NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma’s president and athletic director gave football coach Brent Venables a vote of confidence on Tuesday after the school’s board of regents meeting.

The Sooners are 5-5 overall and 1-5 in league play during their first season in the Southeastern Conference. Venables, in his third season, has a 21-15 record overall.

“We all get emotional [during] the course of a season,” Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. said. “What’s unwavering is the commitment to him. This is a new era for us, but it’s also a new era for college athletics, and there’s going to be a lot of adjustment, and there’s going to be a lot that takes place. As far as my commitment to coach Venables, it’s 100 percent.”

Venables took over after Lincoln Riley left for USC following the 2021 season. The Sooners went 6-7 in Venables’ first year, losing the Cheez-It Bowl to Florida State.

Behind quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Sooners bounced back last season to go 10-2 in the regular season. But Gabriel decided not to play in the Alamo Bowl, which the Sooners lost to Arizona. Gabriel transferred to Oregon, and he has the Ducks ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

The Sooners brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators this season, and the defense has improved under Zac Alley.

But the offense struggled under Seth Littrell, who was fired last month after a loss to South Carolina.

Jackson Arnold began the season as the starting quarterback, lost the job to Michael Hawkins Jr. then won it back. Arnold has been mistake-prone at times. His fumble was returned for a touchdown in the final minute for the decisive score in Missouri’s 30-23 victory on Saturday.

The Sooners’ top receivers have been out for most of the season, and the offensive line has been poor while also fighting through injuries.

“Obviously, the season thus far has not gone as we’d hoped or planned,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said. “We’re mindful that we haven’t met the Oklahoma standard for 2024. That said, we truly believe in coach Venables and our team and are completely focused on both supporting them and looking at all of the ways to address the needed improvements now as soon as possible as well as in preparation for next year.”

But the Oklahoma Sooners are still behind Venables as they look to finish the season strong with games against Alabama and LSU remaining on the docket. Oklahoma administrators Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione offered votes of confidence for the Sooners head coach earlier this week. One of the most important players on the team, Danny Stutsman, is still a believer, too.

“Obviously, I have no doubt in Venables,” Stutsman said after practice Wednesday via The Oklahoman. “The people here, the staff has no doubt. You guys talked to the president, there’s no doubt. Obviously, there’s something right that Coach Venables does where everyone that’s close around him and sees him every day, they have no, they have unwavering faith in Coach Venables.”

Danny Stutsman has taken his game to another level, just as the defense has every year under Venables. The Sooners’ defense has given the Sooners opportunities to stay in some games, but the offense hasn’t been consistent enough to take advantage of the defense’s progression.

Venables has done a really good job on the recruiting trail, putting together a trio of top 10 classes in his first three cycles, and has the 2025 class just outside the top 10.

Until this year, the Sooners offense had been fine. Even with some of the shortcomings, Oklahoma averaged 32.8 points per game in 2022 and 41.7 points per game in 2023. This year, they’ve taken a drastic step back amid a plethora of injuries and inconsistent quarterback play and are averaging just 25.1 points per game. That’s their lowest per game scoring average since the Sooners averaged 26.9 points per game in 2005. That was the year Rhett Bomar started at quarterback, and you had Adrian Peterson run for 1,104 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Sooners have, more often than not, had good offense over the last 25 years. So, there’s no reason to expect the Sooners won’t be able to return their offense back to a place of respectability.

Brent Venables has a huge offseason ahead of him. The next offensive coordinator will define his legacy at OU. He made a good hire with Jeff Lebby and did so with Zac Alley. Though his most recent coordinator hire didn’t work out, Venables will have the support of the administration to be aggressive in the coordinator marketplace as the end of the season approaches.

Oklahoma has a bye this week before hosting No. 10 Alabama and closing out the regular season at No. 22 LSU.