Less than three days after being let go as the defensive coordinator of the Oklahoma Sooners, Mike Stoops joined former player Dusty Dvoracek on WWLS The Sports Animal to discuss his firing, what went wrong, the rumors about he and Curtis Bolton, and more. When asked about the lead-up to his firing, Stoops replied, “Well, I think everything kind of came to a head Saturday. Our inability to play a level of football that Oklahoma should expect. And ultimately that fell on me. That was tremendously hard. I have so much respect for this program, all the players that have played in it, for Lincoln, the administration and just didn’t get it done. That hurt greatly, and I think it just came to a head Saturday in a lot of different ways for a lot of different reasons, Dusty. That’s why we’re here where we are today, and that’s unfortunate.” The Texas game was the last straw for Stoops, but things had obviously been off the rails for some time. When asked to discuss the difference between his first and second stints in Norman, Stoops cited a lack of consistency. “There’s so many factors that go into all of that,” said Stoops. “It’s your staff, it’s your players, it’s the league we’re in. There’s just so many different factors that lead to all of that and just for whatever reason we just haven’t been able to find consistency and just too many bad games throughout the course of this second stint. I wish I could put my finger on it. There’s a lot of different elements that go into each particular year. Certainly coaching is a big element. Players is another element to that. Continuity within all that. Youth. There’s a lot of different factors that go into each particular year, but our lack of consistency was concerning to me.” “It’s been very uncomfortable for me the last few years,” he added. “I think the last time we led the conference was the year we went to the Orange Bowl, and I think that was the last time we had a top-25 defense in this league. And then the last few were just kind of hanging on for a lot of reasons. And I think those came to fruition on Saturday: our inability to tackle, our inability to cover receivers consistently, to pressure the quarterback at all levels of our defense. Just our lack of consistency, playmaking ability across the board leads to all that as you know as a great defensive player.” Stoops also confirmed that some weight had been lifted off his shoulders when this decision was made. “Oh yeah, some of that,” Stoops stated. “Disappointment in myself probably is probably the No. 1 thing that I couldn’t get our program back to that level consistently is what probably hurts the most. You know you know defense. Getting players to buy in consistently to play at a level that I’m used to players playing at is probably the most disappointing part of it all to me. And certainly Lincoln has been incredible. He gave me the opportunity to correct it. Players aren’t always going to like you, Dusty. You know that. But they’ve gotta respect what it takes to play every time they step on the field when you put on an Oklahoma uniform. We just couldn’t get that consistent effort from different parts of our team consistently enough, and that’s probably the thing disappointed about because I know how many great defensive players that have come through this place. I coached a lot of them. So many of them through that era. It takes a special person to play and get effort like that.” “I just couldn’t get our players to play consistently at that level and it’s probably the thing that I’m the most disappointed in,” he concluded. “Sure it hurts. Each game, it would be nerve-racking. You ask any defensive coordinator and if they are honest with you about going up against any of these teams, you are kind of sitting on edge, knowing that some of your flaws can be exposed at any time, and certainly a lot of ours were exposed. You saw some of it creep in. I thought we got off to a good start early in the year. You saw some of it creep in against Iowa State. Then people started seeing things and people have you on tape and understand your strengths and your weaknesses. It was just too much to overcome ultimately.” Of course, Stoops would be asked about Brendan Radley-Hiles’ since-deleted tweet. Getting deleted in 3...2...1.... pic.twitter.com/mQsa2stwJf — Matt Ravis (@mattravis) October 10, 2018 “The times have changed greatly in the last 10 years,” he replied. “Social media has changed the game in a lot of ways. I think kids are much different now than they were when you were playing and we were together that first time around. Things have changed a great deal. I noticed a little bit more of it when I came back. I really had a great group of secondary guys. You look at Tony Jefferson, Demontre Hurst, Aaron Colvin, Zack Sanchez, those guys, they were the first group that I started to notice that they were a little bit different. They had their own ideas and thoughts and identities. They still played to a very high level when we pushed them to go out there and perform. That’s disappointing. I can’t answer for every player. There has to be accountability. You have to play for each other at a high level. Everyone is not going to like you and the way you coach and the way you teach. That’s obvious. That was the same way back then. But they have to respect your knowledge, the process of going week-to-week, understanding where they have to be, why they have to be there and how they have to do things.” “I’m a stickler to detail and being precise in everything you do,” he added. “Maybe that just wears on players. I still believe it’s the right way to approach any game. The schemes don’t change. The players — you try to put them in the best position to go out and play. I haven’t made a tackle or covered a guy in 35 years. I haven’t rushed the quarterback. I haven’t done that for a long time. You have to try to put your players in the best position you can for success. That’s all we’ve every really tried to do. I’m certainly not perfect. I’ve made a lot of mistakes trusting certain elements of our team. That’s my responsibility. That’s probably the biggest mistake I made. That’s unfortunate. It leads to where we’re at today. You gotta trust people. You gotta trust your coaches to get things to players. I’m one person. But ultimately, I have to demand that everybody plays a certain way, everybody gets their players to buy in, and just didn’t get that.” That may have come off as deflection to many, but I saw it as him simply acknowledging that he had trouble relating and getting through to players from a new generation, which he seems to believe ultimately led to his downfall. There seemed to be plenty of exceptions to this over the past few years, but it seems like a fairly honest assessment of the situation. If you’ve been paying much attention to local sports radio this week, you’re probably aware of the the mudslinging that has been going around involving a rumored halftime incident involving Stoops and inside linebacker Curtis Bolton, who was said to have walked out into the State Fair of Texas at one point. Bolton, Riley and others have since denied it (or stated that it was overblown), so Mike Stoops was also asked about the situation. “Well, that’s ludicrous, No. 1. Whoever would report such an erroneous situation and defame me and him is beyond ridiculousness. That hurts as well. For people to say ... there’s just so much fake news out there that me just not getting it done, it was the right time to make a move. It’s unfortunate, but that’s another example of social media, or people in the media who want to sensationalize all these things. I for once know how President Trump feels about fake news.” That line either made you cringe or nod your head, but let’s move on. “Didn’t say one word to Curtis at halftime,” Stoops affirmed. “Didn’t even know he left, Dusty. Didn’t know until after the game. That’s how crazy that is. Lincoln was upset, rightfully so, at our performance and he did most of the talking. Again, that’s just 100 percent false. It’s unfortunate that people would run with that without even checking with me or the source, that’s what’s unfortunate. Me and Lincoln have so much respect for one another and I know how tremendously hard this is. After the game, we hugged each other. I told him how sorry I was and we hugged each other, walked out of the locker room, we went and said we would talk on Sunday. We talked Sunday morning for about a half-hour. Talked about some of the issues, what happened, why so-and-so, we left each other, talked about the future, what’s gonna be best for our program. We talked about five, six hours later and came to this conclusion. That’s exactly what happened. Again, we’re all grown men here. We have a lot of respect for each other. I have tremendous respect for this program and what’s best for it, and that’s what we decided. That’s exactly how it happened. If people want to believe that other stuff, that other noise, then that’s their business. I would, again, never lie about something as important as that or the integrity of what we are as people. Going down with integrity is the most important part of all this.” When asked if he had offered to resign after the game, he he denied it in similar fashion. “Yeah, can you see me on a computer after the game typing out a letter of resignation?”, he asked. “That sounds just like me, doesn’t it Dusty? You know me as well as anybody. That’s absurd as well. Again, I don’t know where people get their news. I don’t know why they report such ridiculousness or why we can’t handle this like grown men. Me and Lincoln and administration. That’s what we ultimately did and did what’s best for our program at this time. I’m sorry, but that’s how it went down.” As one might assume, Dvoracek asked Stoops if he would consider going back into coaching, and the former DC (and Arizona HC) certainly didn’t close that door. He also has an idea of going back to the drawing board. “That’s another great question, Dusty. I just want to rest, get healthy. It’s been a great strain on all of us, my whole family. I think everybody here. Just want to rest, heal, reflect and see where it takes me. I really don’t know. I would say I’m in the same situation Bob is in. I don’t know. I could see myself doing a lot of different things. I could see myself trying to be an understudy to somebody — a Nick Saban, a Kirby Smart, somebody of that magnitude and trying to rethink, relearn, reteach.” “I don’t know [about] going back into the fire coaching defense right now,” he stated. “I don’t know. I have to see where my gut takes me, whether media, any of that is something I’d enjoy doing. The first thing I’ve got to do is recharge myself, reboot and think this all through. When I left Arizona and got right into this thing it was, I don’t know if I really took enough time to rethink things if that makes sense. I went right into another very high-profile situation that takes a lot out of you. So I don’t know. That’s something I’m going to kind of work through.” “If I take on another responsibility of this magnitude, I want to make sure I’m right and everything’s right with our staff, it’s the right fit for me, personally, with who I’m coaching with.<doc-sep>While Mark Stoops earned a much tighter hold on his job thanks to Kentucky’s undefeated start and climb into the AP Top 25, his brother Mike lost his. Oklahoma fired defensive coordinator Mike Stoops on Monday following the team’s 48-45 loss to Texas last Saturday. Mark Stoops had encouraging words for his brother when asked about the situation during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. With the No. 18 Wildcats on a bye this week, here’s everything their coach had to say Wednesday: On areas of improvement he’d like to see: Consistency offensively. Big plays offensively. We’ve been off a bit, just very little, sometimes longer. Getting guys open, protection. We need to continue to work on the passing game. Is this the strongest East you’ve been a part of? I think that’s fair to say. … In my time here, top to bottom, everyone on your side is capable of beating you. On if he’s talked to his brother Mike: Yeah, it’s a tough situation. I feel for him. Mike’s done a great job, been part of a number of championships. If you know Mike, he handles things like a man. He will land on his feet. On the A&M game, how good is the open date after that one? It’s been two years in a row having the bye in the middle of the season. It’s good for me. We make the best of it no matter where it falls. The A&M game was very physical, so we could use a few days off. Did that game feel like it was 20 years ago?<doc-sep>
Oklahoma has made a change at defensive coordinator following Saturday’s loss to Texas. After multiple reports surfaced late Sunday, OU head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed Monday morning that Mike Stoops has been fired from his role as the Sooners’ defensive coordinator after Oklahoma gave up 48 points in the three-point loss to Texas. It was the first loss of 2018 for the Sooners and the second time in less than a calendar year that the Sooners had been blitzed by quality opposition. Stoops, the brother of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, has been the team’s defensive coordinator since 2012. He came back to Oklahoma for a second stint as coordinator after serving as Arizona’s head coach from 2004-11. “I have great respect for Mike,” Riley said in a statement. “He’s a quality football coach, great man and a close friend. It became time for a change in our program and that happens sometimes in football, but we cannot lose sight of the accomplishments Mike had at Oklahoma. He was responsible for a lot of success and deserves the gratitude of everyone associated with Sooner football, not only for his role in the winning, but for coaching with integrity.” Stoops released a statement via Twitter later Monday: Ruffin McNeill, OU’s assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach, will serve as defensive coordinator for the rest of the season while Bob Diaco has been elevated from defensive specialist to outside linebackers coach. McNeill had stints as a defensive coordinator at UNLV, Fresno State and Texas Tech before he was the head coach at East Carolina. McNeill hired Riley as ECU’s offensive coordinator in 2010 after the two worked together at Texas Tech. Diaco was UConn’s head coach for three seasons and most recently served as Nebraska’s defensive coordinator in 2017 before joining Oklahoma’s staff as an analyst. He also was a defensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Cincinnati. Story continues “Ruffin has an impressive résumé,” Riley said. “That’s why I wanted him on our staff in the first place. I have confidence in his knowledge and leadership. Bob has a lot of experience in very good programs and also has a list of accomplishments that will help him step in and make an immediate impact. We are fortunate to have these men in our program. They’ll be ready to get to work in new roles right away.” Mike Stoops’ final game as Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator was against Texas. (Getty) Oklahoma, now ranked No. 11 in the country, came back from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the game vs. the Longhorns only to lose on a field goal with less than 10 seconds left. The Sooners defense ranks 89th in the country in total defense and is giving up 405 yards per game and over five yards per play. Oklahoma jumped out to a lead against Georgia in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2017 season. The Sooners led 31-14 in the second quarter before Georgia stormed back to force overtime in a 54-48 Bulldogs win. The loss showed Oklahoma’s defensive deficiencies a year ago and those same flaws were on display as Texas QB Sam Ehlinger accounted for five touchdowns on Saturday. – – – – – – – Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. More from Yahoo Sports: • Dan Wetzel: Ugly incident at Khabib-McGregor fight makes UFC only bigger • Kevin Iole: UFC has a black eye, but it will recover • Forde and Thamel: Texas’ upset of Oklahoma doesn’t bode well for Big 12 • Jeff Passan: David Price can’t get out of October funk