Published December 18, 2005 11:45 pm - Oklahoma's new offensive coordinator says he's not married to any particular offense or even running up stats. Instead, it's all about winning.
Wilson will do what works
By John Shinn
The Norman Transcript
Kevin Wilson knows all about the big numbers Oklahoma put up during Chuck Long’s four seasons as offensive coordinator. From 2002 through this season, OU has averaged more than 36 points and 400 yards per game.
But when Wilson was officially introduced as the Sooners’ new offensive coordinator Sunday, he said his focus was on neither of those numbers.
“My job is not about statistics, it’s about winning,” he said. “The bottom line is getting W’s, and at Oklahoma it’s about winning championships.”
OU coach Bob Stoops named Wilson the Sooners’ new offensive coordinator shortly after Long was introduced as San Diego State’s new coach Saturday.
Wilson was the Sooners’ co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, but Long was the top offensive assistant and handled play-calling duties.
Stoops doesn’t believe much will change with Wilson running the unit.
“Kevin, along with our other coaches, has been part of our success,” Stoops said. “We will continue in our schemes and game plans. We don’t feel our direction will change. I like that our offense doesn’t change, but it’s always evolving and we’re always manipulating. We adapt to use our talent, but there are no wholesale changes.”
Prior to coming to OU after the 2001 regular season, Wilson had been the offensive coordinator at Northwestern. The Wildcats ran a spread attack under Wilson and led the Big Ten in total offense in his final season there.
Still, Wilson said what he’s run in the past will have no bearing on what OU will run in the future. He used spread formations at Northwestern because the Wildcats didn’t have any tight ends or fullbacks heading into the 2001 season.
“The things we have been doing are things that I am about,” Wilson said. “We started to evolve at the end of the year and we want to build on that. I don’t see radical changes, but again, our players will determine some of that. My ego is not big enough that we need to change things. We need to do what’s best for our program.”
In the meantime, the biggest question is who will work with quarterback Rhett Bomar.
The answer is the entire offensive staff.
Bomar will now have film sessions with pass game coordinator Darrell Wyatt and running backs coach (and former Sooner quarterback) Cale Gundy, and Wilson will also meet with him separately each day.
“I’ll probably spend an hour with Rhett every day to tell him what we’re thinking and see what he likes,” Wilson said. “I’m going to put a great deal of confidence in him. He’s a young guy, but he has come a long way.”
Stoops hasn’t set a timetable for filling the vacancy on the coaching staff and won’t discuss publicly whether he wants a quarterbacks coach or if he’ll shuffle his staff and hire a coach with another specialty.