Oklahoma is heading into Saturday afternoon’s trip to Mississippi State still carrying the sting of last week’s 21-13 loss to Kentucky, and the matchup brings a familiar face across from Brent Venables. Jeff Lebby, Venables’ first offensive coordinator at OU, will coach against his old boss for the first time since their two seasons together in Norman.
That reunion gives the game a little extra edge, especially considering Lebby ran the two best offensive seasons of Venables’ Oklahoma tenure. The Sooners have gone against former play-callers before, but this one matters because both coaches know exactly what the other brought to the table.
It also makes for a useful time to look back at the men who have run Oklahoma’s offense in the modern era, starting with 1999. The list focuses only on the coaches who actually called the plays each season, leaving out co-offensive coordinators who did not handle that job. For a program that spent years piling up elite offense before the recent downturn, the contrast is hard to miss.
Mike Leach was the first name on the list when Bob Stoops arrived ahead of the 1999 season. Stoops hired Leach away from Kentucky as his first offensive coordinator, and in one year Leach helped flip the Sooners’ offense by installing the Air Raid. Oklahoma averaged 36.8 points per game, good for eighth nationally, and Texas Tech moved quickly to bring Leach in as its head coach after the season.
Leach went on to lead Texas Tech from 2000 to 2009, then Washington State from 2012 to 2019. He later became head coach at Mississippi State from 2020 until his tragic passing in 2022. His influence on college football was enormous, and his year in Norman mattered, too.
After Leach left, Mark Mangino stepped in as offensive coordinator after Stoops brought him over from Kansas State. Mangino, then the offensive line coach, ran the offense for Oklahoma’s most recent national championship team.
The Sooners averaged 39 points per game during their unbeaten run, and while the next season wasn’t quite as explosive, Mangino still oversaw two highly successful years. He added more balance and a stronger running element, then took over as Kansas’ head coach after 2001.
Chuck Long followed Mangino and handled the offense from 2002 to 2005. He had come to Oklahoma in 2000 from Iowa to coach quarterbacks after Leach’s departure, and Kevin Wilson served as co-offensive coordinator during those years.
Long’s offenses helped Oklahoma reach the national title game in 2003 and 2004, even though the unit dropped off in 2005. After that season, San Diego State hired Long as head coach.
He later served as Kansas’ offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011 and had multiple stints coaching spring football. His Oklahoma offense leaned more pro-style while keeping the run game central.
Wilson then took over as play-caller from 2006 to 2010 after Long left. Oklahoma had hired Wilson in 2002 after three strong seasons at Northwestern, and he spent four years coaching the offensive line before moving into the top job.
Kevin Sumlin was co-offensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007, but Wilson was the one calling the plays. His offenses were among the best in program history, including the 2008 group that led the nation and averaged more than 51 points per game on the way to the national championship game.
Wilson never had an offense average fewer than 30 points per game while he was in charge, and he helped push the Sooners deeper into the power spread era. After the 2010 season, Indiana hired him as head coach.
Wilson later spent 2017 to 2022 as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, was Tulsa’s head coach in 2023 and 2024, and has been back at Oklahoma for the past two seasons. He is currently the Sooners’ Assistant Head Coach for Offense.
Josh Heupel followed Wilson and ran the offense from 2011 to 2014. A former Sooners star quarterback, he had coached at Oklahoma every year from 2004 to 2010 except for 2005 at Arizona. Jay Norvell served as co-offensive coordinator throughout Heupel’s four seasons, but Heupel handled the play-calling the whole time.
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Oklahoma's Biggest Problem Heading Into Mississippi State Is Hard To Ignore
Oklahoma heads into its meeting with Mississippi State still trying to find a steadier gear on offense, and the concerns are hard to miss. John Mateer has flashed the kind of playmaking that can tilt a game, but the turnovers have been part of the package, and the Sooners have also had to lean on Avant to help keep the ground game moving when the passing attack bogs down.
Mississippi State brings its own uncertainty, starting with the quarterback situation, which adds another layer to a matchup already shaped by defenses on both sides. The Sooners will need to sort out their own ball security issues before they can worry much about the Bulldogs, because the margin for error shrinks fast when one offense is still searching for consistency and the other side is capable of making the game messy. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Fans Wont Like Why Ryan Fodje Stayed In Against Kentucky
Late in Oklahomas home loss to Kentucky, starting left tackle Ryan Fodje went down with a right ankle injury in the closing minutes of the third quarter and briefly headed to the sideline for examination. He came back with the ankle heavily taped, a sequence that mattered because the Sooners offense was already losing its grip on the game and needed stability in the worst possible spot.
Brent Venables said the call to put Fodje back in came with input from the training staff and from Fodje himself, a detail Oklahoma fans probably will not love given how the rest of the night unfolded. After he returned, the offense kept sputtering, with the protection issues showing up in the form of sacks and interceptions, leaving the injury decision as one more thing the Sooners will have to sort through after an ugly home result. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces One Big Offensive Concern Entering Mississippi State
Brent Venables missed Tuesdays press conference because of flu-like symptoms, leaving defensive tackles coach Todd Bates to field questions as Oklahoma turned the page toward Mississippi State. The conversation quickly settled on the offense, where the Sooners are still trying to get a steadier rhythm while the defense continues to hold up at a national level.
Ryan Fodjes injury status was part of the discussion, along with the broader issues on offense and the encouraging signs from running back Tory Blaylock as he works back from an early-season injury. For Oklahoma, the formula is clear enough: the defense is doing its part, but the offense still has to answer the biggest question hanging over this stretch of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]