Tulsa World: Duncan Says Gibbs 'Will Be Our Coach

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Duncan Says Gibbs `Will Be Our Coach

By Randy Krehbiel
Published: 11/28/1992
Last Modified: 4/11/2008 7:51 AM

NORMAN - The most popular person in the University of Oklahoma
locker room Friday evening was not a player.
It was not a coach.
It was OU athletic director Donnie Duncan.
Essentially, he was called upon to answer the same question
a couple of hundred times.
What, everyone wanted to know, was to become of coach Gary
Gibbs?
To all forms of that query, Duncan's answer was identical.
Nothing.
No one in authority, said Duncan, was contemplating a change
at the top of Oklahoma's program. Nor does he expect anyone
to begin such ruminations.
"In 1989 the governing body of the university made a commitment
to Gary to build this program and to do it right," said
Duncan. "I said, Barry Switzer said and the lettermen's
group said 1992 would be the year of concern about competitiveness.
"There has not been one discussion (about replacing Gibbs)
among any of those groups I mentioned. Gary Gibbs will be
our coach."
Gibbs' record for four seasons is 29-14-2, enviable under
most circumstances but not up to Oklahoma standards. This
year's 5-4-2 record was OU's poorest since 1965.
Gibbs, however, took over a program depleted by unusually
high attrition and in the early stages of a two-year probation.
It finished this season with fewer than 60 active scholarship
players.
"I understand the fans' frustrations," said Duncan. "I
get frustrated, too. But I understand the reasons.
"While we are concerned, while we are listening, the bottom
line is that we made a commitment. The key thing I look
at is recruiting, and our recruiting has been good."
Duncan has to sell that to an increasingly disgruntled public.
OU has not had a sellout of Memorial Stadium since early
in Gibbs' second season and lately has resorted to making
tickets available for radio station give-aways.
"Any assessment runs deep," said Duncan. "Have we laid
a foundation to get where we have been? The answer is yes.
"What I tell our boosters is to support the University
of Oklahoma. To love the University of Oklahoma. And I think
most of our fans understand what happened in 1989."
That didn't seem to make Friday's second half, when the
Sooners were outscored 23-0, go down easier. Quarterback
Cale Gundy was booed from the middle of the third period
on, and the stands began emptying early in the fourth.
When Gundy was replaced by Steve Collins on Oklahoma's final
possession, Nebraska fans began chanting, "We want Gundy!
We want Gundy!"
It wasn't as if Gundy was solely responsible for Oklahoma's
second-half collapse. But he was sacked for a safety and
threw two interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown
and another that stopped Oklahoma's last drive, in the third
quarter with Nebraska leading 17-9.
"That interception came at a critical point," said Gibbs.
"After that, we don't field a punt at about the 25, get
the ball at our 7 and wind up taking a safety."
Gibbs said Nebraska had switched coverages.
"It took away the play, but we stayed with it," he said.
"It was a jump-ball situation, and the Nebraska guy (Kenny
Wilhite) made a good play on it."
Lost in the descending gloom of the late November afternoon
was the fact that Oklahoma played a fine first half and
was still within striking distance until the fourth quarter.
OU dominated the first quarter and outgained Nebraska for
the half, but trailed 10-9 on the interception runback and
a late field goal.
"We felt pretty good at the half," said fullback Kenyon
Rasheed. "We knew Nebraska had an explosive offense, though,
and you can't kick field goals when you get down around
the 20."
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said unusual adjustments made
at halftime helped shut down the Sooners.
"We went to a dime package, which you normally do not do
if people are running at you," said Osborne. "That defense
put us in more of an even spacing which let us get some
more penetration. That seemed to stop the things they were
doing. I would suppose we played 70 or 75 percent in that
defense the rest of the game."
With Nebraska now controlling the ball, it began wearing
down the Sooners' thin defense.
"They are working shorthanded, I hope people realize that,"
said Osborne. "Once we began to get the ball away from
them, our strength took over."
Gibbs agreed.
"Their first drive of the second half showed their power
and strength," he said.
Gibbs left no doubt he intends to be coaching the Sooners
next year.
"We had 23 freshmen on our travel squad this year," he
said. "We talked early in the year about how this could
be a tough one, and it was. I think our defense played pretty
well. I don't think our people are discouraged."
Apparently, the ones who count most are not.
By Randy Krehbiel

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