WCU assistant quite familiar with OU
NORMAN — Western Carolina offensive line coach John Peacock died two weeks ago from Covid complications at the age of 32. So Catamounts coach Kerwin Bell needed a successor and quick. Bell found Jon Cooper.
Yes, the Sooner Jon Cooper.
Bob Stoops’ rock-steady center from the 2006-08 OU teams will coach Western Carolina’s offensive line as the Catamounts play at Owen Field on Saturday.
“It’s funny. You hire him, and all of a sudden, in a couple of weeks, you’re playing his alma mater,” Bell said. “He was a great football player there. Had great success there as the starting center. So he’s looking forward to it, I call tell you. He wants to go in and do well against his former team.”
Cooper, from Fort Collins, Colorado, went unselected in the 2009 National Football League Draft but signed with Minnesota and played three years with the Vikings.
Cooper went into coaching and was an OU graduate assistant in 2013-14. He followed former Sooner offensive coordinator Josh Heupel to Utah State (2015), Missouri (2016-17) and Central Florida (2018-19), the latter where Heupel was head coach and Cooper was a full-time assistant for the first time.
Cooper moved on to Arkansas, where he coached tight ends last season. Razorback coach Sam Pittman fired Cooper after last season, but now Cooper has caught on with Western Carolina.
“I tell you what, I think he’s a perfect fit for what we needed,” Bell said. “A guy who has a lot of knowledge. A guy who’s really helped us in the run game and sort of got some things cleaned up we were looking to do with coach Peacock. But he’s sort of added to that and done a great job.
“Perfect fit, as far as personality. The kids have really bought in to what he’s doing. It was good to see that after coach Peacock had brought so much to the table and guys had really bought into him. Loved coach Peacock. But I think coach Cooper’s been the perfect hire and he’s done a tremendous job so far.”
The Catamounts lost to Eastern Kentucky 31-28 last Saturday. Now Cooper’s second game with Western Carolina will be back in Norman.
“He’s told us about the crowd and the sidelines, how narrow they are to the fans, how close the fans are to us,” Bell said.
“Gave us some good insight. Yeah, he’s ready to go.
“Now we gotta go out Saturday against his former team. I know he’s going to be juiced up, and I think our line will perform well for him, knowing the situation.”
Graham switcheroo
D.J. Graham had a hectic day in OU’s season-opening 40-35 win over Tulane.
In addition to the 50 snaps he played on the defensive side, where he finished as the Sooners’ second-leading tackler with six, the cornerback was also deep as a kick returner alongside freshman Billy Bowman.
But while Bowman just had to jog out to his position, Graham had to go through a jersey switch before hitting the field, switching out his No. 9 jersey for No. 48.
OU’s other No. 9, Brayden Willis, is also on the kickoff return team, so the two players can’t be on the field simultaneously unless one changes jerseys.
In the past, that’s been fairly easy as players were able to put a vest, attached by Velcro, with a different number over their normal jerseys.
Now, thanks to an NCAA rule change, those are no longer an option.
“Now it’s a rule, we’re gonna follow the rule, but why we did that — that’s, that’s another story for another time,” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said.
‘Big-boy package’ could pay off for Sooners
Several times during the seasonopener, OU’s three scholarship tight ends/H-backs — Austin Stogner, Jeremiah Hall and Willis — were on the field at the same time in short-yardage situations.
“The big-boy package,” Stogner said. “We like all three of us going out there and lining up. It’s a ton of fun.”
The offensive line also enjoys it. “We run out there and Tyrese (Robinson), the right tackle, is yelling like, ‘Big three!,’” Stogner said. “I hope we get into a little bit more of that.”
Wanya Morris waiting for debut
While OU used plenty of players in the season opener — 61 according to the participation chart — offensive lineman Wanya Morris wasn’t among them.
“Wanya has done some really good things,” Riley said. “He’s started to settle in a little bit and he’s right there on the edge of garnering, ‘We’ve got to put this guy in the game no matter what (status).’
“He’s going to get his opportunities to prove that he should be one of the best five.”
Morris was one of three players who transferred in from Tennessee in the offseason. The other two — Eric Gray and Key Lawrence — saw significant time in the opener.
Riley said the offensive line remained a work in progress and he figured there would be adjustments over the course of the season.