Blake Bell Named Sooners’ Starter Against Tulsa
Sep 7, 2013; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Blake Bell (10) scrambles on his first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter against West Virginia Mountaineers safety Karl Joseph (8) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Oklahoma Sooners beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 16-7. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Knight did not play well in the first two games of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners when it came to throwing the ball. He could run, and did so well in the first game, but couldn’t move the ball well in the second game, as the Sooners relied on their running backs to keep the clock rolling. Head coach Bob Stoops responded to Knight’s weak play today and named Blake Bell the starting quarterback for the Sooners’ game this weekend against the Tulsa Hurricanes.
What is shocking is that, not only did Trevor Knight lose his starting job, but Kendall Thompson will return to be the immediate backup in this game. While his poor play has to partially be the reason for the benching, Stoops said that Knight suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of the game.
Knight continued to play through the entire third quarter, but he never ran the ball again and threw two interceptions when the Sooners were driving into the Mountaineers’ territory. That was all it took to give Knight the hook and bring in Bell to finish off the game.
Blake Bell only attempted one pass in the fourth quarter, an incompletion, but he will be expected to throw the ball a lot more in the Tulsa game. Of course, as Bob Stoops and Josh Heupel said, there was no reason to throw the ball at the end when the running game was going so well and OU was winning.
If Knight’s benching was due to an injury, one has to think that this is Blake Bell’s chance to win the starting quarterback job straight out. Everyone knows that Bell can run with the ball, but if he can put up better, more consistent numbers than Knight did, it will be hard to keep him off the field when OU travels to Notre Dame for the fourth game of the season.
In his Monday press conference, Stoops said he has no set stance on a player losing their starting job due to an injury but younger guys don’t have the status as long-term starters, meaning that Trevor Knight has not done enough to guarantee the starting position.
For Blake Bell, his time is now.
Follow Shawn S. Lealos on Twitter @sslealos