Oklahoma football: Ranking every Sooners’ starting QB since 1999
By Aaron Gelvin
No. 10 — Blake Bell
Eight starts in 2013
Blake Bell’s career in Norman took about every twist and turn it could have. At 6-foot, 6 inches and at least 250 pounds, he ran the “Bulldozer” package for the second half of the 2011 season and the entire 2012 season as a backup behind Landry Jones. Bell was a first down and touchdown machine in this short-yardage package that instantly made him a fan favorite in Sooner Nation.
He had four touchdowns against both Baylor and Iowa in 2011, and was named the MVP of the Insight Bowl victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. He ripped off another four TD runs against Texas in 2012 and ran for a touchdown with four seconds left against Oklahoma State in the 2012 edition of Bedlam to send the game to overtime.
With Jones gone, Bell lost the starting job to Trevor Knight to begin the 2013 season but replaced him in just the second game of the year. Bell would start OU’s next eight games before a concussion against Iowa State knocked him out of action. Two weeks later, Bell found himself as the third-string quarterback against Oklahoma State. But Bell is the OSU killer, and found himself inserted into the game in the third quarter. He led a beautiful drive to win the game and his touchdown pass to Jalen Saunders snatched a Sooner win from the clutches of defeat.
Knight started the Sugar Bowl game against Alabama, and his performance that night led to a position switch for Bell. As a tight end, Bell played well enough to get drafted to the NFL, and has played most of his best seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, participating in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season.
Bell’s clutchness, and his ability to do whatever was needed land him above quarterbacks with more starts on this list.