Top Five Oklahoma Sooners Quarterbacks of the BCS Era
By Joe Buettner
Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Trevor Knight (9) scrambles against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Honorable Mention
I couldn’t NOT mention these guys. There’s a somewhat large pool to choose from, but these guys were great.
- Paul Thompson (2006) — Thompson appeared to be the starter heading in to the 2005 season, but a season opening loss to TCU forced Oklahoma to go in a different direction. Thompson received a second chance in 2006. While the season ended with a Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State that no one will ever let Oklahoma live down, Thompson led the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, in a classic game between the two fabled schools. PT finished the 2006 season with 2,667 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and ran the ball a bit.
- Blake Bell (2011-2013) — While he won’t be “the man” in 2014, Bell was an integral part OU’s success in the early 2010’s with his famous “Belldozer” package. While Oklahoma had one of its elite passers under center, OU hit some road blocks with punching the ball in the end zone. And while quarterbacks are generally defined by their passing ability, there’s no questioning Bell, as a backup, provided OU with a lot of help in his time as a short-yardage quarterback, as well as helping Oklahoma break its long curse against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their 2013 meeting.
- Trevor Knight (2013) — While Knight’s story is still not finished in Norman, he helped Oklahoma capture a monumental Sugar Bowl victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. The win completed Oklahoma’s collection of all four BCS Bowl trophies.