Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners pulled off a strong 23-7 win over the Florida Gators on Saturday evening. It also featured the debut of offensive coordinator Jason Witten, earning praise from the Sooners head coach.

The Sooners recently made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Witten, the Dallas Cowboys' former tight end who was coaching high school in suburban Texas last year, took over on an interim basis for the remiander of the season.

Under Witten, the Sooners didn't dazzle; they had only one play longer than 20 yards. But they were efficient, particularly on the clinching drive that took 12:45 off the clock. They converted five third-down plays on the drive.

“Bragging on his ambition, and his excitement for the opportunity, you can't fabricate that,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said of Witten after the game, via ESPN. “And I certainly didn't want someone to put a toe in the water, when willing to do it. I wanted someone who saw how good we could be.”

“Really complete performance. Just really clean football game, with complementary football. Thought we really dominated the line of scrimmage.”

How Brent Venables, Oklahoma performed against Florida

Brent Venables and Oklahoma controlled the game from start to finish. They did an excellent job containing Florida's attack, only conceding a touchdown in the second quarter.

John Mateer shined with a big performance on the road. He completed 21 out of 33 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 14 times for 56 yards.

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Rocky Beers led receivers with four catches for 72 yards. Isaiah Sategna III came next with four receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown, while Hayden Hansen caught a three-yard touchdown pass.

Oklahoma improved to a 5-4 record this season, going 3-3 in SEC action so far. They sit at sixth place in the conference standings, being above Florida and Auburn while trailing Missouri and LSU.

The Sooners will look forward to their next matchup, being at home. They host the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 11 as kickoff commences on Nov. 14.