Dean Blevins: Looking For Sooners’ Progress vs. Ole Miss

We’re on the road to Oxford as the once-again “new-look” Sooners are a still-hard-to-believe three-TD underdog to a talented and well-coached Ole Miss club that is six points from being the undefeated No. 1 or No. 2 team in America. 

In a college football world where players need consistency from top-to-bottom and practice rep after rep after rep, OU is now making significant offensive changes for a third time since under-appreciated former Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby left for his head coaching chance at Mississippi State. 

The Seth Littrell-installed offense that QB Jackson Arnold told Paul Finebaum at the beginning of the season was a blend of Littrell’s former North Texas offense and “what we’ve done before.” OU made significant changes before the Texas game and is now running the offense that promoted TE coach/co-coordinator Joe Jon Finley prefers. 

As much as the Sooners need upgraded changes, does anyone really think that with the same receiver room that is still missing its Top 5 players, and a hodgepodge offensive line that continues being unable to open running lanes or give OU QBs a legitimate shot at having enough pocket time to look downfield, will find success for the first time in seven contests against NFL quality defenders Lane Kiffin has developed and others who’ve been paid handsome NIL money. 

There’s a significant talent gap between these Rebels and Shane Beamer’s lads from South Carolina who embarrassed the Sooners in Norman last Saturday. But that doesn’t mean we should expect OU to wander aimlessly without a sound plan or tweaks in the offense that should find some degree of success. 

Kevin Johns should help in several ways after being on campus only since the spring and now promoted to co-coordinator. At least he has coordinated college offenses and knows the QB position. Finley’s only play-calling was changing plays his father Mickey had called when Finley was his QB in high school. BTW, we hear so much about playcalling but designing plays is just as vital. And OU has gone from the best college coordinators over the past quarter century timeframe, who excelled at play designs, scheming, knowledge and experience, elite coaching and communicating with QBs, to however low you want to rank where they settled in 2024. 

Oklahoma should unveil new ideas that find some degree of success. But it’s worth noting that the Sooners were drubbed last week while committing four turnovers, which easily could have been a more disastrous eight giveaways. Cale Gundy backs would go seasons without losing a fumble. And this bunch that put the pigskin on the ground an absurdly high six times must correct those sins or Kiffin will put more points on the board than the law allows. 

While the program is in the throes of creatively transitioning into more of an NFL operation, a jolt of optimism following some strong offensive punch would be ultra refreshing. Because as I reflected back on how OU players, fans, media, etc. felt after every game this season, it struck me that incredibly, there has not been a single game where those devoted people left stadiums with any degree of optimism. Not one game. Not the non-cons and definitely not in conference play. For as impressive and improved as this defense is, the repeated failures offensively and on the scoreboard in all seven games, left loyalists disappointed. That’s rare and hard to do. 

But a fresh start begins offensively Saturday. And the internal hope is there’ll be enough success to generate more hope. Do that Saturday, then impress in a win against Maine next week, and you are making progress. And at this point, that’s all that can be expected.