What Was Said During Oklahoma's Players-Only Meeting

Danny Stutsman said the Sooners had a players-only meeting on Sunday after their devastating loss to rival Texas.

Aug 30, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Gracen Halton (56) celebrates with Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) during the first quarter against the Temple Owls at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Within 24 hours after their most hated rival embarrassed them inside the Cotton Bowl, Oklahoma players assembled without any coaches present to make sure that outcome didn’t happen again. 

Top-ranked Texas thumped the Sooners 34-3 on Saturday. The offense failed to reach the end zone. The defense gave up more points than it had all season. 

“I mean, obviously, you kind of already know what the mood's gonna be like,” OU linebacker Danny Stutsman said. “It's kind of self-explanatory. I was really just talking to the team, you know? I mean, it is what it is. That's what we put on tape, we put on film and obviously you're gonna be disappointed with that. In that moment, there's not really much you can really say. I think everything was said at halftime, before the game. We just didn't really live up to that moment.”

Then Sunday came, and there was apparently more to say after 24 hours. Stutsman, a captain, told reporters on Monday after practice that the team had a players-only meeting on Sunday. 

“Yeah, I mean, right after something like that happens, it's very easy for guys to start blaming each other,” Stutsman said. “And there's a thousand excuses you can make, but there's only so many opportunities you're gonna have. I think right after that we had a players meeting, all the guys got together, and that's something really positive that you like to see. Really aired it out, got it all out there. We did that (Sunday), so now it's a new week, new mindset, new opponent. Really flushed it, we learned from it, and just got back together as a team.”

Stutsman’s defense started this season stellar, holding teams to 11.3 points a game during the nonconference schedule. But during the SEC slate so far, that stat has inflated to 26.7 against conference foes. 

Most of the issues have come on the other side of the ball, though, which has recently influenced questions of if there’s division in the locker room or frustration from OU’s defense trying to pick up the slack from the other side of the ball. The Sooners are averaging 15 points a game against SEC defenses. Statistically, they rank near the bottom in most offensive categories, including total offense, where OU ranks in the bottom 10 among all 133 FBS teams. 

“I don’t feel like there’s never no division,” defensive lineman Gracen Halton said. “That’s what we’ve gotta stress in the locker room. We’re all in this together. We all walk in the same locker room after the game and before the game. No matter what, we’ve got (their) back. We’ve just gotta keep working. I stepped up, and that’s just the love for the guys. I’ve got love for the room and love for the team that I have and respect I’ve got for BV. I know he’s looking down, looking for guys that’s gonna do that. So I know I’ve gotta step up.”

So after losing two of the last three games and dropping out of the rankings, what was said during OU’s players-only meeting? 

“The message is we’ve gotta get right,” Halton said. “We worked hard for this. We know what everybody in our room has been through to get to the moment we’re in. We just can’t stop now. So putting positive words in the guys’ heads and just making sure we get back to work and making sure we’re on the same mindset.”