Mike Stoops Out as Oklahoma Sooners Defensive Coordinator
One day after Oklahoma’s 48-45 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry, Mike Stoops is out as defensive coordinator for the Sooners, according to our friends at The Football Brainiacs.
TFB contributor, James Hale (@jhale24) has learned via a source that #Sooners coach, Mike Stoops is out as defensive coordinator.
Please be respectful.https://t.co/slsOb8kPki
— TFB Sooners (@TFB_Sooners) October 8, 2018
OU gave up 500 yards of offense to Texas on Saturday, the same UT offense that scored just 10 points against Kansas State the previous week. Stoops has been enemy No. 1 for a long time by the Sooners fan base and it appears like the disastrous defensive performance against their biggest rival was the final straw.
It’s been a rough go of it so far this season for Stoops and his defense, which is littered with four and five-star players at every level of the defense. The worst stat for this side of the ball in Norman is in the red zone. The Sooners rank second to last nationally (Power 5 teams only) in red zone defense, with opponents scoring a touchdown 86% of the time against OU.
In other defensive statistical categories, Oklahoma currently rank 7th in the Big 12 in scoring defense, 8th in total defense, 7th in rushing defense, 8th in passing defense and 7th in passing defense efficiency. OU ranks dead last in the Big 12 in opponents number of first downs per game, 8th in opponents’ third-down conversions and also dead last in the conference in opponents fourth-down conversions. OU’s five turnovers gained this season is tied for last in the conference with TCU and Baylor.
Stoops was in his second stint with the Sooners, which began in 2012, after he was let go as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats. His first tenure with OU lasted from 1999 until 2003, when he came to Norman with his brother, Bob, who was hired as the head coach at the time.
His second stint with OU has not been nearly as productive as the first, as it’s been the defense that was, in fairness, the difference between this team winning a potential National Championship, and losing in the College Football Playoff semifinals in two of the past three seasons. This season, the offense is certainly capable of carrying this team to a College Football Playoff, and possibly further, but the defense remains the Achilles heel.
We will continue to update this story as details come out.
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