Mirror time
Berry Tramel says a Sooner machine that virtually was on cruise control now faces self-inspection.
On June 7, OU named Lincoln Riley head coach, and everything was sunshine and candy bars. The Sooners had a new, vibrant, young coach. For those who liked Bob Stoops, Riley was the perfect successor. For those who had absurdly wearied of Stoops, Riley was fresh blood. Everyone was happy.
The Sooners had a highly-touted team, an all-American quarterback and soon enough a victory over Ohio State. Riley’s approval rating soared to 100 percent.
But Saturday, on Oct. 7, exactly four months after Riley’s promotion, the Sooners lost 38-31 to Iowa State, a college
football stunner without peer this season and dang near without peer in OU annals. John Blake never lost to Iowa State. Neither did Howard Schnellenberger, Gomer Jones nor Snorter Luster.
Now Riley is 0-1 against the Cyclones, it’s Texas Week, and suddenly those ice-cream castles in the air have become ominous storm clouds. And it’s time for Riley to start earning that heftier paycheck.
A machine that virtually was on self-proclaimed cruise control now faces mirror time. Self-inspection on how a 24-10 lead could turn into a 38-31 defeat. How Iowa State, which had beaten the Sooners five times in 81 series games, could win on Owen Field against a team ranked third in America.
“We’re going to have to coach a lot better,” Riley said with the composure we figured he’d have. “I’m going to have to do a better job of getting our team to maintain the momentum we’ve had early in games. I’ve not done a good job with that at all.”
This is new to Riley. He knows what losing’s like. Riley didn’t lose much as OU’s offensive coordinator but lost his fair share before that. He came from East Carolina and Texas Tech, not New England and Alabama.
Still, losing as a head coach is different. Riley now faces questions he wasn’t asked in days past. Like, can you depend on your field-goal kicker? And, is your defensive problem schematic, talent or effort? Those aren’t just questions Riley has to dodge from the media. Those are questions Riley must answer in his head as he takes this team forward.
How will Riley handle his team after his first defeat? “I’ve got a clear vision in my head what needs to be,” Riley said with the matter of factness of a man who figured he would not go undefeated for an entire career. “I’m confident the group we have will respond.”
We’ll see. Just because OU has rallied to win the Big 12 after discouraging early defeats the last two years doesn’t mean it will happen every year, just as Iowa State proved Saturday that history does not automatically repeat.
The momentum loss was courtesy of offense and defense. But no one is really concerned about Baker Mayfield’s group. It will score. The offensive coordinator part of Riley’s job description remains peachy. It will help if Abdul Adams and CeeDee Lamb aren’t injured severely, but the Sooners still should score abundantly.
But that defense? Lit up two straight games by quarterbacks who were on the bench to start the season and by offenses that had scored 20 and 7 the previous game, respectively? The Sooners haven’t hit the meat of the schedule. Nic Shimonek, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Hill Jr. and Will Grier await. If Kyle Kempt can dazzle the Sooners, what will those Jedi Masters do?
How much does Riley immerse himself into the defensive woes? Especially since Riley runs the offense and time is not limitless? That’s unchartered territory for a novice head coach who has always been in only offensive meetings. How much does Riley pull rank on Mike Stoops, whose unit collapsed as Saturday morning became Saturday afternoon?
“Everybody’s got to do better,” Riley said. “We’re all in it together. It’s a lot like the Baylor deal. I didn’t think we had as many busts today. It’s team defense. Again, I think we got frustrated. We’ve got to all do better.”
Truth is, no one outside the Switzer Center knows whether the defense needs scheme adjustments. Maybe no one inside knows, either. But looked to me like tackling was the biggest issue Saturday. Downfield balls sometimes get completed. That’s just the way the game is played these days. But all those swing passes and bubble screens that kept breaking free?
“That’s not good football,” Stoops said.
Do the Sooners need to hit more in practice? More full contact? That goes against the grain of 21st-century understanding. But that’s on the table after a game in which the Cyclones tackled better than did the Sooners.
“I don’t know,” Riley admitted. “They’re doing something better. It’s a space game. We had a lot of guys there. We’re trying to tee ‘em up so much, get the big hit, the big play. Just gotta settle in, get the guy on the ground. Can’t say we’re doing a good job.”
And that’s now Riley’s problem. In years past, his job when the defense struggled was to make the offense better. Score so much it wouldn’t matter. That’s still not a bad way to approach the offense. But now the defense is Riley’s concern.
And now he knows why that paycheck is so big. Life’s not always sunshine and candy bars.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok. com/berrytramel.