For as long as he's been a football coach, Brent Venables has gotten excellent linebacker play on the field. As a defensive coordinator, Venables has coached three Butkus Award winners, including Teddy Lehman ('03) and Rocky Calmus ('01) with the Sooners in the early 2000s.

Lehman and Calmus shared the field for a couple of seasons early in Venables' tenure as Oklahoma's defensive coordinator, and are still considered one of, if not the best linebacker duos to ever come through Norman.

Now, in his second season as the Sooners' head coach, Venables has built depth at linebacker that he's pleased with to this point. In a 73-0 beatdown of Arkansas State last week, we got a glimpse of what could be a duo that helps the Oklahoma defense ascend to the days of old when it wasn't just the offense that made opposing coordinators lose sleep at night.

Danny Stutsman and Jaren Kanak have grown into a duo on, and off, the field in Norman during their time together here, and last Saturday was the first time that they shared the space between the hashes as starting members of the Sooners' defensive front seven.

"It's really cool to look across and see him," Stutsman said of having Kanak on the field with him on Saturday. "I know he's got my back and I've got his. I think we have good chemistry out there. We trust each other in the systems and the fits and I think that just helps with our play."

Kanak also speaks to the chemistry and closeness between he and Stutsman, but also of how close-knit the entire linebacker room is.

"Yeah for sure. Not only me and Danny, but just the linebacker group as a whole is super close," Kanak said. "Whoever's out there, we know we have each other's backs. We've been through thick and thin together and we're going to push each other and hold each other accountable.

"Having a guy like [Stutsman] that you know loves you and is going to hold you accountable out there is an awesome thing and we're glad that we've started developing that."

Chemistry is an undervalued component in football, as time played together and familiarity with one another helps good teams become great over time. That's not lost on Stutsman, who points out that his chemistry with Kanak, and other members of the linebacker corps, helps him coach them harder, and helps them understand that he's got their best interest in mind.

"Let's say he messes up and I have to get on him, he knows I'm not doing it just because I want to win. It's because I love him. It's like [having] a brother out there and I really want what's best for him. So, like, when we're watching film and coaching each other up, we know where it comes from and it really helps us out."

While the Sooners weren't really tested against Arkansas State, SMU comes to town this Saturday and will likely be one of the best offenses that OU will face in 2023. Will Stutsman, Kanak, and the rest of the Oklahoma defense step up to the challenge?

Kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+, with Oklahoma favored by 16.5 points.