let do it...Knight vs Bell vs Thompson.

[OU_Sooners75]

Limited passing by Thompson. But didn't look too bad. I say all three have rifles for arms.

That said passing between Bell and Knight are about equal.

Running the offense, seeing the reads off zone read. Bell doesn't do a very good job at all. Knight is a lot better. Thompson is also better than Bell, but not enough plays to compare to Knight.

Speed. Knight appears to be the fastest and the most elusive of the three.

Leadership, it seemed the offense as a unit responded better with Knight and Thompson.

Bell led OU to just one first down an 25 yards before exiting the game. With Bell directing the offense they rushed for just 10 yards and passed for 15z

Knight led OU to 34 offensive points. Over 300 yards rushing. And had a demanding control over the offense.

Thompson should have been 2-2 passing if it weren't for a WR stopping his route. He had a couple of good runs and a decent deep ball. Threw for a TD pass to Rip. Led OU to 7 offensive points.

Some other opinions of mine....
The offensive line looked to be a lot better at blocking the zone read than the other crap with bell in. They seemed more like they wanted to block and protect better.

With Knight, if he didn't have his first few reads open, he tucked and run. Made positive yards on first down.

Thompson just hasn't been in a lot to really get a good sense of him, but he looked good from what little he did play.

That being said, if I made the call. I would run the zone read and start Knight.

Bell would be the number 3 QB.

[FirstandGoal]

Okay so I've been clamoring for Thompson all season and happened to be on the way to the airport when it finally happened and missed it. Thanks for the thread 75!!! Can't wait it actually see how he did.

[olevetonahill]

Ive said all along I was Impressed with KT, No way you can judge his performance on one series But He looked good His Passes where Spot on when the receivers were in time with him.
He showed ME he could run and when it comes to the Pass he Makes TK an BB look like Peewee players . JMHO tho.

[olevetonahill]

Okay so I've been clamoring for Thompson all season and happened to be on the way to the airport when it finally happened and missed it. Thanks for the thread 75!!! Can't wait it actually see how he did.

I was Im pressed, he came out Cold off the bench and made a couple Nice runs and threw some dayum Nice spirals

You me an Jed saw it at the spring Game . Others also. so I dont understand why he hasnt gotten Playing time.

[FirstandGoal]

Yup Howard, we got to start watching the game with Bell leading the cluster **** and if we hadn't been bout to leave I might have put money down on us not covering the spread. Who woulda guessed Bob was finally pulled his head outta his *** and play the better QBs?

Ah well, both of us are now anxiously
awaiting HolaKyle video so we can see Kendall in action

[olevetonahill]

Yup Howard, we got to start watching the game with Bell leading the cluster **** and if we hadn't been bout to leave I might have put money down on us not covering the spread. Who woulda guessed Bob was finally pulled his head outta his *** and play the better QBs?

Ah well, both of us are biw anxious joy awaiting HolaKyle video so we can see Kendall in action

Like I said I was Impressed with the Kid.
I think he was 2 fer 4 . One was thrown infront of the receiver and the other was OOBs . One completion was for sompun like 24 yards? and the other was for less than 10 I think for the TD Beautiful Tight spiral right on target.

[EatLeadCommie]

The zone read opens up the entire running game because defenses have to sit back and respect the speed of TK. They don't do that with Bell.

TK wasn't very impressive throwing the ball, but the wind seemed to be a factor. It certainly was on the long balls. When he missed that other one, it was just a bad throw. He threw it low and way behind. I'm guessing he's a bit skittish and not wanting to throw an INT down there and for good reason. He probably didn't want to loft it because of the wind.

KT looked pretty good in limited time against a gassed defense. He looks to have some wheels too. His first pass was a rocket incomplete that looked to be attempting to thread a needle in double coverage. Long pass was good. He was wide open, but with the wind, that one could still be screwy. The TD was nice, and also a good play call. I thought the ball was going to Finch.

[King Crimson]

obviously, that KT is getting some snaps says a lot.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

In my experience in looking at young QBs at OU, there are 2 things that will determine how good they'll be throwing the ball: Quality of pre-snap reads and understanding which type of throw you need to make. Running the ball it is more about decisions and not taking hard hits.

Passing - Pre-Snap Reads -> Thompson then Bell Then Knight. Pre-Snap reads come in 2 flavors -> Structural based on the defense shown and Personnel based on matchups. KT's sample size is really small, but he was a 100% in knowing which guy was structurally going to be open pre-snap. Bell is pretty good this (70%ish). Knight was about 50/50.

Passing - Type of Pass -> Thompson then Knight then Bell -> Once again small sample size, but the correct type of pass was thrown on each of them. Knight tried to lob a couple that should have been rifled which is the #1 problem that Bell has. He lobs way way too much.

Running - Decisions -> Knight then last year's Bell then Thompson then this year's Bell -> This is one of those things where you KNOW he can do it, he just doesn't seem to be able to do it anymore.

Running - Not taking flush hits -> last year's Bell then Thompson then Knight then this year's Bell -> Knight takes a lot of flush shots at the knees. He has to learn how to evade that tackle or he is constantly going to be hurt.

[EatLeadCommie]

obviously, that KT is getting some snaps says a lot.

I think it says that we were up by a buttload of points and Bell was out so KT was the backup.

[SoonerMarkVA]

I think it says that we were up by a buttload of points and Bell was out so KT was the backup.

Sure hope it says more than that. I'd like to see KT in charge of the O for a full game.

[OU_Sooners75]

obviously, that KT is getting some snaps says a lot.

I think it says that we were up by a buttload of points and Bell was out so KT was the backup.

I wonder how much you don't know...like I bet you didn't know it was reported by Mark Rogers that KT received some snaps with the #1 offense this past week.

[King Crimson]

I think it says that we were up by a buttload of points and Bell was out so KT was the backup.

and which part of bob stoops career at Oklahoma is the 3rd string QB getting snaps at home in a blowout game that was tied 10-10 at halftime?

[BoulderSooner79]

I think it says that we were up by a buttload of points and Bell was out so KT was the backup.

Probably. But if Bell is concussed, you never know how long that will linger. So KT may need to be the backup and Knight does tend to take hits.

[EatLeadCommie]

I wonder how much you don't know...like I bet you didn't know it was reported by Mark Rogers that KT received some snaps with the #1 offense this past week.

That's good to hear. He was still the 3rd QB on the field today.

[BoulderSooner79]

I'll take whoever has a prayer of completing some passes. It was great the way the run opened up today, but that was ISU and it won't be enough to win against KSU or OSU without an effective passing game.

[EatLeadCommie]

and which part of bob stoops career at Oklahoma is the 3rd string QB getting snaps at home in a blowout game that was tied 10-10 at halftime?

How many games exactly have there been in his career where the first string QB got knocked out or yanked, the backup came in, and the game became a blowout? I can't think of any. Not when White came in for Hybl or vice versa, not when Bomar came in for PT, not when Halzle came in for Sam, and not when Landry came in for Sam.

[EatLeadCommie]

I'll take whoever has a prayer of completing some passes. It was great the way the run opened up today, but that was ISU and it won't be enough to win against KSU or OSU without an effective passing game.

Yes, and it was clear they hadn't gameplanned much for TK. Still, the offense with TK isn't just 3 and out every damn time, which means we now have a chance in the last two games when I was previously pretty confident we were gonna go 0-2 and struggle against ISU.

[BoulderSooner79]

Yes, and it was clear they hadn't gameplanned much for TK. Still, the offense with TK isn't just 3 and out every damn time, which means we now have a chance in the last two games when I was previously pretty confident we were gonna go 0-2 and struggle against ISU.

Excellent point about ISU not game planning for the TK led run game. Old man Snyder will have his guys ready for it. Also, both those long runs by Williams and Clay should not have gone the distance. Not often plays up the middle to the distance without the RB even being touched even if the blocking is perfect. But if we can have a dangerous running game, we don't need a lot from the pass game - just more than we've been getting.

[westbrooke]

Knight takes a lot of flush shots at the knees. He has to learn how to evade that tackle or he is constantly going to be hurt.

This is what scares me. He doesn't like to slide, and I don't blame him, but he can't seem to avoid taking a hit right at his knees. We're going to need Thompson to be ready to come into a game sooner or later, regardless of whether Knight struggles. Good to see him get to run the offense for a drive today instead of just handing off.

[Eielson]

Let's just make one thing clear. Thompson's long completion was a HORRIBLE throw. We really have nothing to go off of for him.

[BoulderSooner79]

Let's just make one thing clear. Thompson's long completion was a HORRIBLE throw. We really have nothing to go off of for him.

It was a good throw in the fact he didn't over throw a wide open guy. Better to under throw as long as it clears the defender. I suspect TK would have over thrown it by 10 yards. Those really are difficult passes with the wind at the QBs back and are often over thrown. Not bad considering how many snaps that KT had under his belt :)

[nighttrain12]

Sure hope it says more than that. I'd like to see KT in charge of the O for a full game.

It won't happen this season.

[cleller]

I agree that Knight looks like he might get hurt at some point.

Wasn't thinking I'd be impressed with Kendal, but he sure looked good today. Granted, it was against a defeated foe, in just a few plays.

[Eielson]

It was a good throw in the fact he didn't over throw a wide open guy. Better to under throw as long as it clears the defender. I suspect TK would have over thrown it by 10 yards. Those really are difficult passes with the wind at the QBs back and are often over thrown. Not bad considering how many snaps that KT had under his belt :)

The other two might have found a way to miss that throw. I'll give you that, but I think that was an easy touchdown for Sam, Landry, JW, Heupel, etc. He's barely played, so I'm not saying he's hopeless, but we can't really look at KT's drive and draw anything meaningful from it. He had a couple good runs that gave us a new set of downs, but we already knew he could do that.

[Eielson]

I agree that Knight looks like he might get hurt at some point.

Here's what I think is gonna happen next year. You guys remember when Bob's mentor did something unique at the QB position (Klein)? Stoops looked at his team, decided we had even better guy to run that, and we unleashed the Belldozer offense. Take a look at what K-State is doing this year. I haven't watched them much, but looking at their stats, they have a starter (Jake Waters), and then they have a guy who comes in as a runner (Daniel Sams). Despite the struggles K-State has had, they almost beat Baylor and OSU, and Sams' combined performances of over 300 rushing yards was the main reason for that. I think Bob is gonna look at his team again this offseason and see that we've got even better personnel to do that. I know he'll be hesitant to use multiple quarterbacks, but if they're doing it in K-State, I wouldn't put it past us. These last two games will have huge implications on whether or not we implement it.

[SoonerMarkVA]

It won't happen this season.

Maybe not. But that doesn't make it the right choice.

[SanDiegoSoonerGal]

Y'all are overthinking this I think. But what do I know, I'm just a female.

One time back when Pat Riley was coaching the Knicks I heard a radio interview with his wife and she was asked what the Knicks had to do to beat the upcoming opponent. She said quite logically, "Score more points." There was a short silence as the gobsmacked interview guys took that in.

So--whoever can lead this team to score more points. That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

[Eielson]

So--whoever can lead this team to score more points. That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

And that is...?

[SanDiegoSoonerGal]

And that is...?

Whoever is scoring best in any particular game against the opposition's defense. Bell did a great job against some defenses; Knight and today KT performed well against another defense. As far as I know this isn't a Miss America contest with only one winner. The concept that we (or any other team for that matter) have to choose one quarterback and stick with him has never made sense to me.

If you (not you, the generic you) pull out your favorite screwdriver to fix something and it doesn't fit the job, do you just keep trying to force it and force it and force it to work? Or do you pull out a screwdriver more suited to the job at hand so you can get the job done?

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Based on this ISU game, Knight starts.

[olevetonahill]

Let's just make one thing clear. Thompson's long completion was a HORRIBLE throw. We really have nothing to go off of for him.

And you base that statement on WHAT ?

[BoulderSooner79]

It was a good throw in the fact he didn't over throw a wide open guy. Better to under throw as long as it clears the defender. I suspect TK would have over thrown it by 10 yards. Those really are difficult passes with the wind at the QBs back and are often over thrown. Not bad considering how many snaps that KT had under his belt :)


The other two might have found a way to miss that throw. I'll give you that, but I think that was an easy touchdown for Sam, Landry, JW, Heupel, etc. He's barely played, so I'm not saying he's hopeless, but we can't really look at KT's drive and draw anything meaningful from it. He had a couple good runs that gave us a new set of downs, but we already knew he could do that.

I remember a young freshman Sam Bradford having a terrible time on a windy day against ISU. He missed 3 or 4 wide open receivers on go routes due to the wind and ISU almost won that game, but they threw a pick in the endzone on the last play. If Sam would have just thrown a couple of those ugly completions like KT did today, OU wins easily. No, I'm not saying KT turns out like SB - just saying we didn't see much today to tell. We did see Saunders break open on a post route with the wind and TK overthrow badly.

[olevetonahill]

Y'all are overthinking this I think. But what do I know, I'm just a female.

One time back when Pat Riley was coaching the Knicks I heard a radio interview with his wife and she was asked what the Knicks had to do to beat the upcoming opponent. She said quite logically, "Score more points." There was a short silence as the gobsmacked interview guys took that in.

So--whoever can lead this team to score more points. That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

So Profound LOL
I like yer thinkin.

[FlatLander]

If you (not you, the generic you) pull out your favorite screwdriver to fix something and it doesn't fit the job, do you just keep trying to force it and force it and force it to work?

That seems exactly like what the OC has been doing the last few games.

[OUinFLA]

I guess we're lucky to have 3 screwdrivers


............oh, did I miss the point?

[Eielson]

I remember a young freshman Sam Bradford having a terrible time on a windy day against ISU. He missed 3 or 4 wide open receivers on go routes due to the wind and ISU almost won that game, but they threw a pick in the endzone on the last play. If Sam would have just thrown a couple of those ugly completions like KT did today, OU wins easily. No, I'm not saying KT turns out like SB - just saying we didn't see much today to tell. We did see Saunders break open on a post route with the wind and TK overthrow badly.

I agree with what you're saying, and that's the main thing I'm trying to point out.

[Eielson]

And you base that statement on WHAT ?

The fact that it was badly underthrown.

[Okie35]

I'd like to see Knight start or take half the snaps against KSU. We can beat KSU w/ Knight if he uses his legs.

[OU_Sooners75]

Let's just make one thing clear. Thompson's long completion was a HORRIBLE throw. We really have nothing to go off of for him.

That was a decent throw. Not horrible!

It's better to slightly under throw it than throw it too far.

It was definitely something to build on for his first deep ball of his college career.

[Okie35]

That was a decent throw. Not horrible!

It's better to slightly under throw it than throw it too far.

It was definitely something to build on for his first deep ball of his college career.

Yea I don't think it was horrible either. It was underthrown but it still got there. I blame some of this stuff on nervousness. I would've loved to see Thompson in more once he was cleared to play. Knight should've played more against Baylor.

[CatfishSooner]

knight starts against kstate...if he isn't productive then KT comes in

[Soonerus]

Count on it...

[BoulderSooner79]

That was a decent throw. Not horrible!

It's better to slightly under throw it than throw it too far.

It was definitely something to build on for his first deep ball of his college career.

Totally agree! A throw that is a yard short that a guy has to wait for is a decent throw if it clears the defender. A throw that is 1" too far and thus incomplete is a terrible throw even though it looks prettier.

[BoulderSooner79]

knight starts against kstate...if he isn't productive then KT comes in

I wish you were Stoops saying that. :)

[Eielson]

So I rewatched the KT throw. It wasn't as bad as I initially thought. The way Bester turned completely around made me think it was underthrown by about 10 yards. Having said that, it was still underthrown, and by more than just a yard. A good throw would've been a TD, but he did clear the defender, so it worked out, and it's solid for his first time. With about five yards of separation, I think our other guys could make that throw, but they've also shown that they can miss it pretty badly.

[BoulderSooner79]

So I rewatched the KT throw. It wasn't as bad as I initially thought. The way Bester turned completely around made me think it was underthrown by about 10 yards. Having said that, it was still underthrown, and by more than just a yard. A good throw would've been a TD, but he did clear the defender, so it worked out, and it's solid for his first time. With about five yards of separation, I think our other guys could make that throw, but they've also shown that they can miss it pretty badly.

I think you're still discounting the wind factor. Regardless of the result, it was obvious to me KT was trying to take the wind into account and take something off the throw. When TK had a similar situation with Saunders, he just wound up and winged it way too hard and it had no chance. I was also pleased with the way Bester faced the ball and made sure he caught it up high with his hands and didn't worry about YAC. That makes it more likely to draw a PI flag if the DB catches up. Our receivers haven't been doing our QBs any favors like that this year.

[Scott D]

Why do you people hate Cody Thomas?

[dwarthog]

Isn't Cody Thomas red shirted?

[BoulderSooner79]

Why do you people hate Cody Thomas?


Isn't Cody Thomas red shirted?

And if you have ever watched Star Trek, you know what happens to red shirts.

[SoonerMarkVA]

We don't hate Thomas. That's why we don't want his RS wasted on a non-championship year.

[SoonerMachine]

...You me an Jed saw it at the spring Game . Others also. so I dont understand why he hasnt gotten Playing time.

'Cause he got caught passin' a note to Finch in class. ;)

[Scott D]

I don't know why this is a discussion. It's going to be Knight if Bell can't go, and it might be Knight if Bell can go.

[dwarthog]

And if you have ever watched Star Trek, you know what happens to red shirts.

He better lay low and take one step back when they ask for volunteers.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Not sure why all of you are talking about the deep pass as the most important pass to read the QB from..The pass to the TE for the touchdown will tell you a lot more.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

We don't have a read option game with Bell out there. It's a handoff 95% of the time and the D knows it. So if we're a run first team and the pass game is sketchy with any of the three, why are we starting Bell?

[BoulderSooner79]

Not sure why all of you are talking about the deep pass as the most important pass to read the QB from..The pass to the TE for the touchdown will tell you a lot more.

TE for the touchdown... TE for the touchdown. Must be a foreign language - can you translate that?

[OU_Sooners75]

We don't have a read option game with Bell out there. It's a handoff 95% of the time and the D knows it. So if we're a run first team and the pass game is sketchy with any of the three, why are we starting Bell?

My thoughts exactly.

I like Bell as a Sooner. He has stuck through it and never had a bad attitude publicly after being deemed second team. He has been patient and a good team leader.

But he is having a tough time fitting either offense that Heupel puts him in.

His passing game is suspect and really no better than Knight or Thompson. And his running abilities are less than Knight's and Thompson's.

His operation of the zone read is also lesser than the other two guys.

Would he make a good QB within an offense like that of Chuck Long or Kevin Wilson? I would say yes. But more like Nate or Paul did, not Landry or Bradford.

[sooneron]

We don't have a read option game with Bell out there. It's a handoff 95% of the time and the D knows it. So if we're a run first team and the pass game is sketchy with any of the three, why are we starting Bell?
This is partially incorrect. I was thinking the same thing going into Saturday, we weren't throwing enough on 1st.
On our first two possessions we threw the ball on first down 2 out of 3 times.
Heck, when Knight took over, we threw it on first more than I thought we would.
This surprises me (although I was wanting more pass on first heading into the wknd ala mixing it up) because it was obvious with our offense this year, that this team isn't so good when it's 2 & 10 or 3& long.

[Soonerwake]

I think the difference was that when Bell is running zone read, the d-ends and lb's are able to cheat to the hole and not respect his ability to run, especially to the corner. That's one of the reasons that we were able to get large gashes up the middle later in the game. You could see the linebackers taking the outside angle when there was a possibility that Knight held the ball, leaving the middle wide open several times.

[Soonerwake]

I think we have seen that Knight and Thompson are pretty mush 1 and 1A, not a big difference in skillset. Bell just does not have the speed to run the ball. The play Knight made when he ran for the 50+ TD was a great example. He held the ball, had a defender right there, put his foot in the ground and made a cut upfield, and the rest was speed. My opinion is that Bell is tackled for a 2 yard gain on that same play. Thompson is the same type of runner as Knight..

[PalmBeachSooner]

Whoever is scoring best in any particular game against the opposition's defense. Bell did a great job against some defenses; Knight and today KT performed well against another defense. As far as I know this isn't a Miss America contest with only one winner. The concept that we (or any other team for that matter) have to choose one quarterback and stick with him has never made sense to me.

If you (not you, the generic you) pull out your favorite screwdriver to fix something and it doesn't fit the job, do you just keep trying to force it and force it and force it to work? Or do you pull out a screwdriver more suited to the job at hand so you can get the job done?

What you said makes perfect sense but Bob always believes he is employing the right tool for the job. The only time he would opt for another tool is if the first one breaks (ie., Blake's concussion). At least when it comes to the QB position.

RB, on the other hand, is a completely different story. You fart upwind of Bob and you won't see the field for weeks.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I think the difference was that when Bell is running zone read, the d-ends and lb's are able to cheat to the hole and not respect his ability to run, especially to the corner. That's one of the reasons that we were able to get large gashes up the middle later in the game. You could see the linebackers taking the outside angle when there was a possibility that Knight held the ball, leaving the middle wide open several times.

When Knight entered the game, the isu DEs took both shifted outside to take out the QB run..When they did, Williams and Clay both exploited them.

[Pricetag]

Trevor Knight's long touchdown was the first rushing touchdown by a quarterback for OU this season. Who would have thought, given what we were expecting to see on offense when Trevor was named starter, and Blake's performance in the Belldozer the past two years, we wouldn't see a single rushing TD by a quarterback until game ten?

[picasso]

A horrible throw is when you miss a guy wide open.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I think we have seen that Knight and Thompson are pretty mush 1 and 1A, not a big difference in skillset. Bell just does not have the speed to run the ball. The play Knight made when he ran for the 50+ TD was a great example. He held the ball, had a defender right there, put his foot in the ground and made a cut upfield, and the rest was speed. My opinion is that Bell is tackled for a 2 yard gain on that same play. Thompson is the same type of runner as Knight..

They aren't the same type of runner at all.

Thompson is a slower version of his dad. He tends to hop around hits and dive forward for yards with the guy draped on his lower legs. Personally I feel that is a very important ability since he doesn't take any hard hits that would affect his ability to throw.

Knight is faster and more elusive but he doesn't have any feel for dodging hits. When he takes a hard shot to the legs it messes up his throwing mechanics and he starts airmailing everything. Humorously, he also has a little of the most unnerving ability I've every experienced playing. The ability to cause defenders to jump with a pump fake regardless of where they are on the field. He did it on one run and one of the ISU defenders left his feet (the other tackled him). Tink Collins used to do that crap 40 yards downfield and people would still jump.

[Eielson]

When Knight entered the game, the isu DEs took both shifted outside to take out the QB run..When they did, Williams and Clay both exploited them.

It looked like he took out the LB outside, too.

[Soonerjeepman]

I just hope TK starts against ksu.

[ddub0224]

Trevor Knight's long touchdown was the first rushing touchdown by a quarterback for OU this season. Who would have thought, given what we were expecting to see on offense when Trevor was named starter, and Blake's performance in the Belldozer the past two years, we wouldn't see a single rushing TD by a quarterback until game ten?

That is crazy!