Very nice ending to a week with some drama as Brent Venables basically fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. I thought the dismissal was warranted and I might have fired Coach Arbuckle after the abysmal fourth quarter in the Kentucky home loss which btw ended OU’s hopes of any kind for making the College Football Playoff.
This OU offense had been historically bad, even worse than two of John Blake’s offenses. High paid coaches in college football know the score, it’s a performance profession, and at the end of the day Brent Venables had no choice as in the South Carolina game the toxicity of the OU offense seemed to be ebbing into the pysche of the Sooner defense. Something had to be changed and it wasn’t pulling John Mateer.
John Mateer hasn’t had a turnover in the past three games and gradually the offensive line has gotten a little better each week. I’d still like to see Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodjie manning the tackle spots in the same game. Because of injuries that dynamic hasn’t happened since the season opener versus UTEP.
If WR Manny Choice jumps in motion and takes another drive-killing penalty… I’m going to grab him through my flat screen and new offensive coordinator Jason Witton won’t have to do so. Manny Choice, dude, play with a little mental focus out there. You were just singled out in Coach BV’s presser as the lone dismal spot in an otherwise best of the season performance by the Sooners.
Most of all…I’m happy for John Mateer. It would appear Coach Witten simplified some things, did away with some of the RPIs, motivated his players in a firm, positive manner and they responded with reciprocal trust.
Like Lombardi said, “You can find guys all over the place who can draw up new fangled plays , but it’s that unique coach to a specific situation who can find his players’ reciprocal love-respect-trust zone’…it’s usually that coach who wins 70%-80% of their games.”
Space and time is space and time, duh.
Every human situation in coaching is different. It depends on the humans. It can be tough love or soft love or both. But it’s the coaches who sustain who know how to walk that human-emotion tightrope.
Coach Mark of the Thunder would be a good example of that doctrine. I’ve really grown to respect the manner in which he deals with his players. He was crying that night at his presser over JDub’s horrible injury. You can’t fake that. He treats his players with the utmost respect and they reciprocate in a beautiful manner.
So my Sooners are 5-4 and not once have I quit on them. I’ve cursed privately a few times, but never left them. I’m not the ordinairy OU football fan. It must be the Libra in me. Sometimes you don’t win to the extent you thought you might entering a season. It hurts at first glance. Then your resolve and competitive soul recalibrate to the reality and hopefully deal with it in the appropriate manner.
My goal for the Sooners is they finish winning these last three games and close the season at 8-4. That has to be the mindset. I could care less what the OU fanbase or the callers on the Jim Traber show might think.
This is where you as a group circle the wagons as a group and display the best version of yourselves even if you’re not participating in the College Football Playoff.
This is life. You grow from these life opportunities.
Beat Ole Miss.
Mike J