Heupel really did get scapegoated at Oklahoma

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

Heupel was fired from Oklahoma in 2014 after a really bad loss to Clemson (40-6). The Sooners went 8-5 that year, so Stoops needed to make a change.

So he fired... Heupel?? Heupel’s offense that year averaged 36 points per game. In their 5 losses, their defense gave up 37, 31, 48, 38, and 40. But Heupel is the one that got the axe.

That’s unreal..... I mean that’s like firing your D-Line coach when your offense can’t score and keeps turning the ball over, ya know?

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Fired Norvell, too. They were co-OCs. Norvell went 7-2 this season at Nevada.

Guess it worked out for Oklahoma. They got Lincoln Riley. But didn't really make a lot of sense based on performance.

 

[Other_Guy]

The fact it was his very first OC job, I can forgive him for getting fired.

 

[Nasavol]

The fact it was his very first OC job, I can forgive him for getting fired.

And Bob wasn’t going to fire his brother

 

[Mose Phillip's Watch]

Good Intel
Thx

 

[livefaith]

Heupel was fired from Oklahoma in 2014 after a really bad loss to Clemson (40-6). The Sooners went 8-5 that year, so Stoops needed to make a change.

So he fired... Heupel?? Heupel’s offense that year averaged 36 points per game. In their 5 losses, their defense gave up 37, 31, 48, 38, and 40. But Heupel is the one that got the axe.

That’s unreal..... I mean that’s like firing your D-Line coach when your offense can’t score and keeps turning the ball over, ya know?

I see what you did there.

But, I have to admit, this sounds a lot like one of those early posts that talked @ how Dooley's losing seasons at LATech weren't his fault, or how Butch's riding Kelly's coattails was unfair criticism, or that Pruitt's lack of HC experience is overblown! Like I tell my teen girls ... what you do on the internet.lasts forever! Be careful.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

I see what you did there.

But, I have to admit, this sounds a lot like one of those early posts that talked @ how Dooley's losing seasons at LATech weren't his fault, or how Butch's riding Kelly's coattails was unfair criticism, or that Pruitt's lack of HC experience is overblown! Like I tell my teen girls ... what you do on the internet.lasts forever! Be careful.

Think you can make some comparisons between Heupel and Butch Jones, but Dooley is a stretch. Dooley was the rare hire that just looked bad on the surface. 17-20 at Louisiana Tech, which is typically one of the strongest G5 programs. His final season was 4-8.

Heupel was actually very good as OC at Oklahoma and got fired anyway. Very different situation.

Doesn't automatically means he succeeds. But I wouldn't exactly consider having a top 10 offense and get fired for it as a huge black mark. Sometimes people get fired for stupid reasons. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops didn't get fired for his terrible performance because he was Bob's brother. But he did get canned in 2018 after Lincoln Riley took over.

 

[LeBleu]

I see what you did there.

But, I have to admit, this sounds a lot like one of those early posts that talked @ how Dooley's losing seasons at LATech weren't his fault, or how Butch's riding Kelly's coattails was unfair criticism, or that Pruitt's lack of HC experience is overblown! Like I tell my teen girls ... what you do on the internet.lasts forever! Be careful.

No, I've heard that Stoops wouldn't fire his brother, but someone had to be a sacrificial lamb.

 

[Other_Guy]

Think you can make some comparisons between Heupel and Butch Jones, but Dooley is a stretch. Dooley was the rare hire that just looked bad on the surface. 17-20 at Louisiana Tech, which is typically one of the strongest G5 programs. His final season was 4-8.

Heupel was actually very good as OC at Oklahoma and got fired anyway. Very different situation.

Doesn't automatically means he succeeds. But I wouldn't exactly consider having a top 10 offense and get fired for it as a huge black mark. Sometimes people get fired for stupid reasons. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops didn't get fired for his terrible performance because he was Bob's brother. But he did get canned in 2018 after Lincoln Riley took over.

Wasn't he also the AD? Lol what a joke.

 

[901 Orange]

And Bob wasn’t going to fire his brother

Bingo. If it were any other staff and all 5 of your losses u gave up at least 30 the DC wouldnt finish the season

 

[MaTaLa]

I see what you did there.

But, I have to admit, this sounds a lot like one of those early posts that talked @ how Dooley's losing seasons at LATech weren't his fault, or how Butch's riding Kelly's coattails was unfair criticism, or that Pruitt's lack of HC experience is overblown! Like I tell my teen girls ... what you do on the internet.lasts forever! Be careful.

Uhh...common denominator there is who you're are listening to. Every coach that's hired, and then walks the walk of shame in getting fired, drew praises from 'someone' when they came onboard.

Pretend like UT DOESN'T have years and years of suckage in recent memory and look at the hire.

 

[madbamahater]

Maybe there is more to the story. If they averaged over 30 points a game, but could have averaged more that could be an issue if too many possessions resulted in 3 and outs, punting and giving the opponent a short field and not using enough clock to give the defense a breather.

I'm all for the air-raid offense, but there can be the doubled edged sword....a tired as hell defense.

If your offense scores in seconds or couple of minutes each time and then you go 3 and out a few times, you will have a defense living on the field...

This was a big issue when he was OC at Missouri....

The unintended consequence to this fast pace offense is that your defense is at a big disadvantage.

 

[savannahfan]

Maybe there is more to the story. If they averaged over 30 points a game, but could have averaged more that could be an issue if too many possessions resulted in 3 and outs, punting and giving the opponent a short field and not using enough clock to give the defense a breather.

I'm all for the air-raid offense, but there can be the doubled edged sword....a tired as hell defense.

If your offense scores in seconds or couple of minutes each time and then you go 3 and out a few times, you will have a defense living on the field...

This was a big issue when he was OC at Missouri....

The unintended consequence to this fast pace offense is that your defense is at a big disadvantage.

You would think a staff would allow for this in their recruiting and make sure they had plenty of defensive players and coach them up to be able to play well enough to be at least average. This points up what most on here are thinking: gotta get/have a really good defensive staff.

 

[livefaith]

Bingo. If it were any other staff and all 5 of your losses u gave up at least 30 the DC wouldnt finish the season

See what happens when you take another schools coach AND AD?

 

[Dustin4Vols]

Heupel was fired from Oklahoma in 2014 after a really bad loss to Clemson (40-6). The Sooners went 8-5 that year, so Stoops needed to make a change.

So he fired... Heupel?? Heupel’s offense that year averaged 36 points per game. In their 5 losses, their defense gave up 37, 31, 48, 38, and 40. But Heupel is the one that got the axe.

That’s unreal..... I mean that’s like firing your D-Line coach when your offense can’t score and keeps turning the ball over, ya know?

If you want to believe this. Whatever will help you feel better about the hire.......

 

[TNnative]

Heupel was fired from Oklahoma in 2014 after a really bad loss to Clemson (40-6). The Sooners went 8-5 that year, so Stoops needed to make a change.

So he fired... Heupel?? Heupel’s offense that year averaged 36 points per game. In their 5 losses, their defense gave up 37, 31, 48, 38, and 40. But Heupel is the one that got the axe.

That’s unreal..... I mean that’s like firing your D-Line coach when your offense can’t score and keeps turning the ball over, ya know?

Reminds me of Randy Sanders.

 

[volgr]

Some scapegoat. The Oklahoma offense got better after he left.

 

[Mose Phillip's Watch]

Maybe there is more to the story. If they averaged over 30 points a game, but could have averaged more that could be an issue if too many possessions resulted in 3 and outs, punting and giving the opponent a short field and not using enough clock to give the defense a breather.

I'm all for the air-raid offense, but there can be the doubled edged sword....a tired as hell defense.

If your offense scores in seconds or couple of minutes each time and then you go 3 and out a few times, you will have a defense living on the field...

This was a big issue when he was OC at Missouri....

The unintended consequence to this fast pace offense is that your defense is at a big disadvantage.

so fired for scoring & doing his job well

Lol

 

[kckempf]

I see what you did there.

But, I have to admit, this sounds a lot like one of those early posts that talked @ how Dooley's losing seasons at LATech weren't his fault, or how Butch's riding Kelly's coattails was unfair criticism, or that Pruitt's lack of HC experience is overblown! Like I tell my teen girls ... what you do on the internet.lasts forever! Be careful.

The difference is that OU's offense was good that year, and they used largely the same offense under his successor. Heupel himself points out that he's grateful that it happened, because it changed the course of his career, forced him to continue to improve, and led to him going down the head coaching route.

Heupel might fail but it's not going to have a lot to do with how his offense performed in a bowl game 7 years ago. It'll have a lot more to do with how well he's able to build the roster here and win with what he's got. Given where we are right now (losing essentially two classes at once with the likelihood that we're going to lose another class worth of scholarships), that's a tall order.

 

[CINCYVOL]

Heupel was fired from Oklahoma in 2014 after a really bad loss to Clemson (40-6). The Sooners went 8-5 that year, so Stoops needed to make a change.

So he fired... Heupel?? Heupel’s offense that year averaged 36 points per game. In their 5 losses, their defense gave up 37, 31, 48, 38, and 40. But Heupel is the one that got the axe.

That’s unreal..... I mean that’s like firing your D-Line coach when your offense can’t score and keeps turning the ball over, ya know?

It’s not hard to understand why, the DC was a Stoops

 

[Pickinhick]

The last thing I want is for our offense to score too quickly. I can see how terrible that will be.

 

[MaTaLa]

See what happens when you take another schools coach AND AD?

Please...enlighten me, Miss Cleo.

 

[MaTaLa]

Some scapegoat. The Oklahoma offense got better after he left.

Obtuse...look it up.

 

[Maxwell865]

Heupel was fired from Oklahoma in 2014 after a really bad loss to Clemson (40-6). The Sooners went 8-5 that year, so Stoops needed to make a change.

So he fired... Heupel?? Heupel’s offense that year averaged 36 points per game. In their 5 losses, their defense gave up 37, 31, 48, 38, and 40. But Heupel is the one that got the axe.

That’s unreal..... I mean that’s like firing your D-Line coach when your offense can’t score and keeps turning the ball over, ya know?

Sounds like typical Big 12. All Offense and no Defense

 

[eskimovol]

Some scapegoat. The Oklahoma offense got better after he left.

Well it also got Baker Mayfield soooooo. I think the qb under Huepel was another of those Tebow builds that should've been playing tight end, seem to remember he was terrible until the 2nd half of games for whatever reason. The Clemson team that smoked Oklahoma did so with their back up qb too.

I don't think getting fired is much of an indictment against Huepel though. Stoops upgraded his OC rather than stick with one thats pretty good. As has already been said he would never fire his brother and that was the main thing my OU buddies hated about him.