Everything on the table for OU
When you go from 3-0 to 3-3 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12, there isn’t much explanation that will satisfy Oklahoma fans.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and defensive coordinator Ted Roof attempted to answer some questions Monday, a tough task after the embarrassing 49-0 loss to Texas and with Kansas coming up Saturday.
To offense where all the conversation goes to the quarterback spot. Head coach Brent Venables will give an update on Dillon Gabriel on Tuesday, so Monday was about trying to figure out how it shakes out between Davis Beville, General Booty and Nick Evers.
Beville and Booty, in particular, weren’t even around in the spring, while Evers is just a true freshman starting to grasp everything.
But that’s not why 49-0 happened, Lebby said.
“The expectation is to coach better first and play better second. With that being said, obviously, a very short amount of time that Davis has been here to get him up to speed with how we want to operate and how we want to do things.”
There’s a lot to unpack from Saturday. Whether it was the offense going all-in with the Wildcat to Evers getting some head-scratching snaps at 49-0, a lot of bad could have potentially resulted in the game management.
Lebby isn’t worried, but it’ll be interesting to see how the QB room responds.
“I think it’s just the entire group understanding that we have to do whatever it takes to find a way to score points,” Lebby said. “And, at the end of the day, ultimately, end up plus-one. I think all those guys understood that in the room. They’re great teammates and incredibly unselfish. They want to do whatever is best for the football team.”
Quick-hit thoughts on Booty and Evers. First, Booty.
“He was prepped and ready to go,” Lebby said. “He had a minor deal pregame, but General had a good week. He was another guy that obviously has been in the room, not for a great amount of time, but has continued to strain and fight for his spot and his opportunity.”
And Evers.
“Nick, again, has done some really good things, too,” Lebby said. “Again, he’s put himself in a situation to be right in the mix as well. That’s why I wanted to get him some reps, get him a little bit of time out there to create that experience for him.”
Looking at everything
If you had to sum up what Roof said, those are the three words. OU will be looking at everything after allowing 41, 55 and 49 points in the last three games.
It’s easy to point toward the change with the defensive line, going from a four-man front to a three-man as being a major issue.
Roof didn’t address that matter exactly, but the defense as a whole.
“We tried to mix things up,” Roof said. “After three weeks, we were doing pretty well there. The production hasn't been what it was. The results haven't been what it was. We're evaluating everything every week. We're looking under every rock and behind every door. We're evaluating a bunch of things right now.”
Practice determines playing time
Maybe some guys are good practice players, but cannot deliver on Saturdays. Maybe some guys can’t practice well but are a-OK on game days.
Call them gamers, but it’s not a philosophy Lebby believes in.
“I do not. I truly believe there comes a lot of confidence through preparation,” Lebby said. “And wanting to be able to call a play and know what the outcome is going to be. We talk about predictable outcomes all the time. That’s something that, to me, is incredibly important.”
He mentioned taking care of the football and having a good idea of what the play result will be as it’s called because it’s been practiced so much.
DB changes?
With Billy Bowman being out, OU moved Woodi Washington to safety, which allowed for transfer cornerback C.J. Coldon to get his first real experience with the Sooners.
He didn’t fare too badly, including an interception that is OU’s only takeaway in the last three weeks. If you’re searching for something after the misery, maybe?
“A guy that transferred in here and took advantage of his opportunities the other day,” Roof said. “So he’s earned that. He’s earned more and put himself in a position to get more opportunities and continue to see him develop and grow and get better.”
Need explosive plays again
Not every answer was about playing better and coaching better, and when Lebby thought about how things need to improve during the second half of the regular season, he was quick to point out some things.
“I think the biggest thing is when we have the opportunity to go run the football and it’s getting blocked for six yards, gaining more than six yards. If we have the opportunity of blocking a play or a picture for a gain of five yards, making more than five yards,” Lebby said. “Finding ways to win our 1-on-1s, not just gaining exactly what’s been blocked for us but making some explosive plays maybe when the picture’s not perfect.
“The last two weeks, the biggest frustration, sitting there looking at it from a self-scout standpoint, we’ve created no explosive plays in the throw game, which has not been us ever. That’s something we’ve got to get better at.”
It was the most passion Lebby showed during his 12-minute press conference.
Quotable
“I love the way the guys have approached it during the week – their buy-in, their commitment, times spent on task. I love our locker room. That’s human nature. We can’t give in to that. We can’t let circumstances dictate the level of commitment and I don’t sense that from our guys at all. I expect them to be fully engaged and moving forward so we can get this thing back on track.” – Roof on keeping young guys engaged in age of transfer portal and recent struggles