Oklahoma Changes Offensive Coordinator, Fires Littrell

© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN/USA TODAY NETWORK

In their past two games, the Oklahoma Sooners (4-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) have only managed to put up 12 points on the scoreboard. That's not a recipe for success on offense and head coach Brent Venables has made a change. On Oct. 20, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Seth Littrell was fired after just seven games in the positions.

Littrell came back to Oklahoma after serving as head coach at North Texas for seven seasons. Venables hired Littrell after Jeff Lebby left the Sooners' program to become head coach at Mississippi State. In their first game this season, Oklahoma scored 51 points. But that offensive production quickly deteriorated as the season moved along, especially in Southeastern Conference play.

Oklahoma Fills Positions

So, Venables made the move. In Littrell's place, Joe Jon Finley takes over play-calling responsibilities and retains his co-offensive coordinator role. Senior offensive analyst Kevin Johns gets moved up to become co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

"Seth is an all-time great Sooner," Venables said on Sunday in a statement released by Oklahoma University. "He has a deep love for this university and football program, and has poured his heart and soul into both. Despite that, our performance as an offense this season has not at all lived up to the OU standard and I felt a change was necessary now.

"The leadership role Joe Jon plays on our team is critical," Venables said. "He has the confidence of our locker room and coaching staff, and I'm thankful to him for taking on this expanded role in the middle of the season. Kevin joined our staff last spring as an offensive analyst after serving as an offensive coordinator for over a decade. He has a wealth of experience coordinating offenses and coaching quarterbacks, and I'm looking forward to the fresh approach he'll bring and the bigger role he'll play in offensive game-planning. I'm confident Joe Jon, Kevin and the rest of the offensive staff will work tirelessly to put our players in positions to succeed and make us more effective on that side of the ball."

Sooners Have Offensive Woes

Just how bad has the Oklahoma offense been through seven games? According to 247Sports, the Sooners rank 107th among FBS teams in scoring with a 22.1-point-per-game average. That drops to 14 points a game against Power Four schools. Keeping the ball in the offense's hands for extended drives has been absent, too. Consider this statistic: In 90 offensive drives (minus end-of-halves kneeldowns), Oklahoma has had 35 of them end in a three-and-out or only go for four-or-less plays because of a safety or a turnover.

Quarterback play has been an issue, too, no matter whether it's Michael Hawkins Jr. or Jackson Arnold out there. The Sooners' offensive line has had trouble protecting the quarterback as well. They've given up 29 sacks through the Sooners' seven games. These and other mitigating factors became too much for Venables to ignore.

It didn't help Littrell's case that Oklahoma and Texas are in their first seasons as SEC members. Texas punched the Sooners in the mouth 34-3 at the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma fans hoped that the Sooners could rebound against South Carolina (4-3, 2-3) at home on Oct. 19. In the end, the Gamecocks left Norman, Okla., with a 35-9 victory in their pocket.

Ole Miss Awaits Oklahoma

After the Oct. 19 defeat, Littrell said, "You're going to have some ups and downs. That's why when things are great, you better humble yourself. At the end of the day, it can go sideways real quick. Again, coaching is challenging, whether you're having success or not, it's right around the corner; you're a fine line away, whether it's injuries, you're a fine line away from the wrong locker room, the wrong character—I've seen a lot of things over the years."

Venables now must go out and get his third offensive coordinator, most likely after the season ends. But it doesn't get any easier. Oklahoma sits at 4-3 overall, 1-3 in the SEC. The Sooners hit the road to Oxford, Miss., on Oct. 6 to face No. 18 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2) at 1 p.m. EST. That means Oklahoma goes up against head coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Jaxson Dart.