Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where Oregon State and Washington State are undefeated on the field and in Superior Court:
First Quarter: The Mess at MSU | Second Quarter: SEC Stinks | Third Quarter: Panic Meter Check
Fourth Quarter: Art Briles still doesn’t get it, and neither does his family
Oklahoma (31) defeated SMU on Saturday to start 2–0, but the Sooners had a hard time getting the headlines out of the game due to a visitor who kept a higher profile than needed or desired: Art Briles (32).
The disgraced former Baylor coach was present on the field after the game wearing an Oklahoma shirt and talking to his son-in-law, Jeff Lebby (33), who is the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. This was not only a sight that provoked reactions from Oklahoma fans—it clearly violated whatever agreement Lebby had with the school about Briles’s public connection to the program.
“I was just as disappointed as many of our fans when I learned of the postgame situation tonight,” athletic director Joe Castiglione (34) said in a statement after the game. “It shouldn’t have happened and it was my expectation it never would, based on boundaries we previously set. I’ve addressed it with the appropriate staff.”
The appropriate staff being Lebby, and probably head coach Brent Venables. Lebby issued an apology Monday before his weekly press conference.
“Just want everyone to understand, my father-in-law, his presence on the field after the game is something that created a distraction, and I apologize for that," Lebby said. "That was not the intent at all. The intent was just to celebrate with my family. I do want to correct some reports that said that he had a sideline pass, he did not have a sideline pass given out. He was only on the field when other families were down there and were present. Joe Castiglione, coach Venables have both expressed concerns with me, talked to me about it to make sure that everyone understands that this is something that will not come up again."
If Lebby is sincere, he had a strange way of showing it on social media. His avatar on Instagram is a picture of himself with Briles and his kids on the field in Norman. That would seem to qualify as disrespecting your superiors.
Sarah Phipps/USA TODAY Network
In addition to clearly flouting whatever “boundaries” had been set, the episode is another indication that Briles and his family still don’t get it. It’s been seven years since he was fired at Baylor for running what very much fit the description of a renegade program, with plenty of enabling by the university itself. Every once in a while, Briles tries to work his way back into the sport—Texas high school coach, aspiring Southern Mississippi offensive coordinator, Grambling offensive coordinator—and keeps running into backlash. This was different, but also another example of not fully appreciating his own toxicity—especially in the Big 12.
Oklahoma is performing a delicate dance here, not wanting to ban Briles from seeing his son-in-law coach but clearly not wanting him to be a public part of the proceedings. That shouldn’t be an overly onerous restriction on Briles; plenty of family members of coaches attend games in a low-profile manner, coming and going without being seen. If this arrangement prohibits Briles from some of the same field-access privileges that family members of other staffers enjoy before or after games, well, that’s on him.
A similar dance is ongoing at TCU, where Art’s son, Kendal Briles (35), is the new offensive coordinator. Sonny Dykes spoke at Big 12 media days about hiring Briles The Younger, who like Lebby worked for his dad at Baylor. Having high-profile, big-dollar coordinator jobs speaks to their offensive acumen and what they learned working for Art. The amount of trepidation that goes along with employing them speaks to how bad things got at Baylor.
“I knew it was going to be an unpopular hire in some ways because of some things that had happened,” Dykes said. “But at the same time, I was very confident from knowing Kendal from the time he was 13 years old and just talking to people that were directly involved in that situation.”
Having attended the first game at Baylor after Art Briles was fired in 2016, there was tangible and unseemly defiance from some of his former assistants who were still on the staff. That tone deafness has never seemed to go away for some of the old inner-circle guys, and for Briles himself. Amazingly, they still seem to need a reminder every couple of years.
Absentee Coaches in the Big Ten
Pat Fitzgerald has been fired by Northwestern. Mel Tucker is on unpaid leave at Michigan State. Jim Harbaugh is suspended at Michigan. Those are the Big Ten Coach of the Year (36) winners in 2018, ’21 and ’22, respectively, and they’ve all been replaced for the moment. Eleven out of 14 teams in the league will be led this Saturday by interim coaches.
Some folks in the Big Ten like to roll their eyes at the seemingly permanent scandal cycle in the SEC. But as of late this is one area in which the Big Ten is more than keeping up with their brethren to the South.
Drive to 325 Update
Each week (at least until it ceases to be fun or interesting), The Dash will update the progress of Iowa offensive coordinator and nepo baby Brian Ferentz (37) toward fulfilling the terms of his contract. It calls for the Hawkeyes to win seven games and average 25 points per game in the process—no small task for this group.
Last week: Iowa defeated Iowa State to go 2–0.
Points scored: 20, with seven of them attributable to defensive back Sebastian Castro’s 30-yard interception return.
Percentage of Iowa points not scored by the Iowa offense but still countable toward Ferentz’s contract: 15.9%.
Average points through two games: 22.
Number of points needed the rest of the season to reach the target: 281. The Hawks need to average 25.5 per game the rest of the way.
Next up: Western Michigan, which presents a juicy target after giving up 48 points to Syracuse last week.
Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week
Steve Sarkisian (38), Texas. Got the biggest win of his coaching career Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, taking down Alabama and former boss Nick Saban. Sark’s team was physical, poised and ready to finish the job after letting an upset of the Crimson Tide get away last year in Austin. Two weeks in, Texas has arguably the biggest playoff résumé win in the nation.
Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work
Brent Pry (39), Virginia Tech. The Hokies ran the ball 22 times for 11 yards in their home loss to Purdue, marking the 11th time in Pry’s 13 games as head coach that they’ve averaged 3.5 yards per carry or less. This was the worst of the 13, checking in at 0.5 yards per rush. This isn’t an easy rebuild, and it will remain difficult as long as Virginia Tech is outmanned in the running game. (Tech’s next opponent, Rutgers, is sixth nationally in fewest yards allowed per carry at 1.74.)
