No. 2 Ohio State is taking on No. 5 Oklahoma this Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC), marking the second game of the home-and-home series between these two teams. Last season, OSU defeated the Sooners 45-24 in Norman.
It’s Week 2, and Ohio State OC Kevin Wilson is already facing another of his former teams
His 2008 Sooners offense was one of the best in college history.
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Both teams are 1-0 heading into this week’s matchup, but they certainly aren’t the same two teams that played each other a year ago. One of those differences is that Bob Stoops has retired, leaving former offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley as his successor. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, brought in former Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson as their new offensive coordinator in January.
Before he was the Hoosiers’ head coach, Wilson served under Stoops on his offensive staff.
From 2002-05, he was co-offensive coordinator before becoming the offensive coordinator from 2006-10. During these last five seasons, the Sooners won four Big 12 championships. They played in BCS Championship games in 2003, 2004, and 2008.
The Sooners’ 2008 team can be looked at as the greatest team in the Big 12 ever, and the offense was a huge reason why. OU had a then-NCAA record 716 points scored, a number that is still No. 2 in FBS history.
In 2008, Oklahoma was at the forefront of the up-tempo revolution, but what they really demonstrated that year was what the other major college football powers are now realizing; that an approach that focuses on simplicity and execution works to the advantage of the more talented teams.
This Oklahoma team was exceptionally talented.
The offense included three first round draft picks and six other draft picks in the starting lineup while the defense also featured six players who would be drafted with one future first round selection. Every additional snap that Oklahoma guaranteed either for their own offense or for the opponent just increased the instances in which the opposing team was going to have to out-execute the superior Sooner roster and avoid any game-changing disasters.
Before OU, Wilson was at Northwestern, helping head coach Randy Walker launch the spread offense revolution.
After Wilson’s 2010 season with Oklahoma, he was hired as Indiana’s head coach, where he spent the next six seasons.
The Hoosiers went 26-47 overall during his tenure, but he led them to consecutive bowl games for the first time in 25 years.
Last December, Wilson resigned as the Hoosiers head coach after Indiana finished 6-6 with a Foster Farms bowl berth coming his team’s way. The decision was made amid concerns over player treatment.
In January, Wilson was hired by OSU after co-offensive coordinator Tim Beck joined Tom Herman’s staff at Texas. Wilson replaced the Buckeyes’ former offensive coordinator, Ed Warinner, who later joined P.J. Fleck’s staff at Minnesota.
Wilson’s already 1-0 against his former teams so far this season.
Ohio State beat Indiana, 49-21, in Week 1.
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