Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

October 16, 2018 at 8:09 pm.

Sooners look to bounce back after Texas loss

Oklahoma cornerback Tre Norwood said he felt a different energy in practice last week after Lincoln Riley made a change at defensive coordinator following the 48-45 loss to Texas on Oct. 6.

“Players were out there just playing and having fun and more energetic and relaxed — not kind of uptight about it,” Norwood said.

Interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, who took over for fired Mike Stoops, has emphasized celebrating successes among the defense since he took over.

“It takes work,” McNeill said, specifically talking about fixing the tackling issues that have plagued the Sooners.

“There’s no Harry Potter. There’s no magic wand. It’s just making sure that we keep emphasizing it and any time it’s proper, you make sure to praise it more than the negative. That’s what I focus on. When we see what we want, make sure we give over the amount of praise and be positive to them.”

McNeill gets his first chance as Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator Saturday when the No. 9 Sooners play at TCU. It will also be the first game with Bob Diaco as an on-field coach after Diaco, who had been serving as a defensive analyst for the Sooners, replaced Stoops’ outside linebackers role.

Stoops’ demeanor had drawn some criticism in recent years and although plenty of players expressed admiration for Stoops before and after his firing, McNeill has injected a different attitude into the Sooners’ defense.

“We have to have fun when you’re out there,” Norwood said. “If one of your teammates makes a play, let them know they made a big play. Celebrate, having fun — just enjoy the moment. It’s something that starts in practice and will carry over into the game and help out.”

Riley said in the aftermath of the move that he made it in large part due to how well-positioned his team was to accomplish their goals set before the season — winning the Big 12 and making the College Football Playoff.

While Riley doesn’t expect the coaching change to result in great defensive play immediately, he expects a boost on that side of the ball.

“I think we can play a lot better. I do,” Riley said.

“I think we’ve seen, the last several years, we’ve seen bits and pieces. We’ve seen flashes. We’ve had some outstanding individual games. I want us to get to the level where we can play like that more consistently.”