OU has what seems to be four partial solutions, but nobody has stuck out as THE solution. Based on what you've seen and know, who would you start and why?
You're the OC. Which QB do you start?
- Thread starter Medic007
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Plano, thinking the same thing about Hansen. Would be great if he came out of nowhere like Bradford did and take the helm and run with it. He's the only unknown. Just don't have a good feeling about Baker, Cody and Trevor (especially the latter two) being the leaders necessary when the game is on the line.
I'm just basing that on the very brief look we got at the spring game. I'm not sure that the OC wasn't fooling with us, and told each quarterback to throw it deep in a couple of specific plays, no matter what, just to see arm strength or if the receivers would make a play in traffic. But if that wasn't it, then there was absolutely no excuse for a couple of very bad decisions to throw. Especially Mayfield.
I don't think you base your QB decision on a handful of plays in a meaningless Spring game scrimmage. You base it on his body of work with the greatest emphasis on what he does Fall practice, not on the Spring game. Hansen may earn the starting job, but based on what we know at the moment my guess is it will be Mayfield. I won't be surprised if it is one of the other three. Riley will be more concerned with accuracy and ability to read the defense and find open WRs than anything else.
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I don't have anything to go by except just a gut feeling as well, but I also think Hansen may be a sleeper and end of playing next year more than the others. I'm not for one over the others so I'm going to root for the guy that Riley selects.
I'm with Bama on this one. Not much to go on except for my gut feeling, but Hansen seems to have played the best in the two Spring games I saw. Of course we all have seen Trevor and Cody, and Mayfield just looked like he plays out of control at times, so Hansen would get my vote at this point.
I would start the quarterback who has shown himself better than the others a day or two before the opening game. No way for me to speculate until then. Deep down, I would like to see Hansen emerge as the starter as he has the potential....plus he's an Oklahoman, as Bradford and White were.
I couldn't agree more. But I haven't seen him do much, so what I have seen is all I can reference. Mayfield's two pics were horrible decisions, and he's supposed to be the guy with the most experience in the offense.
But there is another factor in this. Even the coaches don't get to see, which I think is the most important factor in evaluating a quarterback in a passing offense. Some guys can throw it really pretty in practice and scrimmages when nobody is allowed to hit them. And then the rush is real in a game and they don't protect the ball like they should, and they are affected by the possibility of being hit.
I know that few college coaches do it, because of the injury factor. But I think that in the spring game, I'd give everybody eight to ten live real plays and make at least half of them, real pass plays. If they get hit, three or four times, then we live with the small possibility of injury. Like we have for everyone else.
I would not do that with an obvious returning starter. You've already seen him in those circumstances. But you get fooled by a quarterback unless at least a little of it is live. And I think it negatively affects quarterback play, when they know that a touch means they're down. If they can avoid the sack and run with it, or buy time, it's different when they know they have the time to make a real play. They don't have the time playing touch football.
I know it's a different world. But when you're playing option football, as we did in my days at OU, the quarterbacks were pretty close to live most scrimmage snaps. How else could you tell if they could run the wishbone?
If Knight's experience finally pays off with his running and he can stay healthy, then OU can do what TCU does in spades, save OU don't have the WR talent like TCU does beyond Shephard. Can't start at TT, won't start at OU. Saw kid in HS and there are reason's why no D1 school wanted him. Drew Brees ran the wing-T and that is why he is great. His HS HC was a great coach. Foles ran the same offense at Westlake, just with more spread, but it was also a wing-T.
Hansen is a lot more of a running threat than Mayfield. Mayfield is only a slightly bigger running threat than Mike Stoops.
I say if it's a close race between them all, then go with Thomas or Hansen. Take the licks in breaking in a green QB and build for the future. It may make for a less than spectacular season in 2015, but can pay off HUGE in 2016 with a year under his belt as the starter and building a connection with his WRs.
Well...what "experience" are you leaning on? He has had flashes here and there, but seriously if the Sugar Bowl win hadn't of happened, what has he shown in 2 seasons that he can bring anything to the table that a younger QB couldn't bring?
Now who knows...under Riley we could see a vastly different Knight come out this year. But same could be said for all the QBs on campus.
I agree barkingwater. Experience will likely count for something in the big guy's eyes. Hopefully Riley can provide some good coaching and help Knight make better decisions. Hopefully having a better WR coach will translate to better receiver play which will definitely help.
Outside of the Sugar Bowl, the "Knight Experience" hasn't been working all that well for OU. If what we have seen the past 2 seasons is the best he can bring to the field, then I prefer to give the ball to one of the young hotshots and let them go ahead and have their "rookie season" of growing pains to set up for far better QB play in 2016 and beyond. Now if Knight makes huge strides under Riley, then I'm all for letting him keep the starting spot. But if we have seen the peak of Knights abilities, then what does OU have to lose by just letting one of the younger kids play?
Knight reminds me of Rhett Bomar thus far. Good potential, but disappointing, below average stats, undisciplined. I'm probably not being fair to Bomar since he played only his RS freshman season, but he only threw for a couple thousand yards and his TDs and interceptions were about equal. Knight has had more opportunity than Rhett, but just hasn't shown any consistency. Bomar doesn't come close of being the good citizen and team player that Knight appears to be. I like Trevor and would love to see him succeed, but I have my doubts.
In all fairness, while Knight did not perform as expected in 2014, I believe much of that had to do with the absence of players like Saunders, Bester and Clay. All were the difference in beating Alabama. Not even Robert Woods, who had a great clutch catch against Alabama, was available. The new crop of receivers never were much of a factor last year and Neal has yet to fulfill expectations....plus K J Young is no longer on the team.
My belief is that whoever starts will be only as good as the receiving corps will allow him to be.....and right now, given the inexperience beyond Shepard, Quick and Neal.....that's a possible problem area. And who's to say if Shepard is ready to go both physically and mentally ?
CT, I agree that last year's receiving corp was lacking but that didn't have anything to do with Trevor's poor decisions.....unless the receivers weren't running the route properly. Some of his throws were just gawd awful. But to your point, all those guys you mentioned made some great catches against Alabama. They did a lot to make Trevor look really good.
Well, yeah, Oklabama....that's what I said, stating that Knight's shaky performance....COMBINED with a lackluster receiving corps that lost Shepard for almost half the season...really hurt.
So many things ganged up on this team last season with suspensions, injuries, poor play calling and lack of depth....but Knight seems to be the most convenient scapegoat.
Soonersincefitty
Sooner starter
Yep, Trevor probably got a little too much credit for Sugar Bowl/Bama.
His throws there were money, but you do have to have sticky hands to haul the mail.
Turns out it was the perfect storm for him to be maligned of late.
As far as the OP, I've got nothing.
His throws there were money, but you do have to have sticky hands to haul the mail.
Turns out it was the perfect storm for him to be maligned of late.
As far as the OP, I've got nothing.
You're right CT. The QB is only as good as the guys he has to throw to. Those guys made some really great catches for Knight that made him really look great. But even during the regular season in 2013 with those same players Knight never looked even close to what we saw in the Sugar Bowl. The Sugar Bowl really was just the perfect storm where the stars and planets aligned and everything just clicked perfectly for Knight and the WRs.
I guess we will just have to wait and see how things unfold. A new OC and QB coach can make all the difference in which QB responds and separates himself from the others.
When Knight was good, he was lights out. When he was bad, he was off the charts bad.
Some of you guys are forgetting Iowa State after Blake Bell went down, and KSU in 2013. Both were very good games by Knight. He's had others that were good games as well. His problem is he just wasn't consistent.
Some of you guys are forgetting Iowa State after Blake Bell went down, and KSU in 2013. Both were very good games by Knight. He's had others that were good games as well. His problem is he just wasn't consistent.
There has been a lack of development at the QB position for years. If this OC goes back to the Leach system then all of the QB's will be getting reps and be much more prepared than OUr most recent QB's.
I agree with you. I'm not going to project on OC Riley. However, if you follow his recent body of work at ECU, he took a pedestrian QB and quickly turned him into a very productive QB. While I hate to see Justice leave OU as it leaves us short on QB depth down the road. I'm just not going to get all that excited about the QBs either way as we just need to let it play out. I will be very surprised if we don't see improved QB play, but it might take us till mid-season to actually see it.
Justice moving on was most likely a young guy getting anxious about his future without being willing to let it play out. If Mayfield/Knight stumble, Justice may greatly regret his decision to bolt. Time will tell.
Has there been any quarterback in the Bob Stoops era that has had a really successful D1 career? Many 4* and a couple of 5* QBs have moved on, but I can't recall any that have enjoyed the success that we fans expected them to have at OU when they were recruited. I may be forgetting someone, but I don't think so. Actually, isn't Troy Aikman the only former OU quarterback that did well after transferring? Every time we lose a highly rated player, especially a QB, I mourn so this post is kind of a therapy for me today.
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Keith Nichol was a decent WR and back up QB, yet he never became the starter. He does well as a motivational speaker today I hear...
Blake Bell
Never give up on Blake, BC. LOL Where have you been? I miss your posts.
No computer right now and the new format doesn't seem to compatible with my cell, so its kind of a pain to be to active here.
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