There was nothing pretty about what Oklahoma’s defense was doing Saturday against Texas Tech. Despite being fortunate enough to be playing an opponent with no ability to play defense and coming out with the win, fans of the Sooners are petitioning to have defensive coordinator Mike Stoops fired.
As of the writing of this story, the online petition, started by “Sooner Nation,” on Change.org has received support from 347 fans. Once the petition hits 500 signatures, it will be sent to the Oklahoma football offices. The original description for the online campaign was pretty hard on Stoops, the brother of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. It has since been altered to be less harsh, but Land Grant Gauntlet preserved the original description;
“His defensive game plans are garbage, his coaching ability is garbage, his defensive scheme is garbage, his personnel decisions are garbage, his ability to motivate players is garbage. Sooner Nation is tired of your garbage. Take your garbage 3-4 defense back to Arizona. Share this everywhere! “
I think we should get this guy a thesaurus so he doesn’t have to keep saying everything is garbage. Throw in a “rubbish” or “trash” every now and then, will you?
The thing is, the description is pretty spot on. The Sooners rank 116th in the nation in total defense. The game against Texas Tech inflates the number, but the Sooners have given up over 400 yards of offense five times this season, including games against Houston, Ohio State, TCU, and Texas in addition to Texas Tech. Oklahoma allowed more than 400 yards in a game five times all of last season, and these Sooners still have to play Baylor, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State, not to mention a bowl opponent.
How bad was Oklahoma’s defense on Saturday? Pretty stinkin’ bad. The Sooners gave up 854 yards of offense, including an astounding 734 yards through the air. Texas Tech piled up 42 first downs and was 20-for-25 on third down plays (and two-for-two on fourth down). Oklahoma gave up 59 points, but Texas Tech’s defense was just as bad, if not worse, in the 66-59 Big 12 shootout.
You can generally take online petitions for what they are, which is just another outlet available online to voice displeasure. This online petition will have no impact on Stoops’ job status with Oklahoma in the long run. But hey, it’s nice to give fans a common outlet to join in unison online and shout out over the internet how angry they are about something.
