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Oklahoma fires offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after its second straight loss

Oklahoma fires offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after its second straight loss

Seth Littrell took over as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator after Jeff Lebby became Mississippi State’s head coach. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Oklahoma is hoping a coordinator change can boost its offense.

Oklahoma announced Sunday night that the Sooners (4-3) have fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Seth Littrell after OU fell for the second straight game on Saturday.

Oklahoma lost 32-9 to South Carolina after the Gamecocks took a 21-0 lead early in the first quarter as Oklahoma turned the ball over on each of its first three possessions. Running back Rocket Sanders scored South Carolina’s first touchdown, and the Gamecocks then got a fumble return for a TD and a pick 6.

“Seth is an all-time great Sooner,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said in a statement. “He has a deep love for this university and football program and has put his heart and soul into both. Still, our offensive performance this season was not at all up to OU standards and I felt a change was necessary.” Now.

Co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley will assume the role of the team’s game manager following Littrell’s firing.

Oklahoma has been searching for offensive answers all season. Freshman Michael Hawkins started the game against South Carolina after taking over at QB in the Sooners’ 25-15 loss to Tennessee. He replaced Jackson Arnold in that UT game and Arnold took over for Hawkins on Saturday.

The offensive stats for OU in 2024 are ugly. The Sooners are averaging just 4.1 yards per play because the running game can’t get going. Hawkins and Arnold combined to complete 124 of 210 passes for 1,239 yards and have thrown nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

Only two teams — Stanford and FBS newcomer Kennesaw State — average fewer yards per game than Oklahoma, according to TeamRankings.com.

To be fair to Littrell and the Sooners’ offense, injuries have been a major factor this season. Oklahoma played much of the season without its top five wide receivers. Leading receiver Deion Burks has played in just four games this season. He has 26 catches for 201 yards and three scores. Only one other player – Brenan Thompson – caught more than one TD pass.

Littrell was in his first season as Oklahoma’s play-caller after offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby became the head coach at Mississippi State. The former North Texas head coach and Oklahoma native served as an offensive assistant in 2023 after being fired by UNT at the end of the 2022 season. In seven seasons with the Mean Green, Littrell was 44-44.