Rapid thoughts following Oklahoma’s 16-7 victory over West Virginia on Saturday night ...
1) A quarterback competition ... again. Bob Stoops looked prepared for the question when he entered the Adrian Peterson meeting room following the Big 12 opener.
Is the quarterback competition fired up once again now that Blake Bell came on in relief of an ineffective Trevor Knight in the fourth quarter?
“(The quarterback situation) will be something we discuss, obviously, with the way we finished the game,” Stoops said. “That’s a factor now, so I’m not going to detail it here right after the game. That will be something as coaches that we need to talk through.”
So, reading between the lines, it looks like the position is up for grabs again.
Knight struggled again with his passing game (10-of-20 for 119 yards), but it was his turnovers that hurt the most. He had two interceptions (one in the end zone, another inside the West Virginia 20) and a fumble (but, to be fair, it came off heavy pressure on a sack.)
The Sooners’ second-half possessions went punt-interception-interception-punt-punt before Bell entered the game.
Bell directed two drives, the first ending with a 32-yard field goal and the other with a 35-yard field goal attempt that was missed.
The wildcard in all of this: Kendal Thompson. The redshirt sophomore, who suffered a broken foot on the first day of practice, could be back by the Notre Dame game according to Stoops. He could play a factor later on this season.
So who starts against Tulsa next week? I’m leaning towards Bell right now.
2) Dominant ClayBrennan Clay had six runs covering 14 yards or more and had a 23-yard dash wiped out by a penalty. The senior ended with a career-high 170 yards which is the most by an Oklahoma running back since Demarco Murray went for 208 yards in the 2010 season opener against Utah State.
Clay, who has always been a steady running back, exploded late last season. He had a 157-yard rushing game at Iowa State, scored two touchdowns against Baylor, an important key kickoff return in last year’s West Virginia victory and a game-winning 18-yard touchdown run in overtime against Oklahoma State.
Lost in Clay’s heroics: Damien Williams rushed for 95 yards, He was five yards shy of giving the Sooners two 100-yard rushers for first time since 2008. Oklahoma also rushed for 316 yards, the first time since 1997 it has had back-to-back 300-plus rushing games.
The running game is carrying the Sooners this season. But that will have to change. They need to be able to throw the ball.
3) Getting the stopsOn another hot, humid night, the Oklahoma defense forced turnovers and made stops at critical times.
The Sooners ended with three fumble recoveries against West Virginia, equaling their total from all of 2012. Gabe Lynn, who had a fumble recovery, also added an interception for Oklahoma.
OU has only allowed seven points this season after a season-opening shutout against Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks captured a 48-10 over Grambling State on Saturday night.
The Sooners did give up more yards this week (387 yards, an average of six yards per snap), including 74 on the Mountaineers’ final possession.
Oklahoma’s defense has been solid on third down. Louisiana-Monroe (2-for-16) and West Virginia (3-of-13) were a combined 5-of-29 through the first two weeks.
Oklahoma also proved it can play with its leader Aaron Colvin, who left the game with what looked like a concussion in the third quarter.
Do things get tougher when Tulsa visits on Saturday? It’s hard to say.
The Golden Hurricane has a veteran team, but appears to still be finding its offensive identity.
Late hits ...* The Sooners’ point total in the 16-7 win is the lowest in a home win since a 14-10 triumph over Kansas in 1967 ...
* Oklahoma’s next four opponents — Tulsa, Notre Dame, Texas and TCU — already have a loss this season though the first two weeks.
* Quentin Hays led the Sooners with eight tackles, including a forced fumble. Corey Nelson had seven stops and Zack Sanchez added six.
Up next ...* Tulsa at Oklahoma, 11 a.m., Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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