The Oklahoma Legacy: Reliving the 2000s (Part Two)
2013 (11-2, 7-2; won Sugar Bowl)
Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Trevor Knight (9) celebrates a touchdown 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
It was the lowest Oklahoma had ever been ranked at the beginning of a season since 1999. The Sooners were #16 at the beginning of their 2013 campaign. With an inexperienced defense and a quarterback who had never started a game before, it was with good reason.
For the first time since Sam Bradford got the job, OU had a quarterback controversy. Would it be Blake Bell, the hero of Bedlam and multiple other games? Or would it be redshirt freshman Trevor Knight, of San Antonio, Texas? Or maybe even Kendal Thompson?
Ultimately, Bob Stoops picked Trevor Knight to start against Louisiana-Monroe in the home opener. After a 34-0 win, Knight seemed like the right choice. But in a close 16-7 win over West Virginia, Knight threw two interceptions, which made some start to question Stoops’ decision.
Due to a Knight injury, Blake Bell got the call for the Tulsa game, and threw for four touchdown passes. This made many believe Bell was the guy in Norman. After a 35-21 win over Notre Dame in South Bend, Oklahoma’s second ever win in the series, Bell’s spot seemed secure.
The team then pulled out a 20-17 win over TCU to start the season 5-0. Going into the Red River Rivalry, many were picking Oklahoma to run away with it like the past two seasons. That wasn’t the case, as Texas shocked the Sooners, 36-20.
OU bounced back with a 34-19 win over Kansas, and then ended Texas Tech’s perfect season with a 38-30 victory, despite a rain delay. It seemed like OU was back and rolling. Until the next week when Baylor absolutely routed the Sooners on a Thursday night. Bell had a very disappointing performance, which made Sooners fans start clamoring for another QB, possibly Kendal Thompson.
In a 48-10 win over Iowa State, Knight, Bell, and Thompson all got snaps. The win tied Bob Stoops with Barry Switzer on OU’s all-time wins list. Trevor Knight got the call in the next game against Kansas State, and delivered with a solid performance to lead Oklahoma to victory.
Going into the Bedlam game, OU had a shot at making a BCS Bowl game with a win. They came through, using a late game drive to win it 33-24. Blake Bell became the Bedlam hero the second year in a row hitting Jalen Saunders in the back of the end zone.
Oklahoma received the BCS bid over Oregon and would face Alabama. Most of the media felt Oklahoma didn’t belong on the same field with the Crimson Tide, but the Sooners would prove them wrong. Stoops would give Trevor Knight the start and he took advantage. Knight threw for four touchdowns, completing 32-of-44 passes and 164.4 QB rating. Oklahoma would dominate the Sugar Bowl and silenced the critics, 45-31.
Bob Stoops became the only coach to win all four BCS Bowls and the national championship. It was a sugar sweet victory for Oklahoma, in desperate need of a big win to reclaim their place as college football’s elite.
2014 (To Be Determined)
2000-2014 was a great decade and a half to be a Sooners fan. The team won a national championship, appeared in four national championship games, had two Heisman winners, won every BCS Bowl game, had the most wins, and had the best BCS winning percentage.
Thank you all for reading our Legacy Series, which will only be continued to be written with Oklahoma’s football program alive and well.