Danny Stutsman calls out OU crowd ahead of Tennessee game, invokes Bob Stoops
History will be made at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday night as Oklahoma faces Tennessee in the program’s first-ever SEC game. Buzz from Norman is already palpable as this has been a long time coming for the Sooners. Plenty of people will pack into the stadium, at least for kickoff according to OU linebacker Danny Stutsman.
Oklahoma faced off against Tulane last week, a game close through parts of the fourth quarter. But when Stutsman looked into the crowd, he noticed a lot of fans had already left. In his eyes, late-game attendance was not “up to standard.”
“It usually starts out great, but the fourth quarter wasn’t up to standard,” Stutsman said via George Stoia of On3’s Sooner Scoop. “…Maybe Bob Stoops will call them out.”
Stutsman is making a reference back to 2008 when Stoops decided to call out the Oklahoma fans. No. 2 Texas Tech was coming to town in late November for a top-five showdown. The Sooners wound up winning in a blowout and as Stoia pointed out in a tweet, Stoops gave the game ball to the crowd.
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Saturday against Tennessee does not have as high of stakes. Oklahoma wound up earning a spot in the Big 12 Championship because of the Texas Tech win and thus, the right to play in the national championship game. Stoops knew the implications at the time and how important a ruckus environment would be.
The Vols are an early season top-15 matchup and would give Brent Venables a ton of momentum. Despite sporting a 3-0 record, the start has not been completely smooth for Oklahoma — particularly on offense. Facing a top defense like Tennessee will be a huge test.
Where the crowd can make a significant impact is when Stutsman’s group is on the field. Tennessee has put up historic offensive numbers thus far and even with Oklahoma’s stout defense, a big task is ahead of them. Making first-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava uncomfortable in his first true road game start should be the ultimate goal.
Unfortunately for Stutsman, Stoops has already said he will not be speaking to the media throughout this week. If there is some kind of call out from the former head coach, it will be on his own accord.
Either way, a big ask from the Oklahoma linebacker and a nice throwback to a huge game from 16 years ago.