NEW ORLEANS—The Oklahoma Sooners are preparing for the Sugar Bowl without knowing who will be under center against the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide.
Redshirt junior Blake Bell and redshirt freshman Trevor Knight have both seen the field this season and have battled on the practice field for the starting job at quarterback.
Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said it’s been that way all year.
“Our kids continue to push and find out who is going to practice the best, that typically tells you who is going to play the best,” Heupel said. “So when we get towards the end of the week that’s when we’ll know who our guy’s going to be.”
Bell has played in 11 games for the Sooners this season, starting in eight contests. He’s more of a pocket passer than Knight, and it showed as Bell threw for 1,648 yards, 12 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Knight, on the other hand, is more of a dual-threat quarterback. He has thrown for 471 yards and rushed for 438.
But both signal callers insist there is not bad blood between the two.
“We have a great relationship. We room on the road together,” Bell said. “We look at it as a family deal, and we’re all just excited to play with each other.”
Knight echoed Bell’s thoughts, saying the competition motivates both players.
“When it all boils down to it, there’s two ways you can go: You can either butt heads or you can bring each other together and make each other better. I felt like we’ve done that all year,” Knight said. “When the other guy’s going, just be supportive and know what’s best for the team. But it also makes you push yourself because you want to be the guy, so it makes you work a little bit harder.”
To some teams, a two quarterback offense is hard to defend. But junior defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan said Alabama always studies the No. 2 guy.
This week, however, they will be aware of three quarterbacks, with redshirt sophomore Kendal Thompson appearing in two games this season.
“Every game we prepare for two quarterbacks because you never know who’s going to play,” Pagan said. “You never know if there’s an injury or anything like that so we always prepare for both.”
Bell and Knight pose different threats for the Crimson Tide defense, but senior linebacker C.J. Mosley said the defense’s game plan will be to limit both players in their respective areas of expertise.
“It just comes down to containing the quarterback,” Mosley said. “You have one that’s a pocket passer so you know when he’s in the game your mindset kind of changes to how you’re going to rush him. But once the scrambler gets in, he can make plays. He’s pretty athletic.
“You’ve just got to know which one’s in and how to play them.”
