Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby Addresses Tempo Issues with Balance, 'Complementary Football'

The Sooners got out to a fabulously fast start against UTEP, but when the offense got a bit sideways, he recognized the defense needed a break and slowed things down.

NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby promised a fast style of play.

Actually, he promised a play-calling tempo that would hold its own on the Formula 1 circuit.

And in the first quarter of the No. 9-ranked Sooners’ 45-13 season-opening victory over UTEP on Saturday, the OU offense was humming at a pace it probably hasn’t since Kevin Wilson implemented the hurry-up for Sam Bradford in 2008.

There was, however, one significant drawback.

OU produced three very quick touchdowns — possessions of 77 seconds, 108 seconds and 30 seconds — and then suffered two straight even quicker three-and-out possessions — 38 seconds and 58 seconds.

The time of possession was completely lopsided in UTEP’s favor, and with scorching temperatures and high humidity, the Sooner defense began to wilt as UTEP closed the gap from 21-0 to 21-10.

“Man,” Lebby said Monday during his weekly press conference, “we've got to do a great job of playing complementary football. Just understanding the flow of the game. To me, that's my job.”

So Oklahoma’s next five possessions took 4:01, 2:40, 1:51, 1:46 and 5:28 off the clock. The Sooner defense got a drink, got off its feet and caught its breath, and was able to finish the game strong.

“Absolutely, I was very intentional about running the football,” Lebby said, “and making sure we went down and got us a touchdown before half — and playing in a way where we were still playing fast but we weren't playing quite as fast as we were maybe those first couple of series. So, understanding that is is critical and it's — man, it’s my job.”

Lebby said the coaching staff is in constant communication during a game. Even though they sit next to each other, he doesn’t exactly have a back-and-forth with defensive coordinator Ted Roof because they’re both fairly focused on the game and calling the next play.

But in this case, Lebby said he recognized ion the game flow what was happening and what needed to change.

“You can look at the time of possession,” Lebby said, “but I think it's all about feel, too, and just understanding kind of how it's playing out. Coach V (Brent Venables) is going to be incredibly involved in that as well. You know, if he feels that we need to slow down or if there's something where we need to take a break in the action, obviously, he's gonna say it and I'm gonna do it. It didn't get to that point on Saturday, but there's always communication between all of us to make sure that we're putting the football team in the right position to go be successful.”

That’s a quality that not all young offensive coordinators share. Many are hyper-focused on their own unit and don’t think much about what the defense needs or wants.

“Hey, I’m proud of all our guys that are all about team, and Jeff Lebby is all about team,” Roof said Tuesday. “And I've been so impressed and I have so much respect for him and admire how he has a team-first attitude as a coach.

“That's how we all are. … There's not a lot of egos, and it's just, ‘Let's coach these guys and let's coach them up, coach them hard and love them. And you know, let's figure out what the best way for our football team to win.”

Lebby has designs on being a head coach someday, so his ability to see the bigger picture as the play-caller will help him get there.

“You’ve got to understand where we're at from a tempo standpoint,” Lebby said, “what we need to do maybe to give the other side a break so that they can catch their breath.”