Steven M. Sipple: Norvell back in thick of rivalry
Jay Norvell has moved from Lincoln to Norman, and will now see the renewal of a glorious rivalry from the other side.
He’s in the thick of it now, the thick of the stifling Oklahoma summer heat, the thick of the pressure cooker that is Sooner football. And come Nov. 1, when OU plays Nebraska, he’ll be in the thick of the renewal of a glorious rivalry that’s still capable of eliciting goose bumps even among casual fans of the college game.
Jay Norvell gets “it.” He understood the passion of the rivalry when he was Nebraska’s offensive coordinator from 2004-06, a period in which Oklahoma got the best of NU three straight times . This coming season, Norvell will experience the rivalry from the other sideline, as the Sooners’ assistant offensive coordinator/receivers coach.
“I felt a responsibility to the rivalry the first day I stepped on campus at Nebraska,” Norvell says. “When I first thought of having the opportunity to coach at Nebraska, that ball game was the first thing I thought about.”
Oklahoma-Nebraska has been a classic rivalry, and a classy one, at least most of the time. Oh, there was Bill Callahan’s “hillbillies” comment that caused a stir in 2004. But now there’s the Bob Stoops-Bo Pelini connection that figures to further strengthen the friendliness and respect aspects of the rivalry — not that the coaching staffs of the schools were contentious during 2004-06, Norvell says.
“Because of a couple incidents, people thought it was different, but it really wasn’t,” he says.
At any rate, Norvell doesn’t reminisce much. After all, he’s endured his share of tumult as a coach in recent years. His time at Nebraska wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. He then left Lincoln for UCLA after the 2006 season because he wanted to call plays (Callahan called them at NU). The Bruins finished 6-7 last season, and 99th in total offense, and the coaching staff was replaced.
Even so, Norvell describes 2007 as “the greatest experience I’ve had in coaching.” Bully for him. He took a chance and learned from the experience. UCLA jumped to No. 11 in the national rankings after two games. But then the Bruins were stunned by Utah, 44-6, and injuries began to accumulate, especially at quarterback and tailback. UCLA was down to a third-string walk-on at QB.
Here’s hoping Norvell, 45, will come to feel a certain comfort in the stability of Oklahoma’s program. Norvell was a college teammate of Stoops at Iowa and long has wanted to work with the OU head coach. Norvell actually worked a short stint in Norman six years ago. It lasted only a month before he departed for the NFL Oakland Raiders.
Norvell now envisions a longer stay at OU, although in the increasingly unstable profession of college football coaching, you never know. Fans’ and athletic administrators’ money-driven, win-now mentality has the coaching job carousel turning at record speed.
In June and July, however, the college football pace typically slows some and coaches often can catch their breath.
“This is a great time of year,” Norvell says.
It’s a chance to step back and gain perspective.
“I was at a little league baseball game the other night,” Norvell says. “It’s amazing to see the kids’ progress. In the first game of the season, none of these kids could even hit the ball. Now, a month and a half into the season, they’re tearing the cover off of it.
“The thing you have to remember about college football is it takes time for kids to develop. You don’t just throw everyone into a microwave and expect them to be great players. It just doesn’t happen that way. You have to realize we’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-old kids who need to grow and mature and develop and become leaders.
“I think it’s why coaches got into this game — to help kids do that. Sometimes it gets lost in the big picture.”
He doesn’t envision the ultra-high expectations and pressure to win subsiding.
“I don’t think we’re going backwards, buddy,” he says.
The thing is, fans thrive on the weekly pressure of the college season. Pressure is why we remember all those historic Nebraska-Oklahoma clashes, when so much was on the line.
Oklahoma will have a clear edge against Nebraska this time around. The Sooners return 17 starters from a 2007 team that finished 11-3 overall and captured the Big 12 title. Nine starters return on offense, including accurate quarterback Sam Bradford, as well as the entire defensive line.
“The talent level here is awfully impressive, just the depth of athletes,” Norvell says.
Oklahoma probably will seek to apply pressure using a no-huddle offense. The Sooners worked on it extensively during the spring. It’s a tempo-changer, Norvell says, a way to run significantly more plays. However, as Norvell notes, “They were pretty good running plays out of the huddle last season.
“The kid (Bradford) threw for 36 touchdowns last year as a (redshirt) freshman, so I don’t think there’s a need to change all that much,” the coach says. “The biggest thing is just to improve and keep our guys healthy, and to make a run at the championship.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
He’s in the thick of it now, the thick of the stifling Oklahoma summer heat, the thick of the pressure cooker that is Sooner football. And come Nov. 1, when OU plays Nebraska, he’ll be in the thick of the renewal of a glorious rivalry that’s still capable of eliciting goose bumps even among casual fans of the college game.
Jay Norvell gets “it.” He understood the passion of the rivalry when he was Nebraska’s offensive coordinator from 2004-06, a period in which Oklahoma got the best of NU three straight times . This coming season, Norvell will experience the rivalry from the other sideline, as the Sooners’ assistant offensive coordinator/receivers coach.
“I felt a responsibility to the rivalry the first day I stepped on campus at Nebraska,” Norvell says. “When I first thought of having the opportunity to coach at Nebraska, that ball game was the first thing I thought about.”
Oklahoma-Nebraska has been a classic rivalry, and a classy one, at least most of the time. Oh, there was Bill Callahan’s “hillbillies” comment that caused a stir in 2004. But now there’s the Bob Stoops-Bo Pelini connection that figures to further strengthen the friendliness and respect aspects of the rivalry — not that the coaching staffs of the schools were contentious during 2004-06, Norvell says.
“Because of a couple incidents, people thought it was different, but it really wasn’t,” he says.
At any rate, Norvell doesn’t reminisce much. After all, he’s endured his share of tumult as a coach in recent years. His time at Nebraska wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. He then left Lincoln for UCLA after the 2006 season because he wanted to call plays (Callahan called them at NU). The Bruins finished 6-7 last season, and 99th in total offense, and the coaching staff was replaced.
Even so, Norvell describes 2007 as “the greatest experience I’ve had in coaching.” Bully for him. He took a chance and learned from the experience. UCLA jumped to No. 11 in the national rankings after two games. But then the Bruins were stunned by Utah, 44-6, and injuries began to accumulate, especially at quarterback and tailback. UCLA was down to a third-string walk-on at QB.
Here’s hoping Norvell, 45, will come to feel a certain comfort in the stability of Oklahoma’s program. Norvell was a college teammate of Stoops at Iowa and long has wanted to work with the OU head coach. Norvell actually worked a short stint in Norman six years ago. It lasted only a month before he departed for the NFL Oakland Raiders.
Norvell now envisions a longer stay at OU, although in the increasingly unstable profession of college football coaching, you never know. Fans’ and athletic administrators’ money-driven, win-now mentality has the coaching job carousel turning at record speed.
In June and July, however, the college football pace typically slows some and coaches often can catch their breath.
“This is a great time of year,” Norvell says.
It’s a chance to step back and gain perspective.
“I was at a little league baseball game the other night,” Norvell says. “It’s amazing to see the kids’ progress. In the first game of the season, none of these kids could even hit the ball. Now, a month and a half into the season, they’re tearing the cover off of it.
“The thing you have to remember about college football is it takes time for kids to develop. You don’t just throw everyone into a microwave and expect them to be great players. It just doesn’t happen that way. You have to realize we’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-old kids who need to grow and mature and develop and become leaders.
“I think it’s why coaches got into this game — to help kids do that. Sometimes it gets lost in the big picture.”
He doesn’t envision the ultra-high expectations and pressure to win subsiding.
“I don’t think we’re going backwards, buddy,” he says.
The thing is, fans thrive on the weekly pressure of the college season. Pressure is why we remember all those historic Nebraska-Oklahoma clashes, when so much was on the line.
Oklahoma will have a clear edge against Nebraska this time around. The Sooners return 17 starters from a 2007 team that finished 11-3 overall and captured the Big 12 title. Nine starters return on offense, including accurate quarterback Sam Bradford, as well as the entire defensive line.
“The talent level here is awfully impressive, just the depth of athletes,” Norvell says.
Oklahoma probably will seek to apply pressure using a no-huddle offense. The Sooners worked on it extensively during the spring. It’s a tempo-changer, Norvell says, a way to run significantly more plays. However, as Norvell notes, “They were pretty good running plays out of the huddle last season.
“The kid (Bradford) threw for 36 touchdowns last year as a (redshirt) freshman, so I don’t think there’s a need to change all that much,” the coach says. “The biggest thing is just to improve and keep our guys healthy, and to make a run at the championship.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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