NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables held his weekly press conference Tuesday, recapping the Sooners' 23-7 win over Florida and looking ahead to Saturday's matchup against Ole Miss.

OU will take on the Rebels at 3:15 p.m. at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

"We have what we need in the locker room to win every game we play," Venables said. "It doesn't mean it's going to be easy."

In addition to the game against Ole Miss, the Sooners have matchups remaining against Texas A&M in Norman and Missouri on the road.

Oklahoma (5-4, 3-3 SEC) has yet to win back-to-back games this season, alternating wins and losses.

"The real challenge to know you're stepping in the right direction is do it again," Venables said.

Venables touched on a variety of topics, including Jason Witten's early success as interim offensive coordinator, Ryan Fodje's potential return, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, and more.

Here are a few quick takeaways from Venables' press conference:

Jason Witten Brings Confidence to Sooners' Offense

Venables said Jason Witten's greatest accomplishment in his first week as interim offensive coordinator in the wake of Ben Arbuckle's firing came leading up to the game, not necessarily during the victory over the Gators.

"What he did best and the staff did last week is get the guys to be able to play with confidence," Venables said. "... Lean on your strengths, practice the game, get your players to understand the strategy of what you're trying to do."

The Sooners certainly looked like they had renewed confidence offensively, posting 351 yards of total offense and winning the time of possession battle by an eye-popping 15 minutes.

"We're trying to put together a good game plan and get our guys to play their best four quarters of football this weekend," Venables said.

Ryan Fodje Closing in on Returning

On his coaches' show Monday night, Venables said offensive lineman Ryan Fodje was nearing a return.

Fodje was hurt late in the loss to Kentucky on Oct. 17 and hasn't played since.

The question remains where Fodje will play.

He missed the season's first game after being expected to start at center with Jake Maikkula's injury and then starteed five games at left tackle with Michael Fasusi out.

Fodje figures to slot in at right guard or right tackle as Noah Best has solidified himself at left guard.

"We'll see where we divulge all of that," Venables said. "When we run him out there you'll figure out quickly, but Ryan's a very talented player as you all know. Can go out and play at an all-conference level, when he's healthy, at all five positions."

Brent Venables: Trinidad Chambliss 'Arguably the Best Player in College Football'

Venables laughed a bit when a reporter prafaced a question with Trinidad Chambliss' "breakout" performance against the Sooners last season.

"Was that his breakout?" Venables asked. "He hadn't done anything good before that?"

The point remained, though, as Chambliss did have a big game against Oklahoma, throwing for 315 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions and rushing for 53 yards in the 34-26 Ole Miss win.

"Arguably the best player in college football," Venables said. "Just an absolute stud. A winner. You can have him bottle up all you want ... just to rip your heart out."

Venables said the Sooners needed to be better on third and fourth downs.

"We played really well on early downs and they played better and more precise on third and fourth downs," Venables said of last year's game. "... That plan wasn't any good. But he's a fantastic player. Some people have tried a lot of things against him over the last two years and have had very little success."

Sooners to Honor Legends

As part of Saturday's game, Oklahoma will honor a pair of former Sooners stars.

George Cumby will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in a December ceremony in Las Vegas.

Cumby played for the Sooners from 1975-79, starting out as a running back and part-time kick returner over his first two seasons before moving over to linebacker before the 1977 season.

Cumby became a three-time first-team All-Big Eight player, was named the 1977 Big Eight Defensive Newcomer of the Year and Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year after the 1978 and 1979 seasons. He was a first-team All-American by The Associated Press in 1977 and a unanimous All-American in 1979.

Sonny Brown will be inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame during an in-field ceremony at the 2027 College Football Playoff Semifinal in Miami Gardens on Jan. 14.

Brown had five career interceptions in three consecutive Orange Bowl appearances for the Sooners, with 13 tackles and seven pass breakups.

In the Jan. 1, 1986 win over Penn State (25-10) that brought OU its sixth national championship, Brown recorded a pair of interceptions to earn defensive Most Valuable Player honors. The next year, he had two tackles and two more interceptions in a 42-8 win over Arkansas. In the 1985 game against Washington, Brown had six tackles and in interception.

Cumby will be honored at halftime while Brown will be honored during a first-quarter timeout.