Tulsa World: Backup QB Halzle no one-hit wonder

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Backup QB Halzle no one-hit wonder
He still impresses coaches and teammates.

RELIEF WORK
Joey Halzle: Threw two touchdown passes against Texas Tech.

By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 8/21/2008 2:17 AM
Last Modified: 8/21/2008 3:57 AM

He still impresses coaches and teammates.

NORMAN — Brody Eldridge was the first to offer comfort. The Oklahoma tight end approached quarterback Joey Halzle at Halzle's locker after the Sooners' 34-27 defeat at Texas Tech last Nov. 17, gave him a hug and said, "You played your butt off out there for us. Don't hang your head. We respect what you just did."

What he had done was replace Sam Bradford after the OU starter had been knocked from the game in the first quarter, and complete 21-of-41 passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Similar solace from coaches and other teammates followed Eldridge's. And then there was the message delivered by the VIP practice visitor later the following week.

"Coach (Bob) Stoops came up to me and told me President (David) Boren wanted to say something to me," Halzle said. "He said he was proud of me, the way I came in and kept fighting."

There are times when even the worst defeats become victories, moral and otherwise. Listen to what Halzle's coaches say as the backup prepares for another season of just-in-case-Bradford-goes-down.

Josh Heupel, the Sooners' quarterback coach: "His feet are a lot better. He's better at getting his body in position to be more accurate with the football. He's very confident in what we're doing and where he needs to go with the football."

Kevin Wilson, OU's offensive coordinator: "I think he's more confident, more assertive."

Stoops: "He's much further along."

Halzle's development stems from a committed offseason regimen that added muscle, quickness and endurance. That offseason, in turn, stemmed from the despair of Nov. 17, the night OU's national championship dreams drifted from Jones SBC Stadium.

"It hurt, knowing we were so close to achieving what we wanted to with our season," Halzle said. "You always say you would like to have done more. I couldn't tell you exactly what that is, but just done more to get a victory. But I just didn't come through.

"So I worked even harder in the offseason to make sure if the situation happens again, I'll be ready to go."

In the meantime, Halzle remains the only Sooner to declare he "didn't come through."

"I remember telling him, 'Listen, I thought you did a heck of a job, for the circumstances,' " Stoops said. "It sure wasn't on him. There were a whole bunch of other factors in the game that, to me, were the reason we lost, much more than he was."

Wilson echoed Stoops' sentiment.

"We came out with very little blocking and very little help. Our run game got shoved in a box. Our protection wasn't real good," Wilson said. "There wasn't a lot going positive there for a while, but he settled down and gave us a chance."

Halzle went 13-of-22 for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, when OU rallied from a 34-13 deficit. An admirable effort, particularly given the fact he had thrown nine passes in his team's 10 games coming in and spent nearly all his practice time watching Bradford get much-needed experience and reps.

It was something that his teammates picked up on immediately, even ones who had trouble remembering what had happened that night.

"The day after the game, I texted Sam to see how he was feeling," Halzle said. "He texted back, 'I heard you came in and played really well last night.' "

In the days that followed, Bradford got better and Halzle returned to his low profile. He went back to making the most of the few practice snaps he took, threw two more passes over OU's final three games, then set a course for the 2008 season.

"You'd be cheating your team to come in and say, 'Sam's the guy this year. I'm going to come in and put it on cruise control and just get through,' " Halzle said. "Every time I'm in there, I play as hard as I can."

Just like Nov. 17, a fact that isn't lost on any Sooner.

"Every player wants to be a starter and have personal success and all that," Wilson said. "As much as anything, though, Joey knows among coaches and players there are a lot of people that think highly of him."

Stoops added: "We all respect the heck out of Joey. It's not an easy situation."

Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer

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