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| Blake Bell |
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| Trevor Knight |
There has been a firestorm of controversy surrounding Bob Stoops and his staff with respect to the choice of, red shirt freshman, Trevor Knight as starting quarterback for the 2013 season. Almost everyone assumed that 3rd year quarterback and "BellDozer" front man Blake Bell would get the nod. Bell had displayed big game skills at running in short yardage situations over the last few seasons and most assumed that he take full command of the offense when four year starter Landry Jones had exhausted is eligibility.
Bob Stoops policy of closed practices does not lend itself to learning much about any player that has not seen substantial game time. As a result, little was known about Trevor Knight or, sophomore Kendal Thompson. Glimpses of all three were available during open scrimmages but they were protected from hits and, as a result, were only moving at half speed. We were told by the coaches that the competition was tight and, up to Thompson's foot injury, the job was wide open. However, limited visibility and very little information from players and coaches led to guesses and pure speculation.
Kendal Thompson's injury came at a bad time. There was even speculation that Thompson had the upper hand till that point. However, it was now a two man race. The fall practices had just about completed and Stoops made his decision known. It would be Trevor Knight under center for the home opener against Louisiana-Monroe.
Knight played well at times in the opener. His running ability stood out as he gained team high 103 yards on 13 carries. His passing was a different story. He displayed a strong arm but his accuracy was a huge question mark. He completed only 11 of 28 attempts for a meager 86 yards. He did connect for 3 touchdowns and only 1 interception but most of his passes were to high or to low. Was it freshman jitters? First start butterflies? Only time would tell. Little did we know the answer would come a week later against big 12 foe West Virginia.
Trevor Knight passed for more yards (119) than he ran for (47) against West Virginia but he only threw 1 touchdown. Knight was hurried all day and tossed two interceptions on drives that would have put the game out of reach. Had this game been played in Morgantown, the Sooners would have likely lost. As it was, the 16-7 victory provided little comfort to those in Norman. The passing issues that Knight displayed in the first game continued to plague him against the Mountaineers. Fan patience was running out and the coaches were not pleased either. Blake Bell entered the game in the 4th quarter and, while he only attempted one pass, he moved the offense on the ground efficiently. Conventional wisdom dictated that the Sooners kill the clock and "run" out the game.
It was revealed after the game that Knight had suffered a slight knee injury and would not play in the third game of the season. Blake Bell was slated to start his first game at Quarterback for the Sooners. Bell did start and was very successful throwing, running and directing the offense. He looked calm, collected and poised. Bell threw for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 51-20 victory over Tulsa. Now, before you get to excited, me and my bad knees could probably thrown for 250 against the weak Tulsa secondary. Having said that, Bell had complete control over the offense and looked like he belonged under center. The offense moved in much the same fashion as it had under Landry Jones and Sam Bradford. In fact, Bell threw for more yards in his first start than either Jones or Bradford. After the game, speculation exploded.
Did Stoops and company make a mistake? Should Bell have been the starter from game 1? Why does the disparity between the two quarterbacks look so wide? These are all reasonable questions and I believe they are easily answered.
Trevor Knight may well be a superior quarterback in many respects. He can certainly run better than Bell and it appeared, at least in the first two games, that OU was moving towards an offense that featured a running quarterback (See Kendal Thompson). Knight may even have better range and a deeper long ball than Bell. Blake may be more accurate. Take out West Virginia, and both quarterbacks face similar defensive backfields. But, Blake threw only one (incomplete) pass in the West Virginia game and only a couple in mop up roles over the last two seasons. We really didn't know what he was capable of and frankly, I'm not sure anyone did.
The difference between the two boils down to speed, experience and comfort. Trevor Knight had never played in a division 1 college game prior to his first start. The speed at this level does not compare to high school and can't really be simulated on the practice field. Hitting receivers in practice while being chased at half speed is just not the same a real time game speed. Prior to his first start, Blake Bell had played in two dozen games at this level. He had hours of practice throwing pass drills to the wide receivers. He had a comfort level with the offense, the players and the speed of the game. Bottom line, Bell was more experienced and, by default, more comfortable in a game setting. As it turns out, he's not a bad passer either.
Trevor Knight is only going to get better. He will get stronger, smarter and more comfortable. That is the reward of experience. If Bell has a good game against Notre Dame next week, look for him to remain the starter. If Bell succeeds, the job will be his until he uses up his eligibility or gets injured. Knight will likely get the backup snaps and he will get another shot to start in the spring.
Whether Trevor Knight ever cracks the starting lineup at OU again is unknown. Nothing is given in college football. He will have to work at it and work hard. Blake Bell will leave, eventually. But Kendal Thompson remains and I guarantee that Bob Stoops will never stop recruiting quality quarterbacks.
Trevor Knight passed for more yards (119) than he ran for (47) against West Virginia but he only threw 1 touchdown. Knight was hurried all day and tossed two interceptions on drives that would have put the game out of reach. Had this game been played in Morgantown, the Sooners would have likely lost. As it was, the 16-7 victory provided little comfort to those in Norman. The passing issues that Knight displayed in the first game continued to plague him against the Mountaineers. Fan patience was running out and the coaches were not pleased either. Blake Bell entered the game in the 4th quarter and, while he only attempted one pass, he moved the offense on the ground efficiently. Conventional wisdom dictated that the Sooners kill the clock and "run" out the game.
It was revealed after the game that Knight had suffered a slight knee injury and would not play in the third game of the season. Blake Bell was slated to start his first game at Quarterback for the Sooners. Bell did start and was very successful throwing, running and directing the offense. He looked calm, collected and poised. Bell threw for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 51-20 victory over Tulsa. Now, before you get to excited, me and my bad knees could probably thrown for 250 against the weak Tulsa secondary. Having said that, Bell had complete control over the offense and looked like he belonged under center. The offense moved in much the same fashion as it had under Landry Jones and Sam Bradford. In fact, Bell threw for more yards in his first start than either Jones or Bradford. After the game, speculation exploded.
Did Stoops and company make a mistake? Should Bell have been the starter from game 1? Why does the disparity between the two quarterbacks look so wide? These are all reasonable questions and I believe they are easily answered.
Trevor Knight may well be a superior quarterback in many respects. He can certainly run better than Bell and it appeared, at least in the first two games, that OU was moving towards an offense that featured a running quarterback (See Kendal Thompson). Knight may even have better range and a deeper long ball than Bell. Blake may be more accurate. Take out West Virginia, and both quarterbacks face similar defensive backfields. But, Blake threw only one (incomplete) pass in the West Virginia game and only a couple in mop up roles over the last two seasons. We really didn't know what he was capable of and frankly, I'm not sure anyone did.
The difference between the two boils down to speed, experience and comfort. Trevor Knight had never played in a division 1 college game prior to his first start. The speed at this level does not compare to high school and can't really be simulated on the practice field. Hitting receivers in practice while being chased at half speed is just not the same a real time game speed. Prior to his first start, Blake Bell had played in two dozen games at this level. He had hours of practice throwing pass drills to the wide receivers. He had a comfort level with the offense, the players and the speed of the game. Bottom line, Bell was more experienced and, by default, more comfortable in a game setting. As it turns out, he's not a bad passer either.
Trevor Knight is only going to get better. He will get stronger, smarter and more comfortable. That is the reward of experience. If Bell has a good game against Notre Dame next week, look for him to remain the starter. If Bell succeeds, the job will be his until he uses up his eligibility or gets injured. Knight will likely get the backup snaps and he will get another shot to start in the spring.
Whether Trevor Knight ever cracks the starting lineup at OU again is unknown. Nothing is given in college football. He will have to work at it and work hard. Blake Bell will leave, eventually. But Kendal Thompson remains and I guarantee that Bob Stoops will never stop recruiting quality quarterbacks.
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