HOUSTON, Nov. 26, 2024 – After leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a 24-3 win over No. 7 Alabama on the Sooners’ senior night, Brent Venables has been selected as the Bear Bryant Awards Fan Favorite Coach of the Week presented by Accenture.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter, the Sooners reeled off the game’s final 24 points and in doing so, held a top-10 team to three or fewer points for the first time in 20 years – the last time being in a 12-0 win over No. 5 Texas in 2004. The win marked the first time an unranked Oklahoma team has beaten a top-10 opponent at home since 1990.
The Sooners became the first team to hold Alabama without a touchdown since 2011, and the first to limit the Crimson Tide to three or fewer points since 2004. Oklahoma held Alabama to 234 yards of total offense while rushing for 257.
The win makes Oklahoma bowl eligible for the 26th consecutive season, the second-longest bowl eligibility streak in the nation.
The selection of Venables follows last week’s selection of Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, the co-selection of Texas A&M’s Mike Elko and Kennesaw State’s Brian Bohannon, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, and Washington State’s Jake Dickert. Continuing through the remainder of the regular season, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will recognize a coach weekly for leading their team to an exceptional victory.
The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, presents the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for their mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
Fans can follow the action at facebook.com/bryantawards, x.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.
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