NORMAN — Coming off a 21-13 loss to Kentucky and heading into Saturday's matchup at Mississippi State, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables was not at his regular Tuesday press conference.

An athletic department spokesman said Venables was sick will flu-like symptoms.

So defensive tackles coach Todd Bates replaced Venables after offensive coordinator's Ben Arbuckle's session.

Bates and Arbuckle touched on plenty of topics — Ryan Fodje's injury, the offensive struggles and incremental improvements, the development of depth on the defensive front, and the upcoming matchup with Mississippi State, among others.

Here are some takeaways from Arbuckle's and Bates' press conferences:

Ben Arbuckle: Ryan Fodje Post-Injury Struggles not a Communication Breakdown

After Saturday's loss, Sooners coach Brent Venables said he would have to look more iinto if there was a breakdown that kept Ryan Fodje in the game for multiple drives after suffering an injury that clearly limited him.

Tuesday, Ben Arbuckle said he didn't feel like there was a breakdown.

Oklahoma was just so limited on the offensive line and coaches were told Fodje's injury couldn't get worse if he returned.

"It's not like it was bad every single play but whenever some of those things showed up (it was tough)." Arbuckle said.

When it became clear Fodje was ineffective, coaches made the decision to remove the sophomore finally.

Fodje's status for Saturday's game and moving forward is unclear. The first SEC availability report of the week will be released Wednesday evening.

Defense Taking on 'Firemen' Mentality

The Oklahoma defense has been one of the nation's best this season.

Entering Saturday's game, the Sooners are No. 5 in the nation on total defense, with 260.7 yards per game allowed. Oklahoma is also in the top 10 nationally in passing yards allowed and in red-zone defense.

Even with a struggling offense, the production hasn't dipped on the defensive side.

Todd Bates said that related to the mentality that has been hammered into the defense.

The group text message among Oklahoma's defense is called "The Firemen."

"What does a fireman do? They run to the fire when things go wrong," Bates said. "That's the mentality we try to instill on our guys. ...

"You just keep plugging away at that and pounding that and believing in that."

Bates: Brent Venables is an 'Ultimate Leader'

Bates has been with Brent Venables for quite a while.

Bates said Venables has handled the recent struggles well.

"He's the ultimate leader," Bates said. "He comes in and he sets the thermostat every day. That's win, lose or draw. He's always on 10 and always on attack mode."

Tory Blaylock Coming Along

After rushing for just 22 yards through the first five games of the season, sophomore running back Tory Blaylock ran for 23 yards on seven carries against Kentucky.

Arbuckle said Blaylock was started to make significant strides after suffering an injury in preseason camp that limited him.

"He's really starting to look like the Tory who we all know," Arbuckle said. "He's starting to look like that guy again. ... I'm proud of how Tory has battled back from the setback he had early in the season."

Blaylock was the Sooners' leading rusher last season with 480 yards and four touchdowns on 120 carries.

Oklahoma certainly needs a big spark in the running game.

Lloyd Avant is the Sooners' leading rusher with just 267 yards and two touchdowns on 60 carries.

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