In the middle of a game.
Oklahoma is right in the middle of the Big 12 Championship, but that doesn’t stop coaching news from happening. Sooners’ assistant Shane Beamer was actually hired during the middle of Oklahoma’s game against Baylor two weeks ago.
Now, it’s one of the Sooners’ prominent staff members.
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has re-energized the Sooners’ defense. Oklahoma is a top-25 defense by efficiency and analytics, and the Sooners are getting off the field on third down, getting sacks and tackles for loss at a much higher rate than the defenses Lincoln Riley had prior to 2019.
Grinch received some buzz last offseason, but that tide quickly receded. Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator is making more waves in 2020 as he is reportedly set to be interviewed for the Arizona head coaching position, per 247Sports’ Arizona affiliate. According to the report, the interview will take place in the next 48 hours.
The Sooners are having one of their best defensive performances in a season in over a decade. It’s Grinch’s mentality and culture that’s helped Oklahoma get to where its at. He spent three years at Washington State and then a year at Ohio State before coming to the Sooners.
Oklahoma is beating Iowa State 24-7 in the Big 12 Championship game with just over seven minutes to go in the third-quarter.
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