Stoops Chooses Knight Over Bell

Bob Stoops wasn't paying lip service when he insisted all summer the quarterback competition was wide open at the University of Oklahoma.  Stoops announced Thursday that redshirt freshman Trevor Knight would start at quarterback over redshirt junior Blake Bell.  For two years fans and analysts alike assumed Bell would follow Landry Jones as the next OU quarterback.  Bell is the Sooners most heralded quarterback recruit on the roster, the most veteran and the only one with any game experience.  Bell's emergence as the short yardage and goal line quarterback prompted Drew Allen to transfer.  Had Jones decided to leave for the NFL after his junior season, Bell would have likely eased his way into the starting role without competition.

Instead, Jones returned for his senior season which gave younger quarterbacks Trevor Knight and Kendal Thompson a year to develop.  Even with the emergence of the two younger quarterbacks, the job was Bell's to lose.  Although he can never say it, I'm sure Stoops wanted Bell to seize control of the position.  The choice to start a freshman over a junior who has three years invested in the program and two years as a solid contributor could not have been easy.

So how should Sooners fans react?  I think there is a general feeling of disbelief mixed with excitement and a dash of letdown.

The letdown is the promise of Bell as the starter that we miss out on.  A vision all of us had of Bell throwing the ball like Jones and then powering home touchdowns on the ground.  Fans saw Tim Tebow when they thought of Bell.  No matter how many passing records Jones broke the grass was greener with Bell as the heir apparent.  The Sooners wanted a quarterback who could make plays with his feet if need be.  They wanted a quarterback with toughness and moxie, exactly what Bell showed when plowing over defenders on the goal line.  They were sick of the sacks, sick of the pout face and sick of the same letdowns the past four years.  Bell was going to make all of that better.  There would be no need to shuffle different quarterbacks on and off the field because the Belldozer would already be in the game.  That's the letdown.  The death of that vision.

The disbelief is the fact Bell couldn't win the job as a redshirt junior.  It seemed like he had paid his dues.  After three years in the program and tons of meaningful snaps, how could anyone beat him out?  And losing to a freshman?  Implausible.  No one saw Knight coming this season.  Entering competition he was a distant third.  Even if the competition was close, or if Bell made some mistakes, surely the coaches couldn't ignore the on field experience.  Bell was on the Heisman watch list for Switzer's sake.  Thompson's injury reaffirmed Bell's chances of starting.  The competition was supposed to over.  Someone forgot to tell Knight he wasn't supposed to win the job.  That's the disbelief.  Bell wasn't a sure thing after all.

The excitement is wondering what happens next.  From day one, Stoops said the best players will play.  No matter what the expectations were, Knight beat Bell on the field.  If Knight really is better than Bell, then how good can he be?  We have heard stories of the freshman terrorizing the scout team, but that was the scout team.  Other than a couple of scrimmages, we don't know much about Knight.  We know he's fast and can make plays with his legs, something Sooners fans were looking forward to with Bell.  The unknowns of the coming season are exciting.  How good can this team be?  Who will step up on defense?  Will we run the ball more?  And now, what will a Knight led offense look like?  Instead of dreaming the Tebow dream, fans can hope Stoops found himself the next Sam Bradford.  That's the excitement.  The discovery of an unknown commodity with unlimited potential.

The most intriguing question to me is whether Knight won the job or Bell lost it.   That's what we'll find out a week from Saturday.  A starting job at quarterback is not guaranteed under Stoops.  Nate Hybl was named the starter before losing his job to Jason White mid-season.  Paul Thompson started the first game of the 2005 season and only made it through a half before losing his job for the season.  If Knight isn't moving the ball, you can be sure Bell will come in.  Stoops said "both quarterbacks will be ready to play" after naming Knight the starter.  I would expect both players to continue competing.

Another intriguing question is what will happen to the Belldozer package this season?  Will coaches continue to shuffle in Bell with no threat of the pass?  I have never been a fan of the package.  I know I'm in the minority, but there are talented running backs all over the roster who aren't getting enough touches.  If Josh Heupel can't find a way to get them involved then he's not a very good offensive coordinator.  At this point I wouldn't be surprised to see the Belldozer, but I would be disappointed.  It would seem like a slap in the face.  Backing up Jones is one thing.  Backing up your freshman competition is humiliating.

To bottom line things, no matter which of the three quarterbacks got the nod, the offense was going to be good.  All three quarterbacks are mobile and talented passers.  Beyond that, the offense is littered with playmakers.  The offensive line is as deep as it's been since 2008, the receivers are experienced and talented and the running backs go six deep.  The only problem for the offense is that there's only one ball and lots of playmakers to feed.  Knight is stepping into a dream situation.

The defense is really what will define the 2013 Sooners.  How will Mike Stoops overcome the lack of defensive line depth?  What wrinkles has he added to slow down potent spread attacks?  Will the linebackers play to their potential?  Those are the real questions.  I can't wait to find out the answers.  Boomer Sooner!

As an aside: We won't be spared the headline puns that Bell lends itself to.  Knight will create equal opportunity.  The Bell Tolls for Bell.  The Difference Was Knight and Day.  Bell of the Ball.  Knight Wins the Day.  Ring the Bell.  Good-Knight.  Yeah, can't wait for those.