Oklahoma football: Balance is Sooners’ success factor on offense
By Chip Rouse
Quarterbacks — four different starters in as many seasons — have commanded the Oklahoma football headlines in Lincoln Riley’s three seasons as head coach of the perennial Big 12 champions.
That is a big reason — but far from the sole reason – the Sooners’ offensive numbers have been among the very best in college football since Riley arrived in Norman. OU’s success on offense can be summed up in a single word, and it’s not quarterback. Not by itself, anyway.
Balance is the key to the Sooners’ offensive success. All four position groups that make up the Oklahoma offensive unit feature players laden with all-conference talent. And the great thing, from Oklahoma’s perspective is this isn’t just a one- or two-year phenomenon.
It’s not rebuild at OU; it’s next man up and reload. And the Sooners have been fortunate to be able to recruit well based on their historical record and tradition, which keeps the talent pipeline flowing and builds depth.
The story of the last three Oklahoma quarterbacks has been well documented — two Heisman winners and a Heisman runner-up in each of the last three seasons. All three put up remarkable numbers, but their ability and opportunity to do so was as much a function of the talented offensive weapons they had around and in front of them as anything else. That’s not to say that any quarterback could succeed surrounded with the plethora of offensive talent that the Sooners are blessed with, but rather that it is a whole lot easier when it is that way.
According to several college football preview magazines, the Sooners rank in the top three in the Big 12 in the coming season as well as the top-10 nationally at quarterback, running back, receivers and in the offensive line.
Balance is what makes Oklahoma football such a powerhouse on offense.
Three Big 12 quarterbacks — Sam Ehlingler of Texas, Brock Purdy of Iowa State and OU’s Spencer Rattler — are among the top-10 quarterbacks in the country in 2020, according to Athlon Sports. And Rattler, a redshirt freshman, is a first-time starter who has thrown just 11 passes in his collegiate career.
Despite starting the 2020 season with their fourth different starter at quarterback in the last four seasons, Athlon ranks the Sooners sixth nationally at the quarterback position, which is as much a credit to Riley’s incredible success developing Heisman-quality quarterbacks and recruiting the No. 1 overall quarterback prospect in two of the last three recruiting cycles.
Athlon ranked the Sooners as having the 10th best running back group in college football entering the 2020 season, the OU receiving corps as the eighth best and the offensive line, anchored by preseason All-American candidate Creed Humphrey, as the nation’s third best.
The Big 12 Preseason Media Poll, released on Friday, picked Oklahoma as the favorite to win the conference for a sixth consecutive season, largely on the basis of the Sooners’ juggernaut-like offense. As long as Riley is pulling the strings for the offense, Sooner fans can expect a Sooner team that is going to advance the ball employing a balance of running the ball and spreading the field for an aerial attack.
The Sooners have little problems creating scoring opportunities and putting points on the board. The defense remains a work in progress, but if we continue to see improvement like what was seen last season under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, that same balance will soon be in place on defense.
When — not if — that happens, the Oklahoma defense will no longer be considered a liability. The ability to play complementary football is what is going to get the Sooners’ beyond just ringing up another conference crown and getting to the College Football Playoff.
Next. The Mount Rushmore of all-time Sooner quarterbacks. dark
They’ve shown they can do that just by outscoring their opponents. The goal now is to get beyond that first Playoff game and in position to have a real shot at an eighth national championship.