Following Texas’ upset win over Oklahoma, I made what I considered to be a pretty non-controversial comment about Bob Stoops:
Wouldn’t be shocked if that’s bob stoops’ final red river shootout
— Allen Kenney (@BlatantHomerism) October 10, 2015
I got plenty of responses along these lines:
@BlatantHomerism easy to shoot off a dumbass opinion here. OU wins by 30 today and you love him.
— Matt Waller (@4WallerOU) October 10, 2015
I get it. Suggesting minutes after an emotional loss that a legendary coach might not be back the next year comes off like OUrulz69 venting on his favorite message board.
On the other hand…
There wasn’t much new to be said about the Sooners’ performance in the Cotton Bowl last weekend.
Shoddy tackling turned what should have been a tackle in UT’s backfield into a 24-yard touchdown romp by Longhorn receiver Marcus Johnson. A careless fumble on the ensuing kickoff return handed the Longhorns a short field, which they converted into another quick score. Behind a turnstile line and non-existent running game, it looked as though OU’s offense was more interested in seeing how quickly it could get punter Austin Seibert back on the field than moving the ball down it. The sideline even burned a timeout before the opening play of the fourth quarter.
None of that should surprise anyone who has been paying attention to Stoops’ program the last five years. At this point, it’s more of a shock when the Sooners don’t figure out a way to undercut themselves.
Even more familiar is that feeling you get when you realize that, no, this year’s team isn’t much different from the others. It’s especially bad when you find that out against any Texas team, let alone one that has struggled to the extent of the 2015 version. You also know that if history is any indication, there will be more befuddling losses to come in the next seven games.
Stoops won’t be getting pink-slipped by OU’s administration, nor should he. Yet, he has held a high-pressure job for 17 years now. It doesn’t strike me as outlandish to put forward the possibility of him stepping away at the end of season. (Stoops’ biggest coaching influence: Steve Spurrier.)
It’s far more likely, of course, that Stoops will return to the Sooners’ sideline in 2016. Even with all the frustrations among fans, that’s for the best.
It may not be 2008 anymore, but Stoops has taken a number of steps in the last three years to right some of the wrongs that he created within the program. Underwhelming assistants have been jettisoned. The offense has a clear identity under Lincoln Riley that was missing when Josh Heupel was calling the shots. The attrition-wracked recruiting classes of 2011 and 2012 are clearing off the rolls.
Overall, the footing beneath the team is growing more solid thanks to Stoops’ decisive moves. That means continuity trumps change in the here and now.
With 172 career wins to his credit, Stoops remains a hero in Norman and always will be. You don’t win as much as he has without being a great coach.
It doesn’t assuage the lingering concerns about Stoops righting the ship, though. After nearly two decades at the helm, OU football has turned into an annual exercise in waiting for the next shoe to drop. The small grievances accumulating over time aren’t any easier to stomach when it’s hard to find evidence that the program is getting closer to returning to the sport’s upper echelon.
Stoops could earn back some of the faith he built up from all those wins with a strong finishing kick in the back half of this season. Maybe it will take another year for OU to revert to form. Whatever the case may be, his support in Sooner Nation will dwindle if he can’t halt the team’s gradual erosion.
