Oklahoma Sooners Quarterback Competition Not as Close as Thought

The news that Trevor Knight beat out Blake Bell in the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback competition was a huge topic of conversation last week. A lot of people blasted the Sooners for taking the job away from Bell, a job he never officially owned. Others have a wait and see attitude, saying that it is better to trust in Bob Stoops and believe that he has the best interests of OU at heart.

Of course, he has OU’s best interests in mind. It is even more interesting when someone with access to Sooners’ practices told the Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel that the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback competition wasn’t even close and Knight was clearly the better quarterback. According to this source, “anyone could see it.”

That is, anyone except for the Oklahoma Sooners fans who like to make their voices heard online. I remember back when Josh Heupel led the Oklahoma Sooners to the national championship, everyone was ready to see Jason White take over the next year and lead OU to the promised land once again. White did not win the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback competition that year, but he did take over when Nate Hybl proved ineffective. However, he then tore his ACL and Nate Hybl had a solid, but unexceptional year as the Sooners quarterback, finishing the season with a bowl win over Arkansas.

Hybl kept the job in 2002, getting another bowl win in the Rose Bowl, before Jason White finally took over in 2003 and led OU to what might be the greatest college football regular season in OU history. It ended on a down note when OU lost the Big 12 title game and national championship game, but up till that point, White was dominant on his way to the Heisman Trophy.

Blake Bell won’t get that chance, at least not unless Trevor Knight fails spectacularly. It could happen. Paul Thompson won the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback competition after Jason White left the Sooners, but he lost the job to Rhett Bomar after one game and did not get it back until Bomar was kicked off the team the next year.

But, honestly, as much as fans love Blake Bell and the Belldozer, true Oklahoma Sooners fans want the team to win with the best possible quarterback. That means that, if Trevor Knight was as amazing in this Oklahoma Sooners quarterback competition as people say he was, real OU fans will want Trevor Knight to start at quarterback for the Sooners this year.

And, it sounds like Blake Bell won’t bolt yet for another college to get the chance to start like Drew Allen did this offseason. He seems ready to help OU win, even if it means not starting for the Sooners.

“Blake, he’s a player,” said OU center Gabe Ikard. “He’s a competitor. Obviously, he was disappointed. But he knows he can handle it one of two ways. Let it set him back, or push forward. He’s going to work to improve himself and he’s going to be ready to contribute.”