By John Shinn
Transcript Sports Writer
Paul Thompson had his chance against Texas Christian. Now, it’s Rhett Bomar’s turn.
Monday, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops announced Bomar will be the starting quarterback when OU faces Tulsa at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Owen Field. The statement came after the Sooners’ first practice since Saturday’s 17-10 loss to the Horned Frogs.
“We’re going to give Rhett Bomar a chance to start and see where he takes it,” Stoops said.
“By no means am I sitting here saying that Paul Thompson is responsible for the way we played Saturday. That’s not the case. We had a lot of guys, mostly older guys, play as poorly as I have seen them play. We feel Rhett deserves an opportunity.”
Thompson was under center for most of the TCU game and OU’s offense struggled. Thompson was 11-for-25 on his passing attempts.
He also threw an interception and had two fumbles.
Offensive coordinator Chuck Long said the decision wasn’t based strictly on Thompson’s play.
The coaching staff entered the game planning to play Bomar, a redshirt freshman, more. He played late in the second quarter and early in the fourth. But was under center for only 11 plays.
“He was very limited in the game and we felt like he deserves a better chance,” Long said. “So, we’re going to start him in this game and go from there. We’ll keep it open-ended and see what happens in the football game.”
The reactions of the quarterbacks was very similar to Aug. 25, when OU announced Thompson would be the starter.
Bomar, who completed 2-of-5 passes against TCU, was elated to get his chance to run the offense.
“This is the kind of opportunity I’ve been working for my whole life,” Bomar said. “I thought I could have played better, but I think I did all right as a whole. You need a continued number of reps to really get into a rhythm. This will be my first time to get significant playing time.”
Thompson was disappointed he will have to spend some time on the bench.
“We have to go with the decision that’s been made and they’re going to give him a shot,” Thompson said. “I definitely want to get back out there and do what they expect me to do.”
The quarterback competition is far from over.
Both were neck-and-neck for the starting job throughout the preseason. Production in games was the unknown factor.
Stoops said the coaching staff still doesn’t know what Bomar can do under the gun.
That was the biggest reason for shuffling the quarterbacks.
“He only threw five balls and didn’t have nearly the number of snaps in preparation coming into the game,” Stoops said.
“He’s had the fewest number of snaps overall when you look at his time here, and he’s been that close all along. We feel like if he gets more snaps maybe he can do something with it. We’ll see.”
If Bomar plays well, it could bring to an end the quarterback question OU has been trying to answer since March.
However, Thompson thinks he will get another opportunity, and, more importantly, so does the offensive coordinator.
“It’s nothing against Paul,” Long said. “We’re going to need Paul.
“Paul’s worked extremely hard and has shown excellent play in practice and in scrimmages. Paul will probably get that opportunity at another time.”
But that will come at a later date. This Saturday is going to be Bomar’s chance to show what he can do.
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
