It’s the final game week of the 2024 season for the Oklahoma Sooners, as they’re preparing to take on the Navy Midshipmen in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. After OU went 6-6 overall and 2-6 in Southeastern Conference play, third-year head coach Brent Venables and his coaching staff would love to finish off the year with a win, which would put them over the .500 mark.
Navy went 9-3 this season, one of their best years in recent memory, which included a blistering undefeated start. The Midshipmen are one of a small number of teams that run the triple option offense, which Oklahoma has no doubt been trying to prepare for since their bowl opponent was announced.
Once one of the offensive staples of college football and run by the Sooners themselves for decades, the triple option has become mostly reserved for the service academies in recent years. Because it’s so different from the spread and Air Raid offenses that litter the sport today (including at OU for the last 26 seasons), it’s an extremely complicated offense to defend, especially when a team runs it as well as Navy does.
For most of the players, this could very well be their final football game before beginning their time in the service. That, combined with their unique offensive style, makes them very hard to defeat in bowl games when their opponents don’t see the option very often.
The Sooners and the Midshipmen have met just once. It was way back in 1965 when the Navy shut out Oklahoma en route to a 10-0 victory in Norman. The second-ever meeting will come on Friday in Fort Worth.
However, the Sooners have some recent experience against the service academies and the triple option.
In 2001, the Air Force Falcons hosted the defending-champion Sooners in a game that Oklahoma won in dominant fashion, 44-3. The OU defense, led by co-defensive coordinator Brent Venables forced four turnovers and held the Falcons to 249 total yards. It was the first game against a service academy since that Navy loss, and the Sooners had no problem with the option attack.
In 2010, the Sooners and the Falcons met once again, this time in Norman. This time, the victory wasn’t nearly as dominant as OU squeaked by 27-24. Air Force ran for a total of 351 yards, as Venables’ defense had plenty of trouble against the option attack that featured just eight completed passes. Oklahoma led by 17 before a fourth-quarter rally by Air Force fell just short, and the Sooners avoided disaster. A Landry Jones completion to Kenny Stills on third down sealed an ugly victory on Owen Field.
But when most Sooner fans think about the triple option in recent years, their mind goes to the Army Black Knights in 2018.
The high-flying Sooners nearly played right into the hands of the Black Knights, scoring quickly on offense while also being way too soft on defense against the triple option. Oklahoma had to go all the way to overtime with Army, remaining undefeated with a 28-21 victory in an extra frame.
Army completed just three passes but ran for 339 yards on 78 carries. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray completed just 11 passes, but luckily, three of them went for scores, including the deciding one to CeeDee Lamb from ten yards out. A Parnell Motley interception on fourth down of Army’s overtime drive sealed a too-close-for-comfort victory.
The Sooners nearly made one too many mistakes to win the game, as Murray threw an interception, OU had a turnover on downs, and kicker Austin Seibert missed a potential game-winning field goal in regulation. Luckily, Army QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. threw two interceptions.
Mike Stoops’ defense was powerless to stop the Black Knight’s rushing attack, and he was fired a few weeks later. A team that ended up making the College Football Playoff wouldn’t have been considered if they’d let Army walk off Owen Field with a win that September night.
Now, for the first time in six seasons, the Sooners will face a service academy and the triple option once again. The challenge of the unique offense only grows without stalwarts Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman in the lineup. If they can handle the offensive attack and beat the Navy, it’ll be a good way to end what’s been a disastrous first season in the SEC. A loss would mean a second 6-7 season in three years under Venables, and he’d drop to 0-3 in bowl games as OU’s head coach.
The Armed Forces Bowl will kick off at 11:00 a.m. in Fort Worth. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners have struggled against the triple option over the years
