This is going to be an abbreviated recap. I don't have it in me to complain about that game to the extent I usually do. The defense played horribly. Brent Venables' game management was the worst I've seen in his tenure at OU. But there are two messages I want to make perfectly clear in this recap. First, our strength and conditioning needs to take a step up. Second, Jeff Lebby needs to be fired.
Photo credit to The Oklahoman.
From the opening kickoff, it was clear our tackling would be weak. We didn't know how bad we would look trying to tackle, though. Throughout all four quarters, our defense just looked lost. I haven't looked at the numbers, so I can't say this with certainty, but it seems we missed more tackles today than in the other seven games we've played this year combined.
The Kansas offensive line bullied our defensive line the whole game. There is no other way to describe it. There was no penetration in the first half and very little in the second half. Considering the talent and size we have on our defensive line, that's simply inexcusable. The play from the linebackers was the worst we have seen all year. Jason Bean and the Kansas RBs made a fool out of our linebackers. They wouldn't wrap up, they kept missing their guys, they looked slow, and they looked weak. Considering our LBs are our best unit on defense, this does not give me much confidence for the rest of the season.
There was little to be desired in terms of game management. A lot of that falls on Brent Venables. But the playcalling we had to watch today from Jeff Lebby? After a year and a half of defending him, I can't anymore. I don't have it in me. He needs to go.
His first mistake was having no faith in Dillon Gabriel. I know he had a shaky start. The first pass missed Stogner by a mile, and the second one was a horrible pass that was taken for six. Not a good start. But you have to let quarterbacks try to rebound from their mistakes. On top of all this, I'm aware of the poor weather at the game. Despite all this, Jeff Lebby gave up on Dillon Gabriel. They called maybe 10 pass plays between the pick-six and the start of the fourth quarter. Every one of those passes was complete. After those first two bad passes, Dillon Gabriel went 14/17 for 171 yards. But it didn't matter. Let's fast forward to the drive following Ethan Downs' interception. Everyone in the stadium knows that OU needed a first down. Tawee Walker was hurt at this point. You have a Heisman candidate quarterback. To any other offense in the country (even Alabama's), this is a no-brainer. Throw the ball. You have a QB who hasn't thrown an incomplete pass since the first drive of the game. But no. Three horrible run calls in a row. Why he wouldn't let Dillon Gabriel throw the ball is beyond me.
His second and biggest mistake was the atrocious playcalling the whole game. That jet sweep play to Gavin Freeman has gained more than 2-3 yards maybe twice this year? The biggest gain I can remember from it this season was eight yards against Texas. Despite this, Lebby called this play in huge third down and two-point situations, and, surprise surprise, it got stuffed. Like it always does. Then, there was the final drive of the first half. This was the biggest example of not trying I've ever seen OU do. At this point in the game, Tawee Walker was averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Gavin Sawchuck had been shut down. So, with 50 seconds left in the first half and all three timeouts, what does Jeff Lebby dial-up? A run to the weak side of the line with Gavin Sawchuck, a kneel on the next play. That one drive, if he had any faith in his Heisman contender QB, could've made the difference in the game. But he quit. And the whole world knew it.
One of his other huge mistakes was pulling Tawee Walker. Tawee was having the game of his life. I know he got hurt late in the fourth quarter. But he was tearing the defense a new one at the end of the first half, and we barely played him in the second half. Why he got pulled in the second half is beyond me.
So why am I saying Jeff Lebby specifically needs to go, not the other coaches? Because this isn't the first time his questionable decisions and refusal to adjust have come back to bite us. Last year against Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas Tech (more than any of the others), Baylor, and now this game are all prime examples of him refusing to try something different or making a series of questionable decisions, which end up costing us the game. In other games, he lets the offense play horribly the whole game because he knows the defense normally bails him out. Look at Oklahoma State last year or Cincinnati this year. Both games were horrible offensively, but the defense did just enough to give us the win. The idea of complimentary football has completely eluded him. And for all those reasons, he needs to go.
Key Players
Tawee Walker: 23 rushes, 146 yards, one touchdown.
Dillon Gabriel: 14-19 passing, 171 yards, one interception. 14 rushes, 64 yards, three touchdowns.
Dasan McCullough: Six tackles, all solo, one tackle for loss.
Billy Bowman: Six tackles, four solo, one interception.
This game needs to be a wake-up call for OU. If we play like we did today for the rest of the season (bowls and potential conference championship combined), we'll be lucky to reach 10 wins.
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