Game Preview: Oklahoma
Boomer Blake
Quarterback Blake Bell gives
the Sooners offense a lot of options
B
By Dan Murphy
ob Stoops has had two Heisman-winning quarterbacks
since taking over as Oklahoma's head coach in 1999. When
the second of that duo, Sam Bradford,
left three games into his junior year
for season-ending shoulder surgery,
Landry Jones replaced him. Jones
would go on to throw for the secondmost total yards in NCAA history during his college career. Still, Stoops has
never quite had a starting quarterback
like Blake Bell.
The 6-6, 252-pound Bell ran for a
team-high 11 touchdowns a year ago
as the team's goal-line sledgehammer.
His ability to run provides a new
wrinkle to the Sooners offense that
never existed with Jones and Bradford
in the backfield.
Oklahoma took its first crack at the
zone read to start the 2013 season
with redshirt freshman Trevor Knight
taking the snaps. A knee injury
sidelined Knight during the Sooners'
51‑20 win over Tulsa Sept. 14 and gave
Bell a chance to take over the offense.
Bell dispelled any concerns about his
ability to throw the ball accurately
with four touchdown passes and 413
Bell seized the Sooners' starting quarterback job
by completing 27 of 37 passes for 413 yards and
four touchdowns — all career highs — against Tulsa
Sept. 14.
photo courtesy oklahoma
