NORMAN — This year’s bye week comes at the perfect opportunity for Oklahoma.

The Sooners have been decimated from injuries, particularly on offense. Their top five receivers — Deion Burks, Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson and Andrel Anthony — were all unavailable last weekend against Auburn, and it took five weeks for Bill Bedenbaugh's starting group on the offensive line to log heavy snaps together. Despite all of that, the Sooners pulled off a miraculous fourth-quarter rally to beat the Tigers over the weekend, heading into the bye week with a 4-1 record (1-1 SEC) and a much-needed chance to recoup before a pivotal matchup with No. 2 Texas.

But if anyone has learned how to handle a bye week, it's OU coach Brent Venables. And this year, it's about avoiding what happened last season.

The Sooners went into last year's bye week riding high. They were coming off an emotional 34-31 win over Texas that gave them six-straight wins to start the year and a top-10 ranking in the AP Poll. But they fumbled coming out of the bye week, narrowly beating a lowly UCF team 31-29 before they lost back-to-back games against Kansas and Oklahoma State.

This year, the Sooners need to avoid that pitfall.

"We lost two back-to-back one-score games (last season) where we couldn't get it done in the last minute of the game," Venables said during Wednesday's availability. "We turned the ball over six times in those two games. So in the first part of the season we took care of the ball. Those two games we didn't. And then we took care of the ball again.

"So you've got to take care of the ball, get your mind right in regards to the basics and fundamentals. You can't ever lose your edge for that and when you do, you get exposed and that's what happened."

Focusing on the basics is going to be particularly important for an offense that has struggled, and changed, so much since the start of the year.

The bye week also comes at an excellent time for Michael Hawkins, who led the Sooners to a victory last weekend in his first career start. He now has an off weekend, which gives Seth Littrell more time to tinker the offense around his true freshman quarterback. Situational work has been an key emphasis for the offensive this week as the Sooners prepare for Hawkins to lead the offense.

It's also time for Hawkins to develop more chemistry with the offensive line, which is finally healthier after guys were in and out of the lineup to start the year. While Taylor Tatum and Burks could return against Texas, the Sooners are likely to remain shorthanded at wide receiver, but the bye week gives Hawkins more time to build cohesion with the guys who will play.

"(Hawkins getting) as many reps you can get with the group of guys around you, it's gonna be really critical, getting more and more comfortable," Venables said.

The bye week is also much-needed time for the young guys. The Sooners played 28 underclassmen against Auburn, and several of them (Jayden Jackson, Zion Ragins, Hawkins) have seen significant playing time this season. This is when veterans like Danny Stutsman can help lead the way.

"I think it's just having a conscious notice of what happened last week," Stutsman said. "Especially the younger guys who haven't really handled a bye week, especially after coming off a big win. Just keep on stacking days and just keep on getting better."

But more than ever, the Sooners have to heal. The Sooners put on full pads only once this week as they try to have a healthier roster before facing one of the toughest remaining schedules in the country.

"You've gotta get some work in, you gotta get better," Venables said. "You have to improve."

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