Joe Jon Finley and Oklahoma’s offense were hoping to ride a wave of momentum into Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday.
Instead, they turned in a performance that summarizes the Sooners’ season on offense.
Saturday marked the end of Oklahoma’s regular season, but also a year and a day since the hiring of Seth Littrell as offensive coordinator. It only took seven games in 2024 for Littrell to be fired. While the offense showed flashes of potential with new play caller Joe Jon Finley, like in the first half against Mississippi or in an upset win over Alabama, they showed just as many weak spots.
Now, with a disappointing regular season behind them, it's time for the Sooners to look toward the future. For Brent Venables, that means gathering players from the transfer portal, securing his commits on early signing day and facing the biggest hire of his career — one he’s close to finalizing.
“In the next few days or so, we’re going to hire a new coach on offense and get that sorted out…” Venables said after Oklahoma’s (6-6, 2-6 SEC) 37-17 loss to LSU (8-4, 5-3) on Saturday. “There’s going to be some real change. Some of it is by design, some of it will be a surprise and that’s just the world we live in with open-ended free agency.”
But what does that mean for Finley?
In seemingly his final game as OU’s play caller, Finley, who also coaches tight ends, gave tight end Bauer Sharp a chance to throw on a trick play in the third quarter.
Sharp, who dropped an open touchdown against Alabama and has been heavily criticized by fans for his blocking, floated an errant pass downfield that was intercepted by the Tigers.
INTERCEPTION LSU!! pic.twitter.com/J65Y5SRLJS
— Matthew Brune (@MatthewBrune_) December 1, 2024
Regardless of the sour end to his time calling plays, Finley is grateful to have been put in the spot in the first place.
“It means everything,” Finley said. “This is my alma mater. I love this place. I know some of the fans might not love me right now, but that's OK because that's what this is all about. This is the standard at Oklahoma."
“I love this place and I always want Oklahoma to do well, because it's home for me. I wish I could have done a better job tonight, but again, I'm proud of these guys for how they fought all year long, because they were put in a bad spot and they just kept on fighting every single day, every single practice, every single meeting, every workout, never complained one time, came to work with a smile on their face. I'll be forever grateful for that.”
Not only will eyes turn to the offensive coordinator search, they’ll turn to Jackson Arnold for whether he’ll stay in Norman or not. After an up and down year, Arnold has said multiple times he has been focused on finishing the season rather than what his future holds.
The next time Oklahoma takes the field for its bowl game, the Sooners will roll out a new offensive coordinator and questions about the quarterback spot — and many other positions — will be answered.
It'll be the first glance at a revamped unit, one that finished the 2024 season with disappointment.
“We’ll be practicing for several weeks with the idea that we’re going to improve the football team fundamentally through hard work,” Venables said “That’s where your progress is going to come from — putting your head down and coming right back to work.”
