Oklahoma hires Jones as WR coach, passing game coordinator

Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma has hired Emmett Jones as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, the school announced Tuesday.

Jones held the same positions at Texas Tech this past season. The Red Raiders beat Oklahoma 51-48 in overtime on Nov. 26 after rolling up 599 yards of offense, including 436 yards passing. Texas Tech led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally in passing offense (302.0 yards per game) and 13th nationally in yards passing (3,926).

Before his season at Texas Tech, Jones was wide receivers coach at Kansas for three years and was passing game coordinator his final two years there. He was Kansas’ interim coach in the spring of 2021 before coach Lance Leipold was hired.

Jones fills the receivers coach role vacated when Cale Gundy stepped down in August. Gundy had been with the program as an assistant since 1999, but the school said he uttered a racially charged word multiple times during a film session.

Offensive analyst L'Damian Washington had been interim receivers coach. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has said he’d like to keep Washington on the staff.

Texas Tech denies Ole Miss claim of racial slur during bowl

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HOUSTON – Texas Tech on Thursday denied claims by Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin that a Red Raiders player spit on one of his players and possibly used a racial slur in the Texas Bowl.

A scrum between the teams came after Ole Miss’ Dayton Wade fumbled in the fourth quarter Wednesday night and Texas Tech recovered. There was pushing and shoving between players and Ole Miss player Jordan Watkins was given a personal foul penalty.

After the game, which Ole Miss lost 42-25, Kiffin said the penalty should have been on Texas Tech senior linebacker Dimitri Moore instead of Watkins. Both players wear No. 11.

Kiffin said after the game at Watkins wasn’t in the fight, and that Moore was fighting Ole Miss lineman Jayden Williams and that “everybody knew” because Texas Tech coaches were yelling at their own player.

“There was a racial slur involved, that’s not the point of what we’re talking about, (it’s) about the spitting part,” Kiffin said. “I brought our own 71 (Williams) up to the officials, right or wrong, you see him crying? He’s not crying not because he got spit on, it’s because something was said.”

When asked to clarify if a Texas Tech player used a racial slur toward one of his players, Kiffin said he wasn’t sure.

“I’m not going to, because I did not hear it, (I’m not going to) say that that happened for sure that he gave a racial slur to our player,” Kiffin said. “I was told that that was said in that (incident) but I did not hear that. So that would obviously be a giant issue.”

Moore and Williams are both Black.

“We are disappointed an opposing head coach decided to insinuate serious allegations that are false and irresponsible,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said in a statement released by the school Thursday. “I have discussed these allegations with Dimitri Moore, and he disputed the two claims that were brought forth against him.”

Moore, in an accompanying statement, said the allegations were untrue.

“I can’t state strongly enough that these accusations are false. It is disappointing to have my final game as a collegiate student-athlete overshadowed by the false accusations that were stated last night,” Moore said. “Since I have arrived at Texas Tech, I have strived to represent my teammates, this coaching staff and most importantly, my family, in the highest manner.”

Kiffin said he got so upset during the game because he didn’t believe it was fair that his player got a penalty that he thinks clearly should have been on someone else.

“I’m going to defend our players when a kid spits on them and is accused to a national audience that it’s him,” Kiffin said. “So, Jordan has to deal with this.”

McGuire was not asked about the incident after the game, but Kiffin said he spoke with him about the spitting after the game.

“If you actually watch over there one of them’s kind of laughing because he got off,” Kiffin said. “He’s screaming at the player, they’re losing their mind on him… I talked to their head coach afterwards, he was like: `Crazy officiating out there.’ I go: `Yeah that was really bad on that one that your guy spit and our guy got the penalty.’ He was like: `Yeah, I know.”‘

Kiffin: Texas Tech player spit, possibly used racial slur

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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HOUSTON — Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said a Texas Tech player spit on one of his players and possibly used a racial slur Wednesday night in the Texas Bowl.

A scrum between the teams came after Ole Miss’ Dayton Wade fumbled early in the fourth quarter and Texas Tech recovered. There was pushing and shoving between players and Ole Miss player Jordan Watkins was given a personal foul penalty.

After the game, which Ole Miss lost 42-25, Kiffin said that the penalty should have actually been on Texas Tech’s Dimitri Moore, who is No. 11 for the Red Raiders, instead of Watkins, who wears No. 11 for Ole Miss.

“They announce our 11, which is Jordan Watkins, who wasn’t in the fight, it was their 11 that was fighting 71 (Ole Miss lineman Jayden Williams) and everybody knew because their own coaches were yelling at the guy,” Kiffin said.

“There was a racial slur involved, that’s not the point of what we’re talking about, (it’s) about the spitting part. I brought our own 71 up to the officials, right or wrong, you see him crying? He’s not crying not because he got spit on, it’s because something was said.”

When asked to clarify if a Texas Tech player used a racial slur toward one of his players, Kiffin said he wasn’t sure.

“I’m not going to, because I did not hear it, (I’m not going to) say that that happened for sure that he gave a racial slur to our player,” Kiffin said. “I was told that that was said in that (incident) but I did not hear that. So that would obviously be a giant issue.”

Moore and Williams are both Black.

Kiffin said he got so upset during the game because he didn’t believe it was fair that his player got a penalty that he thinks clearly should have been on someone else.

“I’m going to defend our players when a kid spits on them and is accused to a national audience that it’s him,” Kiffin said. “So, Jordan has to deal with this.”

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire was not asked about the incident, but Kiffin said he spoke with him about the spitting after the game.

“If you actually watch over there one of them’s kind of laughing because he got off,” Kiffin said. “He’s screaming at the player, they’re losing their mind on him… I talked to their head coach afterwards, he was like: ‘Crazy officiating out there.’ I go: ‘Yeah that was really bad on that one that your guy spit and our guy got the penalty.’ He was like: ‘Yeah I know.’”