For the most part, the Oklahoma Sooners offense had a really good season. Jeff Lebby’s first season as offensive coordinator wasn’t perfect, but the offense was productive, had moments of explosiveness, and produced a 1,000-yard wide receiver, Marvin Mims, and a 1,000-yard rusher, Eric Gray.
The Sooners ranked 35th in the country in points per game, 32.9. Take away the 49-0 shutout, and the Sooners averaged 35.89 points per game, which would have moved them into the top 20 in the nation.
The Sooners were 18th in yards per game, ninth in plays per game and 24th in first downs per game.
Sure, there were moments the offense didn’t rise to the occasion. Specifically, third and fourth down were a struggle for the Sooners. Oklahoma converted on third down just 39.9% of the time and was worse on fourth down.
Heading into the offseason, the Sooners have to figure out their money-down offense. Their inability to convert on third and fourth down crushed this team, especially late in the season.
Because the offense had a lot of good moments, the Sooners could have won a few more games had the defense held up its end. Perhaps the biggest issue was not having a reasonable plan at quarterback when Dillon Gabriel went down.
Lebby didn’t trust Davis Beville to throw the ball and didn’t give him the chance in the second half of the TCU game or much in the Texas game. When it was clear Beville wasn’t the answer, they could have given Nick Evers some snaps to see if his athleticism could have provided a spark. Instead, Evers didn’t come in the game until the final few minutes and ran one series.
The Sooners have to find a better option at backup quarterback this offseason unless they believe that Jackson Arnold is the answer should something happen to Dillon Gabriel.
Lebby was among the highest-paid coordinators from the 2022 season, according to USA TODAY Sports. Here are the top 10.