An Early Look At A Lincoln Riley Offense

Image via 247 Sports

I have to admit, I’m intrigued by the hire of Lincoln Riley as OU’s new offensive coordinator.  I remember watching highlights of East Carolina beating Va Tech earlier this year, and then they went on to get UNC while also nearly pulling off wins at South Carolina and against Florida in their bowl game.

When we first started hearing about who the guy might be, and that he was a Mike Leach air raid disciple, I wasn’t too crazy about it.  But when you start to dig deeper, you see an offense that’s gonna hit you from a lot of different angles.  They’re going to spread you out, and even though they throw it a ton, he actually ran it more than you might expect from an ‘Air Raid’ guy.

It’s very similar to a Baylor offense in that they put so much pressure on you having to defend the receivers, it empties the box and removes defenders from the run game.  I’ve been like a broken record talking about outnumbering people when running the ball and in this offense, it seems like the pass sets up the run.  The four primary backs averaged a combined six yards a carry, and you have to think that with backs like we have, who can outrun people or run ’em over, this could be an offense that could have a prolific run game.

What I did like about watching this offense is that defenses have to defend the full route tree.  There are stop routes, out routes, posts, comebacks, go routes, and a lot of play action.  There is a great deal over the middle and outside, with the offense looking to emphasize getting the ball in the playmaker’s hands quickly and letting them make plays.  There doesn’t appear to be a lot of predictability to the system that he runs.  While it’s primarily run out of an open set with not a lot of tight end use, he does utilize a tight end, at times.  It does seem like an offense that’s going to flex the tight end a lot but with the players we have, we could be multiple and go heavy when needed.

A player I think who will flourish in this offense is Durron Neal.  I’ve scratched my head for the last three years on why we’ve yet to really ever see Durron go off.  Like Sterling Shepard, Neal is a guy who needs the ball in his hands.  With the crossing routes over the middle, I think we’ll see a lot more catch and run opportunities. And Durron is someone who should benefit from those type of routes.  Michiah Quick is another guy who comes to mind.

Something else I noticed was the fact that so many players caught passes.  Six or seven guys caught nearly 20 passes or more this past season.  So while you have a guy who is your primary, it still allows your young guys get into game situations and compete for the lead role/s down the road.

My only concern is that I didn’t see a lot of power situations, but I’m hopeful we see Coach Bedenbaugh promoted to being a run game coordinator or something similar.  We have a great, physical offensive line and while I know Stoops loves to air it out, I hope we don’t have it go to waste in the run game.  With the talent we have coming in and already on campus along the offensive line, we should be able to gash people on the ground.

Lincoln Riley is a good hire in my book, and I love the energy he’s shown recruiting already after the ink barely being dry on his deal.  All bets are off folks.  Stoops bet the farm on getting us back to the top.  And after he’s seen how Bill Bedenbaugh and Jerry Montgomery recruit, he wants more of it at the other coaching spots.

This could be a lot of fun.  Grab your popcorn and lets get ready for the spring game when we get our first look at this new offense!

289 Comments

  • Bluegrass Sooner says:

    I am excited to see how some of our recruiting prospects react, and what new prospects we may see become priorities. I am also ready to see the qb battle that will be occuring through the spring, and into the fall depending on whether we see a new qb come into the fold in the next few weeks. Boomer!!

    • SCKSChief says:

      Skill guys love the offenses that sling it around and put up points. Riley’s offense does that. Couple that with be at Oklahoma and I think we have something here recruiting/talent-wise. Gonna be fun!

      • hOUligan says:

        If his first few ‘followers’ on twitter, Murrray and Lodge, are any indication, that will prove to be a true statement and we will be bringing in serious QB and WR talent.

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Riley’s offense can be deadly if we just find the QB that can make an accurate throw and receivers that get open and catch the ball. It’s really that simple.

  • Katyboomer says:

    Posted this on the other thread, but this maybe a better place for it:
    After watching some of ECU O from last year I think Murray is perfect for that system. I know pipe dream, but the fact is Murray would be holding up many after season awards in Riley’s O. Perfect match of Murray’s skill set.

    • SoonerinLondon says:

      I still can’t get over the 5’8″ issue with Murray. I know he’s talented, but is he really someone that will succeed behind a bunch of 6’5″ guys?

      • curt gomer says:

        he is short for a QB but i dont think hes 5″8

      • Steve Johns says:

        Same here, I put him at 5’9” he’s definitely not 5’11” I realize all of the accomplishments in high school but am not as excited about him as a lot of others. Same for Mayfield, he’s shorter than Knight. If Hansen doesn’t win the job, Riley will have to move the pocket if he wants to throw over the middle.

      • EasTex says:

        I’ve watched Murray for the past three years, being in the DFW area, and I don’t doubt he is 5’11”.

    • Paul Warfield says:

      I am amazed that people don’t see Hansen as the perfect fit for this system. Watch his high school film again, the young man can throw the deep ball and understands touch and throwing a catchable ball. I like Murray too, but a lot of talented recruits would look as he did when playing with a supporting cast of high level division one players.

      I’m telling you….watch out for Hansen.

      • Katyboomer says:

        I hope your right about Hansen. Murray played in the very highest level of Texas H.S. So you could look at his track record as more like a J.C. type level. His school had a lot of good players, but so did the teams he played against. I will say we will not know which is better him ( Murray) or Hansen until they go and play some P5 schools. I hope the better of the two is who ever is starting at OU.

      • Mr. Jones says:

        I’m with you. He was a top 100 kid by at least two different sites and people don’t even mention him as a possibility for starting QB next year.

      • EasTex says:

        OUt of sight-OUt of mind.
        Until we actually get to see him play we won’t know.
        I could look at his videos again and I could look at Cody Thomas’ high school videos again, the difference being they don’t have an OU uniform on.

      • Easton says:

        On page ‘Hansen’ myself.

    • EasTex says:

      Funny you should mention this, as I flipped between the MNC game and the replay of the Allen-CyRanch state championship game. The Allen offense Murray ran is eerily similar to the offense I have seen ECU run on some videos.
      Plug and play may be an overused expression, but it seems applicable in this case.

  • Randy says:

    qb play, ability to run the ball out of a shotgun formation, deep ball capability and a opportunistic skilled defense.. (tOSU, Oregon, Auburn, Missouri, TCU, Baylor)

  • MoJoOkie says:

    “There is a great deal over the middle” I hope Neal and Quick are willing to go over the middle, because Riley likes to throw it in there. I am not a naysayer, but it takes a certain amount of moxie to go over the middle and take some of those hits. I’ve seen both guys do it a little, but Riley likes those crossing routes. Having said all that, I’m excited. And those middle routes become as good as a block when you want to go off tackle with Perine, Ford, or Ross. Just my $.02.

  • Jeremy Phillips says:

    I saw a few pistol formations with a lead fullback.. But they didn’t run that very much at all, i hope that is a big part of what our running game & play action pass game will be..

    • Spike1545 says:

      THIS. I hope he is a guy that uses personnel for its strengths.

      Spread is great, but look what OSU did with an H-Back as a lead blocker last night. Fullback needs to be a big part of the run game at Oklahoma IMO, always has been and always should be.

      • Jed says:

        True, but Elliott was hitting the hole extremely fast and the guy literally slithers through very narrow openings. OSU’s blocking schemes might not have looked so good without a superior back.

        • Steve Johns says:

          Yep he gained a lot of yards where there wasn’t a hole.

        • Spike1545 says:

          A superior back huh, what you you consider Perine?

          • Jed says:

            I consider him a superior back. And, like Elliott did last night, he’s going to make his line look good. Maybe even look better than they are. Certainly better than they’d look with a so-so back. Anything even vaguely controversial in that?

          • Spike1545 says:

            Trying to be conversational. My point was we do that have back.

    • D Hunter Sanchez says:

      Anyone unimpressed with Flowers’ blocking as I am?

      • Jeremy Phillips says:

        He’s no Ripkowski but not many true freshman are.. I’m sure his blocking will improve but he should thrive in this kind of passing attack..

      • Steve Johns says:

        Not me. I think he performed well for a true freshman.

  • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

    I was also not enthusiastic about an Air raid disciple. That lack of enthusiasm was based on a pure Air raid offense. Primarily because the run game is secondary to the pass game. Not much run here: http://www.bucksweep.com/spreademandshredem/playbooks/1999%2520Oklahoma%2520Offense%5B1%5D.pdf

    These days, who runs the pure Air raid?

    I’ve thought OU’s pass game has been lacking. Not much vertical threat. If OU runs posts, corners, verticals, and such they weren’t good at them. I think this needs to improve and Riley should help with that.

  • Dallas Johnson says:

    watched the East Carolina vs VT game last night.. Still not much use of a TE.. but i like what he tries to do getting people in space and with our athletes it could be deadly… NOW.. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO DEFENSIVELY??

  • HoustonChiver says:

    I’m excited for a change but am slightly worried that we don’t have a QB to fit Riley’s play style (if Mayfield doesn’t pan out that is). I’m more worried that he may under utilize the plethora of talent we have at the RB position, granted our O-Line played extremely well last year and we need to reload on some starters!

  • Indy_sooner says:

    I see alot of angst about his air raid. I think there’s going to be some help along those lines to maintain a run game, from Gundy and coach B.. We are already really good running the ball but this cannot be sustained when others load up on the box and dare us to throw. Really excited to see what comes of it in the Spring game.

  • ellisbr says:

    any idea who will be coming in with Riley? we have the WRs to help out now. Also, any word on who will be replacing BJW, Kish, and MS? Thanks for all the updates Brainiacs and other informed posters….I love this site.

    • Indy_sooner says:

      I think he’ll get to pick his WR guy. I don’t think that you can impose the WR guy to the OC, when there may be difference of philosophy. I think that’s why they had to cut Norvell loose.
      I would like for them to grab someone with connections to the west coast or the south (SEC)- Ga, Fl, Ca.

      • CcrBoomer says:

        He is a Texas kid with lots of Texas ties. If Ou doesn’t get back to pounding TCU and Baylor and everyone else south of the river. They may be forced to look elsewhere

        • boomersooner says:

          You’re already firing the guy? May wanna give him longer than 13 minutes

          • CcrBoomer says:

            No no just saying he has more ties to Texas Wr’s then Ga,Fl,and Ca.
            That is OU’s hot bed for recruits, always will be. Ou has to get back to that mindset

          • soonerthunder says:

            I agree. If you don’t have long standing relationships in an area (HS, college playing and coaching) usually most of those relationships are hard to maintain long distance. He’ll probably hv a few contacts back east as long as he’s at OU though i would imagine. OCs don’t last long at any big-time school–check any school.

    • blaster1371 says:

      In one of the bios I read about Riley he talked up the relationship and contributions of his WR coaches at ECU. I guess any of those guys could be an option.

  • Defend Colfax says:

    He definately looks the part with what we like to call the football mustache. 11 hairs on each side. Very offensive coach. 🙂
    http://media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/974/221/1221974.jpg

    • Steve Johns says:

      I have a reliable source that confirms Riley has been shaving for 15 yrs. Also confirms he cut himself BOTH times! lol

    • pitbull17 says:

      How old is this guy? I’m 31 and dude looks younger than me, maybe it’s just because I’ve been rode hard and put up wet too many times but he looks like he’s in his 20’s.

  • Jeff says:

    The 10 points against Temple is not good, can’t do this in the big 12

    • soonerthunder says:

      No team scores a lot every game so it would be unrealistic to think we will at OU. But, as far as that game goes against Temple, it was a game played in driving rain and lost 5 fumbles. The offense still had 30 first downs.

  • blaster1371 says:

    The comparison to the Baylor offense seems legit. The best talent on the OU offense is at the RB position and Amderson coming in just and Mixon in the wings just makes that more so. He won’t abandon the run game, in fact, he cant since that was the lean of OU recruiting these last few years. The JC TE that red shirted and Andrews putting on some size might just require OU to use the TE set more than ECU did. Either of those guys may be able to line next to the OT or flex out and punish the holes in a zone defense.

    Riley doesn’t appear to copy what he learned at TT. It may be the base of what he does but everything I’ve read about this guy is he is smart and creative without being gimmicky.

    • Ed Cotter says:

      Definitely see Andrews having success flexing out in this offense. While he may be a TE in the program he will be just another WR running routes and catching passes. Gonna be fun to watch how Riley uses all of his pieces in this offense.

      • hOUligan says:

        Andrews might be the happiest guy on the team right now. He could thrive as a ‘flex TE’ under Riley. Maybe MacNamara stays as his skill set might be better used in this system?

  • JR says:

    One graphic I saw last night showed Ohio St had 51(?) players that were either a 4 or 5 star player. Oregon had like 34(?) (I think those were the numbers but don’t remember for sure) As for OU this past season, OU had 34 4&5 star players. With current commitments, OU has already gained 5 for next season to 39. Hopefully with the remaining 6-7 ships available we can add several more. While 4&5 stars does not tell the whole story, it certainly helps.

    • SoonerSpock says:

      You analyze the last 5 years recruiting looking a Rivals, Scout, 247 and ESPN Oregon has ranked about on par but slightly behind the Sooners so your numbers as probably right.
      I know I did an analysis of the top recruiting sevices ranking for the last 5 years to determine how each school ranked on the number of 4* and 5* players signed and the top four in order were Alabama, Florida, Florida State and tOSU. Three of those schools made the initial CFP. Only Oregon which ranked in the low teen just behind OU was not in the recruiting rankings.
      The 25/85 signing limitations dictate you must have over half of your class be 4* or above because of he bust rate of each class with 3* bust rate at OU being about 75% for 3*s, 50% for 4*s and 25* for 5*s.

  • John Garner says:

    I’m officially a Riley guy. Jumped off the Frost boat after watching OSU dismantle Oregon and — early this morning — my DVR copy of Va Tech-ECU. I saved the game to study Va Tech’s defense but came away very impressed with ECU’s scheme. If we get the right receivers coach and plug in the right QB (Baker?), Riley’s offense can do some damage. Anxious for the spring game now even though it’ll probably be very vanilla.

    • soonerthunder says:

      OU had 2 WRs out and one TE, all players they rely on the most. Wouldn’t judge OU’s offense at all by what happened last night. It would be like taking Witten, Bryant, Murray away from Cowboys offense and being unimpressed with it, or maybe Durant and Westbrook and being unimpressed with Thunder.

      • Eric Hoffpauir says:

        Wait, I thought we were OU.

      • boomersooner says:

        I get what you’re saying but that’s a big stretch on the comparisons. I don’t know the ins and outs of UO football but to say three guys are magic, worthy and kareem is reaching(yes I can read just trying to overdo like you did)

      • Eric Hoffpauir says:

        FWIW, Ohio State had a few key players out, like their first two QBs.

        • soonerthunder says:

          Yes, everyone knows that, and everyone knows OSU replaced the first two w/a great one, maybe better anyway. B/c OSU did and Oregon didn’t replace 3 main rec’ing targets doesn’t mean Froster is a bad OC. You wouldn’t be arguing that would you?

          Oregon obviously did not replace their rec’ers w/equal ones. The point is, I wouldn’t put blame on the OC necessarily. Sometimes you replace a guy with someone better (OSU), and sometimes you can’t get close to replacing a guy (like trying to replace Durant, Westbrook, LeBron). OSU did; Oregon couldn’t. Doesn’t mean OSU’s OC is better than Oregon’s OC. It may only mean that he had a better backup in the wings than Oregon had in those positions. I think there are positions every yr at OU I’m not worried if the 1st guy goes down b/c I think the 2nd guy is as good or better perhaps. but there are positions I believe we will have a noticable drop off if the 1st guy goes down. And it has nothing to do with the coaching, it just has to do with the depth of talent at that position.

          I have to think a lot of Oregon’s problems on O was a gutted offense.

          I’m happy with Riley; he may have been the very best choice in the entire country of who’s available (we don’t know if Frost was available or not), but I’m not going to criticize a coach over one game.

        • Easton says:

          haha.

      • Defend Colfax says:

        UO.

    • kt-raida says:

      I was off the Frost boat when it started. Can’t see the infatuation with him when that offense had been humming for 10yrs. I wanted Helton, Riley or Candle. I think we will see GREAT (not good) things out of Riley. Maybe JH got a little to complacent. This guy will bring fire back he’s young so recruits will relate better, how old is Kish?

    • jmac45 says:

      I am almost to the point that I would take any WR coach that can teach someone to run a fade route.

  • SoonerinLondon says:

    Perine & Ross to LB, Mixon to WR. We’re gonna be solid.

  • soonerbred4ever says:

    Has anyone heard when Riley is expected on campus?

    • Steve Johns says:

      My guess is he’s already here meeting with coaches and getting ready to hit the recruiting trail when the dead period ends.

  • JJSoona says:

    Dear Lord, please makes us happy today with defensive coaching news. If you can make that happen, I will reconsider my slovenly ways for one whole day. Amen

  • Docknoss says:

    Neal had a problem doing the ball or Knight not getting it to him.

  • bjwalker82 says:

    I second Bedenbaugh/Gundy for run game coordinator.

    • Steve Johns says:

      Doesn’t sound like there will be a co-oc but I’ll betcha they have input.

      • SCKSChief says:

        Any coordinator worth his salt will build his game plan based on what his position guys feel works versus the opponent’s film study.

  • OUknowitscomin says:

    While he may not use TE a ton, Andrews at flex could easily play a vital role. He may very well thrive ‘similar’ to a Gronk @ NE.

    • ccmosaic says:

      Exactly. I would have loved to seen Bell flexed out in this O. Andrews or any number of TE could have a big impact.

    • Zack says:

      This is exactly what I was thinking and macnamara probably would have had some success. Not sure he’s gone completely but I doubt he decides to stay

  • D'Brickashaw Ferguson says:

    Are the rumors that Riley/Bedenbaugh have past issues true?

    And I’m excited to see which WR on our roster flourishes in this offense. Shepard could have a HUGE year next season (like Hardy did at ECU)

    • NoahPinion says:

      TFB confirmed they were false yesterday

    • jmac45 says:

      Have heard Murdoch on Rivals mention that Riley/Bedenbaugh have past issues too, but I don’t trust his “instincts”. Seems highly unlikely Bob would have made this hire if true. Anybody have any insight on it?

    • soonerthunder says:

      I agree. but I thought Shep had a huge yr this past yr. I could only hope he has as good a yr b/c it was outstanding. I’m more concerned with getting about 3 other rec’ers up to that level or near, plus keeping our running game. few TOs and I think it will show in great ways on field even w/o improvement on D, but we need to improve on D too, obviously.

  • Wilson says:

    I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned about tendencies and the basic (structural) “Air Raid” principles. But Coach Riley has also shown the ability to adjust and is a tinkerer. I hope that the Bedenbaugh(bruising line)/Gundy(all world RBs)/B Stoops (loves his FBs) factors make this a truly multiple offense. Unfortunately there is only so much you can install in a college offense. P.S. please…please…please use the TE..it is the most dangerous forgotten weapon…(see NFL)

    • hOUligan says:

      Great minds…. LoL Or something like that.

    • Herman Bubbert says:

      VERY concerned about the same tendencies – along with Bob Stoops’ inherent tendency to believe that he can go back to the past and re-create past successes. The game has changed.

      • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

        You’re not concerned about the passing game concepts. You’re concerned about the proportion of run to pass.

  • hOUligan says:

    Pretty sure Riley has watched tape of OU and understands OUr strength is the oline/Bedenbaugh and OUr RBs/Gundy. The biggest concern I have is going back to not being able to pick up 2 yards for a 1st down/TD running the ball. IF Riley will integrate that run game into his spread we will have a winner. Baylor has had 1000 yd backs every year, Linwood over 1200 this and over 800 last while Seastrunk had over 1100. If that is OUr end result, we gonna be OK. And there is zero reason to believe otherwise as he had a 1000 yd
    back in 2013 and a back with almost 900 last season.

    • Malicong says:

      I think this offense is going to be more like a Dana Holgorsen/Todd Monken style of spread. Kendal Hunter and Joseph Randle easily ran for 1200-1500 yds in those offenses while they were still throwing for 4000+.
      Don’t understand why people think the run game can’t be utilized in out of the spread.

      • Jed says:

        Thank you. And why are we so concerned about ‘going back’ to not being able to pick up 2 yards or a TD? We couldn’t do that very reliably this season….with the second largest line in the NFL. Our line is still a work in progress.

        • Josh says:

          TCU and K State… couldn’t pick up those yards when the game was on the line. With NFL sized OL and Tank of an RB.

        • hOUligan says:

          Because ‘going back’ would be to avg 176 ypg prior to 2012 instead of 224 in 2013 and 261 in 2014. A 6.1 ypc avg vs 4.8. Having a back carry for not only 1000 yds but 1700 yds. You’re never going to be 100%, especially if there is almost zero threat of a passing game but OU has made great progress with Bedenbaugh lines and Gundy bringing in some top backs.

          • Jed says:

            You’ll get no disagreement from me that progress has been made. But I’ll second what Josh said below: we still have work to do if our line and Perine can’t assert their will when 1-2 yards are needed. Coach B and Gundy are two of my favorites…but there was something weird about our O line this year. And not in a good way.

  • Herman Bubbert says:

    The irony of this hire coming on a day when power football won yet another natty should not be lost on anyone. You either run power and stop power, or you are not a serious national championship contender – a goal stated by Stoops at his firing presser of a week ago.
    Said it before – If Riley understands the above, this can be special. If he throws it 637 times next year like he did this year, he will get himself and his head coach fired at the end of another failed season.

    • brainpimp says:

      If you think OSU was power football you are delusional. Did you notice how much shotgun set they ran? How much empty backfiled to spread the D? The freakish QB run game or the deep vertical passing game?

      • hOUligan says:

        Similar to Oregon, single back, ZR option but with a 6’5 250# QB with a cannon for an arm. Oh, and a better D. Which is still the problem at OU when I woke up this morning.

      • Josh says:

        You can run a power run game out of shotgun. They ran a lot of counter and used a wing to run what I call a wham block which is basically trap. Its a spread run power attack.

        • Herman Bubbert says:

          Good summary. Power football packaged in a 21st century formation is still simple power football. You cannot compete for a national championship without it. Urban Meyer’s ability to evolve his offense makes him the best active coach in college football.

          • SoonerfanTU says:

            Please. Can’t even COMPETE for a NC? I get that a lot of those teams have been losing in the BCS, or whatever, but don’t tell me they can’t compete. If you win your first playoff game and make the NC game, only to lose, you sure as heck “competed” for a NC.

          • Herman Bubbert says:

            Got a list of the Chuck and Duck teams to win a natty in the last decade? I’ll wait …
            637 pass attempts a year will not win a national title. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

          • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

            Um, OU won a national title using Mangino’s version of the Air raid…

          • SoonerfanTU says:

            If you think OU is going to throw the ball 637 times, you are insane.

      • Herman Bubbert says:

        Wrong again. See Josh’s point below.

  • pitbull17 says:

    I honestly don’t care what type of offense he runs as long as OU wins. That’s the most important thing. It doesn’t matter if you put up 40pts a game if the D can’t hold your opponent under that. In my opinion the D really needs to be fixed, it’s broken. I had been calling for JH to be fired for a couple years now, and while I still think it was the right move for him to go, the D needs to be fixed most of all.

    • MJ says:

      The D is not that bad considering how many times the Offense gave the ball right back on 3 and outs. The Defense should be fine. Lots of D coming in this year as well.

      • pitbull17 says:

        I can see where you’re coming from, as they were taxed at times with the O not being able to keep them off the field. But, there were plenty of times where OU moved the ball methodically with Perine on long sustained drives and the D turns around and allows a quick strike TD to put he O right back on the field. 30 PPG should be enough to win and that’s about what OU averaged this year. I honestly believe changes had to be made on O, but to win No. 8 the D has to make leaps an bounds. You can’t look at OU’s D and then look at any of the D’s in the playoff and tell me the O was our biggest problem.

        • jettrink says:

          Actually, we averaged over 42 points per game this year. If the defense had been even average against the pass I bet we’d have won at least three more games. But the 112th pass defense doesn’t cut it.

          • pitbull17 says:

            Thanks man, I didn’t really feel like looking the number up, that was a stab in the general vicinity. It really only backs up my statement Imo.

          • jettrink says:

            Yeah, I think it will be interesting and all to have a new OC, but Oregon proved, both when they were defending and on offense, that defense really does come first. I was very surprised that we didn’t work on the defense side of things first.

  • EasTex says:

    Good to see your nic, JY, even without your mug caricature.
    Considering the talent available to Coach Riley now and the incoming 2015 class and his reported adaptive approach to talent, I am encouraged that he will produce positive results.
    In terms of energy, I have to think what many fans are feeling is amplified by the players on OU’s roster.

  • ruasoonerfan2 says:

    History of Oklahoma Football Marathon on FoxSW today from 7am and 4pm

  • SoonerFan11 says:

    Baker Mayfield should be outstanding in his system…. Wonder how Trevor sizes up to it… Wonder if TMAC is considering coming back….

    • Soonerfandave84 says:

      If I remember correctly he was a turnover machine at Tech. Lets not anoint him yet

      • soonerthunder says:

        I don’t think anyone’s “anointed” him yet, but what SoonerFan says seems to be correct. Mayfield started as a true FR walkon (believed to b/the only time in BCS history) & as 18 yr old in away gm led TT to 31 1st downs, passed 413 yds, 43-60 passing, 41 pts. Next game 61 pts. Next gm against TCU & 3 int (I know one was tipped by WR) but they beat TCU–moxie!. Against KU 54 pts in 3 Q, KSU lost & 2 int but 30 1st downs, #4 Bay @ Bay lost but 4TD passes. Surely n/have team around him at TT that OU has. he seems to b/more like Jason White. C/pick several options under pressure and complete passes. passing game = better running game and vice-versa. I think it gives perine/etc more opportunties to run wild, n/fewer. Did well in OU’s Spring game no imcompletions, about as many yds passing as all the other 3 QBs put together, 2 TDs, no int.

        • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

          You have clearly convinced yourself of Baker.

          • soonerthunder says:

            clearly untrue. but i don’t count him out at all. BS doesn’t give away scholarships until their 5th yr @ OU–go back and look @ his record. He immediately gave Mayfield a scholarship. Shows he thought highly of him before the Sprig game. Against B12 competition, w/little talent around him, as true walkon FR, I think you could conclude he played well for ANYBODY who did what he did. I didn’t see anyone else throwing zero incompletions, no ints against OU’s defense this yr. It was Spring and I know it’s different, but what SoonerFan says has merit.

          • pitbull17 says:

            Completely agree with you and Soonerfan. I don’t know that Mayfield is the answer but he’s certainly as talented as the QB’s we already have on campus. Our 2nd string QB seemed to grasp the zone read as good or better than our first, and both had problems hitting receivers. Granted at times outside of Shep, they didn’t get much help. Mayfield has shown he can throw the ball under pressure and hit the open man as a freshman, maybe that carries over maybe it doesn’t but, I do think he’ll have a very good chance of taking somebody’s spot come next season.

        • Soonerfandave84 says:

          Doing well vs the OU secondary is nothing to hang your hat on

    • Soonerr says:

      Personally, I think Knight will surprise a lot of people next year if given the opportunity. Better receiver play could make him look like an entirely different QB.

      • Wilson says:

        no offense…but same story…different season… I hope all the players “surprise” us and the whole football nation. Knight has the tools…but the question is..when will he put it all together? He made a lot of bad throws…I mean a lot… After while receivers have no faith that the QB can make the throw required. There were a lot of basketball bounce passes and ally oops going on out there this year. That being said…I hope all the QBs become outstanding QB options for the team and the coaches have a difficult time picking the starter, but confident (for real this time) the backup won’t miss a beat. Boomer!

      • soonerthunder says:

        I think it will come down to TK and Mayfield. I think TK did a great job of throwing down field this yr. They really worked on it in the off season and clearly they improved on it. It really helps to have that threat. When you complete about half of those passes, it can help loosen up a D. But his accuracy on the intermediate and short passes wasn’t good. Again, a lot had to do with receivers not being open and that probably had a lot to do with play calling and lack of formations, routes ran, etc. and not running TK more b/c he’s a great runner. I am anxious for the changes.

      • SoonerSpock says:

        Not unless he gains field vision he won’t.

  • Raider75 says:

    Riley knows what OU has in the backfield. He will be a fool not to play toward OUs strength on offense. I hope this type of offense doesn’t change the recruiting Coach B does for the OL. Oregon got smacked in the mouth last night upfront and that is a result of the type of offense they run and the lineman they recruit. OU needs to still recruit big physical stout hogs.

    • soonerthunder says:

      yes, and coach B coached under Holgerson at WV. He knows how to teach blocking for any system Riley implements. I just thought the main problem was we never really gave the WRs a chance to get open w/no mixing up formations much. N/really WR coaching I thought, but lack of imagination in formations and routes that Heup had drawn up. Riley is bright. He knows how to run and I think he will w/our OL/RBs. But we need to be able to pass when we need to too. People talk about running when you need to; sometimes you have to pass and we need to be able to pass when we have to and pass to take pressure off the running game. I see what Oregon does (and half the P12), and it looked like OSU ran similar plays. But they mix up the passing–the formations, the routes, etc. Looking forward to more imagination that should help both running and passing, therefore, total O and even the defense. But we obviously need to make improvements in the D too. With improvements in the O and even a little improvement in the D, we could be pretty good. We weren’t that far off.

  • Boomer4life says:

    Does anyone know what Riley’s salary at OU is?

  • ruasoonerfan2 says:

    Has DGB officially declared for the draft? Heard BS say he was going to declare, but I have not seen or heard anything from DGB.

  • soonermusic says:

    Imho, Riley will tailor his approach to the personnel on the team. All good coaches do that, the success of that often depends upon the players. It’s clear that Stoops wants a more consistent passing attack, but I don’t think that means he wants to abandon the complementary rushing attack. Without much more dynamic play at wide receiver, I don’t think it will matter who the qb back is. With elite wr play, the offense should be pretty exciting. How we get there may be the question.

    • hushnpa says:

      2nd the ” all good coaches do that ” . good point !

    • Jdizzle says:

      To an extent. They tinker their core system to fit their personnel. You would never see a coordinator switch from a spread attack to an I-formation just because he had great running backs. Chip Kelly would not switch his system just because he has a big, lumbering o-line (like with Philly). He tinkered it a tiny bit to make it more personnel-friendly. If that is what you mean, then I agree with you. But you don’t ask a coordinator to go against his core system (which, coincidentally, is what doomed Heupel).

      • soonermusic says:

        We’ll agree to disagree on Heupel. I liked what he did, and think he was doomed by ineffective wr play, and inexplicable breakdowns by the o-line in key situations more than anything. As far as adapting to personnel, I certainly don’t mean an entire system switch, and I wouldn’t expect someone who pioneers a system, like Kelly, to adapt in the way that those who come after might want to do. As a result, I’m bullish on Riley’s ability to adapt and would simply expect the power run game to be featured as a component of the bigger plan. Could be wrong, maybe Perine and Ford will be lined up wide to the left on every play…:-) We’ll have to see.

  • Herman Bubbert says:

    Good piece, J. It can be a spectacular hire – if Riley evolves into a power run game with his pass concepts. I completely agree. It can also be a spectacular failure if he doesn’t, and there’s no evidence I can find in his past to suggest that he will. It’ll be interesting to see if Riley can evolve or if we’re going down the toilet with pure Chuck and Duck. Again.

    • CTSooner says:

      There are plenty of articles floating around the interwebs that describe the evolution of Riley and his offense. I think he understand the hand that is dealt him and probably never had the opportunity to have power running attack available to mix in with his passing schemes.

      • Easton says:

        Indeed CT.

      • Boom says:

        I would say Riley is licking his chops over the talent upgrade from EC to OU. Also, he knows what type of athlete he can attract at OU compared to EC. My bet is the guy is on cloud 9. I bet is Kyler “baby face killer” Murray (thx ETex) wouldn’t listen to a pitch from EC but with Riley as OC at OU, Murray and his dad will listen.
        He will run but it will be out of different formation and be more explosive.

      • Herman Bubbert says:

        I rely on what I see, not what some pundit says – that would be why I’ve spent an enormous amount of time and a day off combing through ECU games on the same interwebs. So far, my faith is going to have to fall blindly into Riley’s evolution, because what I see isn’t a whole lot different than any other Air Raid run game.

  • DCinAZ says:

    Only thing I like about his offense is the routes they run downfield. Otherwise…….I can’t stand the Hal Mumme offensive philosophy and the lack of power running game. It makes teams soft and one dimensional and I don’t want to be that again.

    • BleedCrimson says:

      I think that with the much improved Line of OU, he would be smart to play to OUr strengths. I would be very surprised if he didn’t set up the runs with passes, and the other way around. OUr only negative at this point is no established starting QB with the ability to hit anything beyond 10 yards

      • DCinAZ says:

        How many Mike Leach disciples have you seen that run any power football though? I think our negatives are more than a lack of a QB. I think our negatives are once again returning to a 20 yr old offense that died in the Cotton Bowl back in 2012.
        Couldn’t have been anymore clear that the days of the air-raid Leach offense were over in 2012, and actually, the last 14 years of national title winners show, without any doubt whatsoever, that power football is what wins championships. Leach offense are all the same. If the QB has an off game, you always lose because that’s all you can do.

        • hushnpa says:

          good points about Leach but a more accurate comparison of Riley/ECU offense of today would probably be a Holgerson type .
          Anybody remember Tavon Austin ?

      • JJSoona says:

        Well from what I’ve seen around the net is that he molds his scheme to the strengths of his personnel. We’ll see. PLEASE give us a TE threat once again!! Every single time I see Jason Witten make defenses look stupid, I want OU to incorporate a guy like this.JMHO

      • MoJoOkie says:

        A guy with a quick enough release doesn’t have to throw much beyond 10 yards all that often. Don’t know if we have one of those either, I’m just sayin’.

  • Jeff says:

    Who is the youngest OC to win a national title?

  • leatherneck1061 says:

    I’m hopeful about this hire, but honestly I’m just a guy that has always favored running to set up the pass rather than the other way around. Just seems more fundamentally sound.

    • Davey says:

      Man I used to feel the same way. I have done a 180 on that after watching these high flying offenses. Now (in my opinion) the only place that a run first approach really pays off is inside the 5 yard line. You are almost better taking a 5 yard penalty! LOL

      • SoonerSpock says:

        If you look at the past five national champions of Ohio State, Florida State, Alabama, Alabama and Auburn. All ran the ball more than they threw it. FSU in 2013 was 53.3% run in 2013, Alabama 58.7% run in 2012. Alabama 63.5% in 2011 and Auburn 67.8% run in 2010.
        High flying offenses gain yards, score points but frequently don’t win championships. If you throw in Baylor and TCU for 2014 Baylor ran the ball 54.3% and TCU ran the ball 49.0%. Incidently Oregon ran the ball 57.6% of the time.
        I think one can conclude that the game plan for most teams is to first run the ball to set up the pass and depending upon the scheme and skill set some teams might run the ball 5-7% more than other teams whose make up is slightly different. But for certain none really think they need to pass first to set up the run.

  • leatherneck1061 says:

    One good thing to come out of this championship game: ESPN evidently set a ratings record with this game. Maybe, just maybe, we might finally see less SEC worship in the weekly rankings. I know…..a pipe dream…..but could give one reason to hope

    • BR says:

      this ^^^ … I live on the Oklahoma/ arkansas border(on the good side, OK). So I hafta deal with a lot of hawg fans, but even the hawg fan I work with is even sick of all the SEC BS!

    • soonerthunder says:

      YES! When they have to “earn” a NC spot, not so easy to win NC. ESPN usually gives one spot to SEC automatically, sometimes two, and with more chances, then claims the whole conference is the best. I’ve always said if B12/P12/B10 were given one spot automatically every yr, they’d probably win the most NCs too. Then half the NCs were played in SEC territory, etc. Ala would clearly hv not won NCs in Big 12 many of those yrs. McCoy, Bradford, Tannehill, RGIII, Weeden, Dalton, etc, etc, etc would have resulted in at least couple losses a yr and b/c not in SEC wouldn’t have been given automatic berth.

    • NoahPinion says:

      I just wonder when it became so much about what conference is best rather than just rooting for your university.

      • leatherneck1061 says:

        When ESPiN and the rest of the media whores decided to declare the SEC the football gods of CFB and, consequently, rank SEC teams on an upward curve as a result….that’s when.

        • NoahPinion says:

          Yeah it is ridiculous a journalist organization (ESPN) is allowed to buy interest in a conference (SEC Network) and then use its networks to prop it up as the best all the time, no matter what. Biased!

          • Jed says:

            It’s simple vertical integration. At some point, ESPN will move off of cable and onto direct to screen/internet broadcasting to avoid sharing any money at all with the cable providers. It’s not unlikely that they begin to demand a say in coach hiring decisions to keep things running according to plan. Then to assign players to various schools. At some point, the cheerleaders go full nude and small wagons circle the stadium with attendants throwing loaves of freshly baked bread into the stands…

        • NoahPinion says:

          I miss when everyone just rooted for their team and you didn’t have all this which conference is best, overrated nonsense. It should be more about who is the best team, but is more about who is the best conference.

  • Billy says:

    He is young enough to not be too set in his ways with the air raid offense. That’s my hope. Of course, he could be too young in that he doesn’t know that he doesn’t know everything. We shall see.

  • MJ says:

    Don’t we lose most of our O-Line to graduation??

    • SoonerinLondon says:

      We have a center and guard coming back. Seem to have recruited pretty well at tackle, though, so we have 4 guys with potential trying for 2 spots there.

      Unfortunately, history tells us that we have never replaced 3 or more starting lineman and lost fewer then 4 games, in the Stoops era.

  • hushnpa says:

    One difference between this guy and Frost that I see right off is that Frost ( to whatever extent ) inherited a successful program – in other words its difficult to assess how much is directly attributable to him . In the case of wonder boy Riley it becomes immediately apparent that its primarily all his own with some going to assistants . This guy Made ECU what it is !
    I’m thinking that Bob S. and company were sold on that and decided they didn’t need to wait and see if Frost might be lured away with $ after the NC .

    Looks like a really good hire to me ( I wish i knew more about his recruiting chops ).
    Youth and brains , two things that seem to be working very well at other points in this program .

    • MoJoOkie says:

      My thought as well. Frost has always had the guy he followed as a consultant whenever he needed advice. Riley built it himself.

  • Easton says:

    Great article JY. Thank you.

  • JB says:

    Love the enthusiasm, JY, but our most pressing problem isn’t offense or scoring…

    • Andrew says:

      Russell Athletic bowl…I would say we have two very real problems.

    • Boom says:

      We all agree. Seems like these changes will take place but in a different fashion which will require more patience from us. Some of the D is addressed with Monty being Co-DC. Patience.

      • Soonerlaw6 says:

        The change to co-DC is merely an increase in title and pay for Montgomery. His day-to-day involvement will be the same as it was before.

        • Boom says:

          and you know this straight from Bob himself?

        • BoomerDave says:

          That is my thoughts as well and I really hope that we are right about this. Every minute that JM spends coming up with defensive game planning is time that could be better spent by him working the phones. Recruiting is what he does best. Who knows how well he would do as a DC. He’s never been one before. He was given a title and presumably a nice raise to keep him happy here. Now go get us some more players, JM!

        • akryan says:

          Yeah, probably. In reality all of the position coaches are really “co”. I doubt there is a OC/DC in the country that doesn’t involve his position coaches in game planning.

    • thebigdroot says:

      40-6. That is all.

  • disqus_uj44WuVjt2 says:

    If we don’t get a defensive solution it will not matter who we get on offense!!!

  • thedeez says:

    I’ve said it before that Durron Neal is a running back playing wide receiver. He’s as good as a RB with the ball in his hands, but he also runs routes and catches like a RB.

  • SoonerfanTU says:

    Need. More. Info.

    Please. 🙂

  • Paul Lott says:

    The viginia.beach delegation agrees…..

  • MrBigsby says:

    Can you please ban the term “Air Raid” from this site? It’s NOT what Riley runs, yet it finds its way into every thread.

    • boomersooner says:

      Haha. Seems like the know it alls are out in en masse today. Everybody thinks they know everything about football, Riley, his tree of offense, how it will play out, how long he’ll be on staff, that this is the beginning of the end for Bob, that we won’t win another game ever if we don’t do anything on d, what they think the quick fix is, and “why is Bob not doing it on my timeline”. Ol’ damn internet machine’s got people wanting stuff to happen immediately. It ain’t fantasy football. Stuff takes time

    • akryan says:

      If it’s not what he runs, then it’s pretty darn close to what he does.

  • Boomer4life says:

    So….who is our new WR coach going to be?

  • Will Narramore says:

    I wouldn’t hate a trench warfare or some sort of pictures and diagrams of some of the stuff ECU did last year under Riley..

    • boomersooner says:

      Haha. That would not suck

    • Exiled In Ohio says:

      I wouldn’t leave TFB if JY did one.

    • OkieRandolph says:

      In his offense, what style of QB does he operate with. Scrambler, runner, pocket, or even roll out? I watched them play 2 or 3 times this year but for the life of me can’t remember what style of qb he works with. Also, is the qb under center or from the shotgun the most?

      • SCKSChief says:

        From the little I saw, he wants a throw-first guy. Probably a Big Ben type. I would guess a QB that CAN run would be preferrable to a statue, but he definitely wants to throw first…and quickly.

      • akryan says:

        pure Leach guy. He wants someone who throws first, scrambling ability is a bonus. Now that may have had a lot to do with the type of talent that he could get at ECU. What will be interesting is if he can do something like TCU did. Get a superb athlete like Boykin and make him such a good pocket passer that he could really showcase his athleticism when he did run. You can say that those guys don’t grow on trees, but Boykin was slated to be a WR and he was developed. What I like about Riley is that he has experience calling an offense while also being an effective QB coach. Even if it was at ECU, having a solid 5 years of doing that extremely successfully, is a lot more than Heupel had when he took over at OU.

  • red clay says:

    I’ll leave the serious armchair coaching to everyone else now. It is obvious Bob wants to coach, he wants back on top.
    I checked the threads, did not find this done already, so here it is.
    Here’s the obligatory, Captain Obvious musical selection:

    Hot Rod Lincoln – 1955 original by Charlie Ryan
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MS9fk1u6kA

    • Bob Edwards says:

      Yeah I don’t get the “Bob isn’t going to change anything” he doesn’t care mantra. Here is the coaching staff as of three years ago today:

      co-OC/QB Josh Hupel – Fired
      co-OC/WR Jay Norvell – Fired
      OL James Patton – Fired
      OL Bruce Kittle -Fired
      RB Mike Gundy

      DC/LB – Brent Venables – Demoted, left
      DB – Willie Martinez – Fired
      DL – Jackie Shipp – Fired
      DL – Bobby Jack Wright – Retired

      Only one coach left from three years ago, and Stoops doesn’t want to change anything.

    • Jed says:

      Thank you!

  • Bob Edwards says:

    Frankly I think this Riley character is a little shady. First he was a Red Raider and worked with The Pirate. Then he became a Pirate. A now he’s coming here. I guess that OK since we are a bunch of land thieves.

  • Mr. Jones says:

    Jordan: Who were the db coach options you tweeted out earlier today? I know Viney, but other than him.

  • pitbull17 says:

    Well lady and gentlemen, I’m off to have a kid, going to induce labor on my wife this evening so hopefully by this time tomorrow we’ll have our new little girl. I’ll post an update when I can.

  • Request from the community:
    I’m pretty sure I have ran across an image detailing the various versions of the spread / air raid / run and gun offenses and the lineage they started from and all of the disciples they have followed since. I’m pretty sure it was an image as opposed to a post, like a family tree type of an image. However, I can find it for the life of me. If this is ringing a bell for anyone, give me a heads up where to find it and I’ll give you tons of online message board props and stuff.

  • Borba22 says:

    Going to go to the Spring game for the first time in a while. Going to be fun.

  • SoonerBA says:

    I really love the hire of Riley as OC. He and Helton were my faves. I would still like to see Helton here in some sort of capacity, but I doubt he would take a step down from an OC position to coach WR’s.

    I know there are still people here that think JH did a great job as OC, but I don’t see it that way. Too many times it looked like there was no clear direction on what they wanted to do. Yes, they put up decent numbers, but I think even I could have been OC and done a decent job with Perine and the OL (well, maybe not, LOL).. There real shocker to me is that JH was a QB coach before OC and his lack of being able to get Trevor Knight is hard to comprehend. And, I hate to put blame on 1 player, but if you break it down, what cost us games this year? Knight and his INT’s. TCU game, we have the ball and the lead and he throws a pick 6. Momentum changer. Kansas State game, with the lead, Knight throws pick 6. Momentum change. Baylor, again, almost a pick 6 with the lead, game changer.

    As for the defense, yes, it was disturbing what happened. But with losing Colvin at DB, it really put a strain on the secondary. No Frank Shannon also hurt. Playing Striker in places he shouldn’t have been also was confusing. With all that said and with most of the D coming back, I can understand Bob’s feelings on keeping Mike here (although it has been rumored he tried to get Muschamp so go figure). Naming Montgomery as Co should help keep things balanced. I also don’t see Kish coming back. And with BJW’s retirement today, it should be exciting to see who they get in there to “coach them up”.

    To close it all up, I am excited about next season. Nothing like fresh blood and change to stir things up. It also sends a message. Do your job or you won’t be around long. We are OKLAHOMA and we won’t stand for losing.

  • Jackson1006 says:

    I may be in the minority but I’m not a fan of the spread offense. It’s almost like we are saying, “okay, our talent isn’t good enough, how do we get more wins with gimmicks.” Ohio St manages to do some spread with power running but with everyone else it is the same tradeoff that we saw in the NC game (trouble near goal line, defense is less physical etc). I also think it hurts recruiting on the defensive side in the long run. It’s like we’ve been down this road before, easy way to get good but hard to get great. Might as well bring back the triple option 🙂 I guess a counterpoint is that with our O line (going to be a rough time) next year, spread O isn’t such a bad idea.

    Heupel deserves more credit. He was an inconsistent play caller at best. And he could not do his OC job and develop players at the same time. But, his schemes were creative and a good mixture of what we needed. I loved the diamond formation for example. We brought back power running save our TEs/ WR who don’t block well and our guards being too slow.

    • Herman Bubbert says:

      I think JY has it pretty accurately summarized here, especially after a day of combing through the vids on the Internet. If Riley’s willing to add some power – and he can, given the thorough nature of his passing game – then this could be a spectacular offense that isn’t as QB-centric as our attempts at the Chuck and Duck in the past, and thus not as vulnerable to the bad passing day, a defense that can scheme the QB out of the game, etc.

      If not, then I’m worried. We are not going to turn this defensive mess around in one off-season unless someone with some spread experience joins the staff, since it appears that Mike is coming back – Jim Leavitt from the NFL to coach linebackers, for example – and Riley’s offense is a recipe for disaster, with the quick scoring possessions and the potential for 40-second three-and-outs, problems we’ve all seen before in Norman if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves.

  • ToatsMcGoats says:

    It’s probably already mentioned in the nearly 300 comments…but who are we looking at for WR coach?

  • GreginDestin says:

    Congratulations! Maybe you are parenting a 3-point gunner for Sherri or a home run queen for Patti!

  • akryan says:

    I watched the VT game too. What I saw was an offense that throws out of the shotgun when they’re on the two yard line. We’ve seen this. We’ve been through this. We put up 60 points a game for an entire season with Sam Bradford throwing it all over the field, but we couldn’t run it in from the 2 against FL. Now there is no law that says that Riley can’t somehow square the circle and merge power running into his pure Leach system, but I haven’t seen a lot of it done. It effects the type of OL you go after. Bedenbaugh has been getting hogs. Riley needs smaller, quicker OL with stamina; not sure how that dynamic works out. It effects the DL you go after too. They’ll have to be on the field a lot more (whether OU scores quickly or goes three and out) so they’ll have to be smaller and quicker too. We’ve seen over and over again that to beat the top teams you have to be able to run tough, and defend up front tough. So, while I think OU will light up a lot of scoreboards (which will be fun), in the end I don’t think it will bring home a national title. I hope I’m wrong.

  • Baron Boomer says:

    Its far too early for a FULR moniker! 🙂

    Welcome to OU Lincoln! – Now Please Fix Us!

    • Boomer4life says:

      Cause the good Lord…knows….we need a fixin!

      • Baron Boomer says:

        🙂 To an extent yes we do, but agree lots of pluses are here already…Just need it all to click properly and let the talent flourish a bit more than recently…

    • MoJoOkie says:

      Let’s get disappointed now so we don’t have to wait. I hate waiting for things.

  • cush creekmont says:

    Okay, far too early to make any judgment on OUr new OC. That said, Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease, run the dang ball in power sets SOME. It helps your defense to practice against it and it means you don’t HAVE to pass on third and one.

  • Mustvid says:

    The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. I hope Bob’s insistence on a balanced attack continues and that he hired Riley not for his Air Raid background but for his innovative capacity. I think Bob wants an offense that can win in the Big 12 and in the playoffs and that means rushing the ball has to be a big emphasis by the OC.

  • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

    JD Runnels notes that, according to a D1 coach/former Sooner, Riley has the same Air Raid passing concepts as Leach (many teams run the same or related plays), but better run game.

    So there’s that.