Lincoln Riley knew he had to do something.
Too much was at stake to stand pat, the Oklahoma coach decided.
So halfway through the season and immediately following a gut-wrenching 48-45 loss to Texas, Riley dismissed defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. Riley named assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach Ruffin McNeill as DC for the rest of the season. Analyst Bob Diaco will coach the outside linebackers.
"Just more of a gut feeling that this was the appropriate response right now, that we more than anything needed a different voice in that room," Riley said Monday.