Jeff Lebby Predicts What Would Get Him Fired This Season
Oklahoma and offense have been synonymous since the turn of the century when Mike Leach, and his successor Mark Mangino, helped Bob Stoops usher in a new era of football in Norman.
Some of the top offenses in college football history have called the Palace on the Prairie home, most recently under offensive savant, Lincoln Riley.
In Oklahoma’s first season post-Riley, the Sooners’ offense fell from the perch it had been so comfortably seated for many years. That’s not to say that they were bad offensively, as OU ranked 13th nationally in total offense (474.0 ypg) and 32nd in scoring (32.8 ppg).
However, that’s not the standard, or the precedent that has been set at Oklahoma.
On Thursday, a coaches’ luncheon was held in Norman, with a portion of the event opening up questions from fans in attendance. It was then that Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was asked a particularly difficult question.
“Are you going to score against Texas this year?” the fan asked, according to SoonerScoop’s George Stoia.
Lebby’s answer was honest and to the point.
“If we don’t, I probably won’t be sitting here next year.”
While that might seem ridiculous to some, it’s likely a reality for the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. OU’s 49-0 defeat at the hands of Texas in 2022 was the first time the Sooners had been shut out since 1998. It also capped off Oklahoma’s first three-game losing streak since that same year.
In Lebby’s defense, the Sooners’ offense was a well-oiled machine when Dillon Gabriel was in the game.
In the 11 games that Gabriel didn’t miss a significant amount of time due to a head injury, the Sooners averaged 510 yards and 36.6 points per game, which would’ve ranked 3rd and 15th nationally.
In Oklahoma’s final season in the Big 12, a conference that they’ve been kings of 14 out of 27 years, the expectations are high once again, regardless of what happened a year ago.
