Oklahoma’s defense issues have been well documented, leading head coach Lincoln Riley to recently make the unusual midseason decision of making an example out of Mike Stoops. Riley gave his defensive coordinator a well-deserved pink slip after the Sooners allowed a pedestrian Texas offense to waltz up and down the field in a 48–45 upset victory two weeks ago at the Cotton Bowl.
So, the Sooners went back to the drawing board during their bye week, promoting defensive line coach Ruffin McNeill to interim defensive coordinator and simplifying things to let the four-and five-star recruits littered throughout the roster use their ability to make plays.