Knight is da Man!

[Wheat]

NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops named redshirt freshman Trevor Knight his starting quarterback for the Sooners' 2013 season opener, scheduled for Aug. 31 against Louisiana-Monroe on Owen Field.

Knight, a San Antonio native, beat out junior and once prohibitive favorite Blake Bell in Oklahoma's first quarterback battle since 2007, when future Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford won the job.

Knight becomes the Sooners' first starting quarterback not named Landry Jones since Bradford's season ending injury in the 2009 Red River Rivalry game against Texas.

Bell has rushed for 24 touchdowns over the past two seasons out of the short-yardage “Belldozer” package, when he would replace Jones in games, take a shotgun snap and plow forward for first downs and touchdowns.

Last August, Stoops announced Bell was the team's second-team quarterback, causing Drew Allen to eventually transfer to Syracuse for the 2013 season using the NCAA's postgraduate transfer rule.

Last season, Bell attempted only 16 passes, and five of them game in a 69-13 rout of hapless Florida A&M.

Knight passed for 2,092 yards with 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions — and recorded 943 yards and 15 scores on the ground — during his senior season at San Antonio's Ronald Reagan High School.

He had originally committed to Texas A&M in the spring of 2011, but switched his commitment to OU before his senior year of high school.

Knight spent the 2012 season redshirting at Oklahoma and was named as one of the Sooners' Scout Team Players of the Year.

The quarterback battle began in the spring between Bell, Knight and sophomore Kendal Thompson.

Thompson was considered a viable option until suffering a foot injury on the first day of the Sooners' preseason fall camp this month.

 

[KansasSooner]

I hope Stoops got it right, now about that defense...

 

[outofyourmind]

Hope all that works out.

 

[Wheat]

well, there has to be something to it, so I'm going to trust in Bob and Barry.

I'm almost tempted to get the PPV La Monroe game, now....

 

[Wheat]

the other thing is, you gotta hope that Bell keeps his head on straight, and there is no reason to think he won't. we've seen a number of seasons where the guy who started did not end up as the starter. I have to believe that Bob agonized over the decision and that Bell understands why.

It's going to be an interesting season, to say the least.

 

[RACER-MIKE]

now move on to stoping rushing and passing and ou will be on the right track to a good year.

 

[MarkOU]

Well our banner is garbage now.

 

[Wheat]

Barry Trammel column in the Oklahoman...

NORMAN — Trevor Knight is the new face of Oklahoma football.
Which is problematic, since we've seen about as much of his face as we have his game.


But the shroud is lifted, the dark Knight rises, against Louisiana-Monroe on Aug. 31, when Knight debuts as the Sooner quarterback.

Will the Knight era last four years, ala Landry Jones'? Will the Knight era last a game, which the Paul Thompson era would have had Rhett Bomar kept his nose clean?

Can't say. But this we know from Bob Stoops' announcement Thursday that Knight has won the QB job: the mobile quarterback era has arrived in Soonerville.

After seven straight seasons of stoic statues Sam Bradford and Landry Jones, the Sooners are forging new ground. A quarterback who can make plays with his feet.

And for Stoops to pick a redshirt freshman over Blake Bell, the heir apparent and two years Knight's elder, is a clear sign that mobility now is a huge priority in OU quarterbacking.
Bell is no plodder. If Bell and Landry Jones raced around the football field, Bell might lap Landry.
But Bell's mobility is impressive only as it relates to the Sooner norm. Knight's mobility is impressive, period. That much we gleaned from our one look at Knight, in the spring game last April.

And truth is, we heard about it last December, when Knight was a scout-team phenom, mimicking Johnny Manziel.

“He throws those balls, cross-body,” OU defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland said before the Cotton Bowl. “Stuff you don't expect him to make. He's kept us on our toes.”

Of course, we've seen this coming the last few years, when the Sooners began recruiting mobile quarterbacks. First Bell, then more so with Kendal Thompson and Knight.

But any doubt was removed the last two seasons, when first Robert Griffin III, then Johnny Football, scrambled and ran and passed the Sooners ragged. RG3 won the Heisman against OU; Manziel ratified his Heisman at Sooner expense.

I asked Stoops this week how different the offense will look to us novices, regardless of who quarterbacks.

“Not much,” he said. “Not much different. You'll see a bunch of the same formations and plays. Not much at all, really.”

Sorry, but I'm calling bogus on that one. You don't hand the reins to a runaround redshirt freshman, then run Landry Jones' offense.

An OU insider said the difference between Knight and Bell is not so much the quarterbacking talents of either, but the particular quarterbacking talents of Knight as it relates to this offense. Bell's bad luck that the Sooners shifted gears just as he got to the front of the line.
Who knows how Knight's mobility will be used?

The shotgun option (some call it the zone read, a stupid name; the old wishbone belly series was a zone read)? Sprintouts? Quarterback draws?

We'll see against Louisiana-Monroe, unless Stoops thinks he can skate past the Warhawks, West Virginia and Tulsa with a vanilla offense, saving the major changes for Notre Dame.
I wouldn't bet on Stoops getting all sneaky, though. He knows a rookie quarterback needs all the weaponry at hand to succeed.

Stoops three times has gone with a redshirt freshman. Once by choice (Bradford, 2007), once by exasperation (Rhett Bomar, 2005) and once by necessity (Landry, 2009).

Bradford was the best (no holes in that theory) but after a glittering start still struggled at mediocre Colorado in September 2007, losing 27-24. Bomar and Landry took awhile to get their bearings, too. UCLA, Miami, Brigham Young. Some rough outings there.

So expect Knight to come out moving, if not all-out running, and don't look for the Sooners to retreat, no matter how long the Knight era lasts.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at [email protected]. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.

 

[KansasSooner]

I just hope we don't have to rely on the QB running a whole lot. That wouldn't be good in my opinion because that means the backs and receivers aren't doing their share. Hopefully the defense helps too so the offense doesn't have to score on every possession.

 

[outofyourmind]

Well, with a mobile QB, it will finally get back to 11 on 11, instead of 11 on 10, with no chance of Jason,Sam or Landry ever running it, you were always automatically at a disadvantage.

I think we could actually run the same offense, but let Knight just pull it down and run with it when the time is right. I don't think that will be the case though.

 

[td2play]

Well, with a mobile QB, it will finally get back to 11 on 11, instead of 11 on 10, with no chance of Jason,Sam or Landry ever running it, you were always automatically at a disadvantage.

I think we could actually run the same offense, but let Knight just pull it down and run with it when the time is right. I don't think that will be the case though.

The worlds is coming to an end OU is copying Baylor and A&M! Why not do something different like the power running game with Blake Bell but do it all game long. Nobody and I mean nobody in two years has been able to stop Bell from getting the hard yard when he needed it. Now we are going to copy Baylor and A&M because they had once in a lifetime type players in their system. OU used to innovate not copy other folks. I think Bob has finally lost it. Hey Bob if you want to copy someone how about trying to copy Bama or one of the other teams from the SEC who have won the last 7 championships. Oh yes we got our ass handed to us by Collin Klein and KSU so we copy them with putting Bell in the game. Now we get our ass handed to us by A&M lets copy them by putting the rookie that nobody knows how he is going to react when 90,000 are going crazy in the game. This may be Bob's swan song!

As I guess you can tell I am a Blake Bell support. Its not so much Blake as it is the power football that he represents that I like. I guess it is also Bell's fire that I support. Go back and watch any of the games where Bell came in and got the hard yard and you will see him jumping around and showing his enthuisasm. That tough physical football is what made OU great and until they get back to it they will never be great again.

 

[Wheat]

td, take a deep breath. I don't think the world is coming to and end, yet, LOL!~

personally, I'm looking forward to the season more than I have in the past few years.

I think the offense will be just fine, it's the defense that is the question mark.

 

[KansasSooner]

td, take a deep breath. I don't think the world is coming to and end, yet, LOL!~

personally, I'm looking forward to the season more than I have in the past few years.

I think the offense will be just fine, it's the defense that is the question mark.

And that's what worries me. If the defense can't step up the offense could get worn out during a game and having to score on every possession is no way to win a game, especially if you have to do it every game.

 

[td2play]

Can the defense be any worse? Early last season I saw steady improvement from the D up until the ND game. After that either everyone figured out what we were doing or the D just quit. I'm kind of excited to see what Mike does in his second season. I don't think it can be worse but you never know.

 

[sooner78wakeboard]

I heard a couple of good questions on The Sports Animal.



1) Do you think if OU had played Florida in the Sugar Bowl last year, Bell would have won the QB position. Trevor Knight would not have been able to showcase his abilities playing as Johnny Manziel against the Sooner D.


2) If OU's first game were against Notre Dame rather than Louisiana Monroe, perhaps Blake Bell would have started the season?


3) If OU knew they had a solid top defense, would the odds of being conservative and going with Blake Bell more attractive? Rather than a redshirt freshman potential big playmaker?

 

[td2play]

I heard a couple of good questions on The Sports Animal.



1) Do you think if OU had played Florida in the Sugar Bowl last year, Bell would have won the QB position. Trevor Knight would not have been able to showcase his abilities playing as Johnny Manziel against the Sooner D.


2) If OU's first game were against Notre Dame rather than Louisiana Monroe, perhaps Blake Bell would have started the season?


3) If OU knew they had a solid top defense, would the odds of being conservative and going with Blake Bell more attractive? Rather than a redshirt freshman potential big playmaker?

Those are good questions. Here is what I think.

1) OU has been angling for this type of QB for quite some time. Kevin Wilson even said that a dual threat QB fit his system much better than a pocket passer. Don't think it would have made a difference because Barry (The King) has been pushing for this type of fundemental change for a while too.

2) Don't think this would have made a difference either. ND is not going to be an offensive powerhouse considering they lost their #1 QB to grades too. ND is going to try and run the ball down OU's throat and hit the occasional play action over the top. They lost their two best offensive weapons at TE and QB. Not the same ND team we saw last season. But I do see where first time on the road for a rookie QB at South Bend might be something that undoes Knight. Hell he looked nervous in the spring game. Don't think ULM is not capable of coming into Norman and beating the Sooners. Is it likely? No. But it could happen just ask Arkansas.

3) I think Bob Stoops is one of them most stubborn and slowest to change coaches in all the FBS. I also think this change was years in the making. Not just predicated on this season.

 

[sooner78wakeboard]

Knight has some serious ups!

 

[KansasSooner]

I have a feeling Knight will be watching from the sideline for a while.

 

[romeo212000]

Bell with 400+ passing yards...

 

[KansasSooner]

I told you guys he could throw. Now where's that Texas fan who said he couldn't throw the deep ball?