OU Faithful Reacts To News Of Coach Lincoln Riley's Departure

OU fans across the state are feeling the shock of Lincoln Riley's departure.

Students and alumni at OU said they were coming off a heartbreaking loss to OSU Sunday when the news broke. They all said they're thankful for Bob Stoops.

"I was at home all day recovering from the Bedlam loss," said Josh Davis.

That's when Josh Davis first heard about Lincoln Riley leaving OU to be the new head coach at USC.

Davis is the student affairs director at OU-Tulsa and a big Sooner fan.

"It's the coaching world," Davis said. "He had to make the decision best for him."

Monday in a press conference new interim Coach Bob Stoops promised he would hit the ground running.

"OU Football's been here a long time, and it isn't going anywhere else," Stoops said. "It's gonna be here, and it's gonna be at the top of college football and it's gonna continue that way."

That gives fans a little hope.

"We're excited about Stoops coming back," said Paige Cole. "There's nobody who could step in and hit the ground running like he can."

OU Club of Tulsa Co-president Paige Cole said shocking is an understatement for how fans feel.

"OU is a program people don't leave from," Cole said.

Students agree.

"I remember being shocked," said Chase Gaddis.

Gaddi, a med student at OU-Tulsa, said he rushed home after hearing Riley was leaving and says he and his friends felt a little betrayed about it.

"I guess he was right, he wasn't headed to LSU," Gaddis said. "He went to USC."

But Gaddis said he also has his trust in Stoops to save the day.

"The best is hopefully yet to come."

All the OU fans are hopeful for a Bowl Game win and agree the team is bigger than its coach.