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Make-or-break position battle: Oklahoma QBs


Baker Mayfield has shown the most accurate arm of Oklahoma's quarterbacks

This week we're highlighting the make-or-break position battles for every program in the Big 12. We continue the series with the Oklahoma quarterback battle:

Contenders: Junior Trevor Knight, junior Baker Mayfield, sophomore Cody Thomas.

What happened last season: Coming off a scintillating showing in the Sugar Bowl win against Alabama, Knight entered last season with massive expectations. Instead, he tossed three pick-six interceptions (and a fourth that was returned to the 1-yard line), leading to a disappointing 8-5 record for a program that had playoff aspirations.

After Knight suffered a scary neck injury against Baylor, Thomas took over, but to mixed results. He rushed for 103 yards on eight carries in a 42-30 win at Texas Tech. But he completed just 45.5 percent of his throws, which ranked last among the 26 Big 12 quarterbacks who attempted a pass last season.

Mayfield sat out the season after the Sooners were unable to get Texas Tech to waive its in-conference transfer policy.

What they offer: All three quarterbacks bring some level of mobility. Despite his struggles last season, Knight has tremendous athleticism and dual-threat potential. His decision-making in key moments was poor last season, but his talent has never been questioned.

Thomas has a strong arm, even though he has struggled with his accuracy. He also showed a knack for operating the zone-read, though it’s unclear how much the Sooners will run that in Lincoln Riley’s air raid offense.

Mayfield has shown the most accurate arm of the three, completing 64.1 percent of his passes while earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors as a walk-on at Texas Tech.

Prediction: This competition appears to have tightened since the spring, when Mayfield appeared to have the clear edge. But even though Knight and Thomas have closed the gap, Mayfield gets the nod when the Sooners take the field against Akron.