What’s up, my friends?

So that past few days have been nothing short of a whirlwind for the Oklahoma Sooners. From the loss at the Cotton Bowl to the dismissal of Mike Stoops, it’s been an intense 72 hours. Now that the dust is finally starting to settle, the program can embark in a new direction.

On Monday afternoon, Stoops released a statement giving thanks and praise to those he worked with, from the players to the administration.

OU AD Joe Castiglione also expressed his gratitude to Stoops for the time he put in and the work he’s done. Joe and Mike’s friendship goes back to 1999, when Bob Stoops was brought in to resurrect the football program.

While the decision to move on from Mike Stoops was a necessary one, it’s important that fans keep in mind all the good he stood for, and not just for the football team, but for the minds of the players he coached. He developed relationships, established lasting bonds, and equipped a number of young men with the tools to do great things beyond the game. Say what you will about his schemes or style (there’s plenty to say), but his heart has always been in the right place.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you, Mike Stoops, and I wish you well wherever your path takes you next.

Now it’s time for Hot Links! Lincoln Riley caught up with media members on Monday to discuss the coaching changes, Oklahoma is gearing up for yet another morning kick, Peyton Manning congratulated Drew Brees for breaking his record while chopping tomatoes and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley spoke with the media Monday evening to address the firing of Mike Stoops and the promotion of Ruffin McNeill to interim defensive coordinator and Bob Diaco to linebackers coach.

• Curtis Bolton was reportedly seen leaving the Cotton Bowl during halftime last Saturday, but returned in time to play during Oklahoma’s first defensive series. Both Lincoln Riley and Bolton said the news was blown out of proportion, and the team’s leader in tackles is not quitting on the team.
• Out of all the frustrating defensive performances under Mike Stoops, the Baylor game in 2014 still stands out as one of the most infuriating games to re-watch.
• Speaking of that game, it gradually became Stoops’ M.O. to give cushions to offenses in order to prevent big plays, but scheming cautiously ultimately backfired and led to his demise.
• Don’t forget to check out what some former Sooners did in the NFL this past weekend. Baker Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns to their second win of the season, Joe Mixon returned to the field in a big way after undergoing knee surgery, Sterling Shepard took out some frustrations on the sideline and more.
• Speaking of Mayfield, he’s already proving that the Cleveland Browns made the right decision by drafting him No. 1 overall.
• In case you missed it, Oklahoma’s game against TCU on October 20th is set to kick off at 11 a.m. and will be televised on ABC. This will be the Sooners’ fifth game to start at noon or earlier this season.

• Single-game tickets and mini ticket packages for Sooner Men’s and Women’s Basketball game are now available. The 2018-19 season tips off in a month!

• This ought to be a lot of fun. Oklahoma’s annual baseball and softball Halloween games are set for October 30th at 6:30 p.m.

Around the Sports World

• Drew Brees passed Peyton Manning for the all-time NFL leader in passing yards on Monday night. Now in second place, Manning made a video to congratulate Brees on the accomplishment. This is an absolute must-watch, I promise.

• Alabama starting defensive back Trevon Diggs has been ruled out indefinitely after suffering a foot injury. Diggs started the Crimson Tide’s first six games of the 2018 season at cornerback, and frequently played saw time at Bama’s hybrid safety ‘star’ position.
• After dropping two of its past three games at home to less than stellar competition, Oklahoma State has cracked ESPN’s Bottom 10. This ranking system uses a less-than-scientific, in-exact algorithm to determine which teams should be among the 10 worst squads in college football.
• There are four winless teams remaining in the FBS. Out of those four, who has the best chance of recording their first win first?
• There are a few days left of the NBA preseason, so naturally you can expect coaches and players to want to get on with the show and begin the regular season already. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was ejected from a game on Monday night for arguing a call, and he was totally cool with it because he didn’t even want to be there anyway. Boss move.

Stick to Sports!

• Film director Peter Jackson’s movie ‘Mortal Engines’ is set to release this December. Years ago, Jackson received criticism for splitting up ‘The Hobbit’ into three movies since it is based on a singular book. The critically acclaimed director explained why he chose to go that route with ‘The Hobbit’ and why he’s intending on going one-for-one with the ‘Mortal Engines’ series, which was adapted from Philip Reeves’ novel. It hasn’t been decided if Jackson will follow up this upcoming film with the rest in the series, because that will largely be dependent upon reception and box office figures.

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