August 28-30, 2017

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W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | A U G U S T 2 8 - 3 0 , 2 0 17 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M

OUDAILY

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TAKE THE REINS

FRESHMAN 5 THINGS TO KNOW FOR FRESHMAN YEAR

Sept. 5 • Gaylord Auditorium • 7:30 p.m.

New head coach prepares for first game of season, grows beyond offensive focus

O

KELLI STACY • @ASTACYKELLI

n Sept. 2, a man in a visor will walk out of a tunnel in the south endzone of Oklahoma Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium to 82,112 waiting fans. For the first time in 18 years, that man won’t be Bob Stoops. Instead, it will be 33-year-old Lincoln Riley, ushering in a new era of Oklahoma football. Riley has made this walk 12 times before, but this time is different. Now, he’s the head coach of one of the most storied football programs in the country — with one of the most dedicated fan bases — and he understands the pressure that brings. “To our fan base, I promise I will give you everything I have,” Riley said in his introductory press conference on June 7. “I think we’ll put out a team like we have over the past few years that is tough, that is physical, that is passionate and embodies the best things about this state.” As an offensive coordinator, Riley has already proven his ability. He’s lauded for his offensive mind — something that’s due in part to his years of proximity to Washington State head coach Mike Leach. Riley has built and refined explosive offenses in his two seasons as offensive coordinator at OU. In 2016, Oklahoma ranked second in total offense (554.8 ypg), third in scoring offense (43.9 ppg) and produced two Heisman candidates in quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiver Dede Westbrook. The Muleshoe Texas, native has achieved a lot as an offensive coordinator, winning the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in the nation, in 2015. Now, Riley is challenged with the task of making his mark at the highest level of college coaching. According to Leach, the key to Riley’s success will be in listening. “Part of the thing is be patient,” Leach said on the day of Riley’s promotion. “It’s a different job than an assistant job. An assistant job is very specific and direct, kind of a smaller space. With a head job there’s a lot of

balancing that goes on, there’s a lot of keeping the moving parts floating. The broad nature of the job is what’s unique about it.” Riley used fall camp to find his balance as head coach, realizing he can no longer preside solely over the offense. He divided his time during team drills among all of the groups and spent less time in his role as quarterbacks coach. “Other than that individual time I’m in a lot of the same spots, and a lot of (the difference) is when we get in the film room,” Riley said. “It’s not just watching offense. As we’re watching offense (I’m) also watching the defensive guys — who’s standing out, who I can help by pulling off to the side.” In addition to taking on another side of the ball, Riley now has a litany of appearances penciled into his schedule. He’ll be on the Big 12 coaches call and will hold a press conference every Monday, talk on the Sooner Coaches Show on Tuesdays and chat with a sideline reporter before jogging into the locker room at halftime. Part of Riley finding his balance has been made easier by surrounding himself with a staff he’s comfortable with. Stoops left the entire staff intact, but Riley decided to bring in someone he coached with at both Texas Tech and East Carolina University—Ruffin McNeill, is the Sooners’ new assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach. “(He’s) just another guy on the staff that I can go run things by — a guy that knows me well and that can pull me off to the side, too,” Riley said. Riley will need McNeill to help keep him grounded as he takes on his new role at the helm of Oklahoma’s program and all that comes along with it. “ He d o e s n ’ t a c t h i s a g e,” McNeill said. “He’s got a lot of wisdom about him. I always check on him — ‘You doing alright, boss?’ He’s the boss now.”

Then- offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley before the Red and White game April 8.

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

NEXT ISSUE:

2017 OKLAHOMA FOOTBALL PREVIEW MAGAZINE

Kelli Stacy

kelliastacy@ou.edu

Hurricane hits Houston with record rains Disaster predicted to cause lasting damage to large city MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON (AP) — Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation’s fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help. The incessant rain covered

much of Houston in turbid, graygreen water and turned streets into wide channels navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across inundated neighborhoods and high-wheel vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam. Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in some places to gush into second floors. The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble

pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their homes to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location. As the water rose, the National Weather Service offered another ominous forecast: Before the storm passes, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could receive as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas. “The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,” the National Weather Service said in

a statement. Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1 meter) for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said. The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said the government expected to conduct a “mass care mission” and predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA’s involvement for years. “This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,” Long said. Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. The city’s

main convention center was quickly opened as a shelter. Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren. “When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out,” Leho said. Ha r r i s C o u n t y S h e r i f f E d Gonzalez used Twitter to field calls for assistance. Among those

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August 28-30, 2017 by OU Daily - Issuu