Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulsa Hurricane: 5 Keys to Victory
Aug 31, 2013; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Trevor Knight (9) rolls out of the pocket against UL Monroe Warhawks safety Cordero Smith (10) during the first half at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
by Ryan Neeley
Emergence of an effective passing game
Through the first two games the Sooners have had a pretty much non-existent passing game ranking 110th in the nation with an average of 122 yards per game. Many will attribute this to Trevor Knight’s inaccuracy at this point in his career. Knight will not be under center this game as he was injured last week. To the delight of many Sooner fans Blake Bell will be starting this week, and we will finally get to see if the Belldozer can throw as well as he can run. Last week Josh Heupel called just one pass after Knight was pulled and was a simple screen pass.
The offense needs to focus on getting the ball to Jalen Saunders as he was the most efficient receiver last year and has continued to be the most targeted this season. His ability to make plays in space could provide big plays and give a young quarterback confidence in the passing game. Also allowing the quarterback to take part in the run game could improve his confidence and help the passing game. There is a saying that a tight end is a quarterback’s best friend currently Oklahoma does not play any actual time and significant amount of time. A remedy for that could be to use Trey Millard at tight end.
Even though the passing game may not have to prominent to win this game it will be imperative to develop now, so the offense has more confidence in the coming weeks.