Bob Stoops back (for now)
The answer isn’t more positive or negative about whether Oklahoma is going to play this weekend, but we did a much better feel of what OU has been trying to do to adjust.
Part of that plan includes former head coach Bob Stoops. Yes, head coach Lincoln Riley just casually dropped that bombshell toward the beginning of his Zoom meeting Tuesday afternoon.
“Actually, we brought Coach Stoops out of retirement today,” Riley said. “He was on the field and coached with us today. It was great to have him today.
“It’s kind of been in our hip pocket this whole time. If we had any staff member who fell off, we have a Hall of Famer sitting on the bench. It’s a pretty good bench when you can call that guy up. More than that, just how much he cares about this program. I don’t think there’s anything he wouldn’t do. It was great to have him out there today. It was awesome. Our kids were excited to see him. All of us were excited to see him. I think he had some fun as well.”
Riley said he is still in constant communication with Stoops, whether it’s for a light-hearted just checking in deal or whether it’s for deeper issues.
Riley said OU was able to use Stoops because he’s still an institutional staff member and said Stoops could be available to help coach Saturday vs. Baylor, if necessary.
The if necessary part is what we’ll find out throughout the rest of the week. Riley was quick to say COVID-19 has run rampant through all parts of the program. Players, coaches, support staff, equipment staff. You name it, and it has been an issue.
“It’s hit us all a little bit. Whether it’s an equipment manager, a trainer, a coach, you have to have plans, you have to have backup plans in case those things happen,” Riley said. “We’ve had those. The thing for this is it’s continuing ongoing.
“You are getting new information and kind of put in a new situation every day. I think we have plans for all of those. We’ve had to put some of them in place this week. I’m obviously not going to get too much in the details. If we can have a good week here as far as the tests, I think we’ll be in position to play on Saturday.”
Riley said if assistant coaches are unable to be on the field, OU can use graduate assistants and quality control coaches. And now, as we found out, Stoops.
Head coaches across the nation have been hit by COVID-19, most notably Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Alabama’s Nick Saban. Riley joked he’s still standing and hasn’t tested positive, but he did admit the anxiety is increasing with each testing.
“From our staff, our whole staff, but not coaching staff, we had one staff member that was positive in August and then up until seven, eight, nine days ago, we hadn’t had one the entire time,” Riley said. “It’s quite a few people. I don’t know if I had as much anxiety when we were having all of that success but now seeing all the coaches across the country test positive – several that I know and have talked to – and I think several of them are like I’ve tried to do.
“The only time I don’t have a mask on is when I’m eating or when I go to sleep. I know a lot of these other guys have done the same thing and still gotten the virus. Do I have anxiety when I take it? Yea, absolutely. I know we have a good plan in place if I were to test positive. But I absolutely have anxiety. I think every single person in our program right now have anxiety when they take that test.”
Senior Day canceled (for this weekend)
If OU and Baylor are able to play Saturday night, it is indeed the final home game of the season for the Sooners. That means Senior Day and everything, or at least it usually does.
Add that to the COVID-19 hit list.
“We’ve decided we’re going to cancel the Senior Day festivities. I think for a few reasons. Obviously, there are a million reasons this year,” Riley said. “Not being able to have families on the field. Not all families even being able to travel and be there for it. Not being able to do it in front of a full stadium, which that’s not the most important for me, but I think that is a factor. And I think that with all that’s going on right now, I just don’t know that we could do it the way we want to do it.”
Riley said the administration had been talking about plans and options for several weeks. But after talking to current players and their families, everybody involved decided it would be best to hit pause for this weekend.
But, yes, there are plans to do something going down the road.
“We’re definitely not sweeping it under the rug,” Riley said. “We want it to happen. But we want it to happen where we can do it the right way. We’ve communicated that to our guys who that could potentially affect and to their families as well.”