UPDATE: Multiple media reports on Sunday night that after meeting with OU President Gallogly and Lincoln Riley, Mike Stoops has been removed from his defensive coordinator position.
You do not score 45 points and expect to lose.
Unless of course you give up 48 points.
And that’s what happened at the Cotton Bowl, when the No.7 Sooners went down to an emerging Texas 48-45, following a spirited offensive comeback by OU.
One could say the talk about defensive coordinator Mike Stoops’ job status is really going to heat up.
But, we’re past that now, aren’t we?
This Sooners defense just gave up 500 yards to an offense that could barely score against Kansas State.
Emblematic of the Sooners’ defensive malignancy: Twice during this game the Longhorns were faced with third and more than 20. On both occasions they were able to eventually convert the first downs.
At one point, Texas had gained an average of 17.2 yards per attempt on third down.
If Oklahoma’s defense was just average, then this game would not have been close at all. The Sooners’ talent advantage was apparent.
But, talent is only one part of it. And when the talent changes each year, the question becomes whether Oklahoma’s long-mentioned defensive woes are about talent at all. The coach has remained the same.
But, we’re past all that now.
The honeymoon for Lincoln Riley could swiftly end at season’s end, if Mike Stoops remains defensive coordinator.
The honeymoon for Lincoln Riley could swiftly end at season’s end, if Mike Stoops remains defensive coordinator.
Past the discussion about Stoops’ status.
The overwhelming opinion among the Sooner faithful is that the product he has put on the field is far below anything that would be acceptable at a juggernaut college football program like Oklahoma. Stoops’ exit is now accepted as the only answer. For fans, the question on everyone’s mind has been answered.
The question now is, is Lincoln Riley asking that question?
One thing Barry Switzer always said, and Chuck Fairbanks before him, and Bud Wilkinson before him: Sooner fans can tolerate an occasional losing season, but lose to Texas and you better be looking for a new address.
The honeymoon for Lincoln Riley could swiftly end at season’s end, if Mike Stoops remains defensive coordinator.
That may become apparent in January, but it will have begun on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas if a personnel change does not occur.
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