

“So, I’m really disappointed in myself. I need to get a lot better. I think that goes without saying. You don’t get to 6-7 and have done all those things right.”

Things couldn’t have started better for the Sooners, who opened the game with 14 unanswered points. Gavin Sawchuk capped the first drive with a 21-yard touchdown run. Michael Hawkins provided the highlight of the game for the Sooners, namely finding Zion Kearney for a 57-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.

That’s where the highlights ended for the Sooners, as the problems that had plagued them all season returned. The Sooners didn’t score for nearly 50 minutes, a stretch that spanned from the end of the first quarter to the final seconds of the game.

That stretch included seven drops by receivers — including two that would have resulted in huge gains — and a missed field goal from 52 yards out Zach Smithtwo drives that ended in failed fourth-down attempts and a Michael Hawkins fumble. The offense was assessed four penalties, including a hold call that negated Hawkins’ 56-yard rushing touchdown late in the second half.

After the first quarter, the Sooners had 280 yards and just six points. The rushing attack largely stalled as they averaged just 2.8 yards per carry after halftime.

And it all culminated in the Sooners’ failed two-point conversion with six seconds left that effectively ended the game.

“I thought we had a lot of easy-access casts, and who knows what the number would have been if we caught the ones that hit us in the breastplate,” Venables said. “That’s the game of football. Ultimately, I had a chance to win the game there at the end.”

The defense was strong early in the game, holding Navy scoreless on its first three drives. But the Midshipmen kept going and finally broke through late in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-7 by halftime.

But the Sooners’ defense, as it has all season, struggled to contain explosive plays, as Navy completed four plays of 20 yards or more. Blake Horvath scored on a 95-yard run late in the third quarter that tied the game.

But the biggest kicker was Navy’s fourth-quarter drive, which took up nearly eight minutes of game time. The midshipman marched on a 12-play, 66-yard scoring drive that saw Navy score a fourth-and-3 deep in OU territory. Navy recorded 197 total yards and an average of 6.8 yards per play in the second half.

“I was thinking early on about the rhythm of the game that if we could get down there, score and potentially go up 21, we would have a chance there,” Venables said. “So when we converted a fake punt on one of the drives and then got down to a fourth-and-1, they threw us back again, we couldn’t get it to come up short. We had a couple fourths and shorts at their end of the field – one outside our end of the field, one at their end of the field – that we couldn’t convert.

“But we had an opportunity there to really take advantage of the momentum early in the game. Even before halftime, the stats were close to two to one, whether it was first downs, time of possession, total yards, things of that nature. But you. “We get these little windows over the course of a game to take advantage of that To capitalize, and we just didn’t do some of the basic things that you have to do to win and put somebody in a really tough spot.”

It was a game the Sooners wanted to win. Instead, the season-long problems recurred as the team struggled to perform at critical moments.

Now the Sooners face one of the most crucial offseasons in program history. The Sooners did well to sign the former Washington State quarterback John Mateer via the portal, who will work with the new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle about transforming an offense that was among the worst in football. Venables said the Sooners expect to add a few more players through the portal in the coming days.

But the Sooners have also lost their fair share of players to the portal or the NFL Draft, including defensive leaders Danny Stutsman And Billy Bowmanand the sense of urgency will be incredibly high in the offseason. With the loss to Navy, the Sooners have posted two 6-7 seasons in three seasons, and things won’t get any easier in the SEC next year.

But the ultimate theme of the offseason? Improving the issues that plagued the Sooners both against Navy and throughout the season.

“I think we gained valuable experience that will pay off,” Venables said. “I expect it will pay off.” But we still have a lot of work to do… Given the guys coming back and the people we’ve recruited, I’m really excited about the foundation. But don’t let that console you. I just feel bad for the players because I know they worked hard. I know it’s easy to make mistakes, especially for us as coaches. We’re the (coaches), that’s why we have the whistle and stuff.

“Everyone is disappointed and embarrassed and all that. I’m not embarrassed by the fight, the commitment, the work, the faith, the effort, the sacrifices, all the things that these guys represented. I don’t do that in any way.” Shape or form, this is a game of performance. And we clearly missed that this year.