No pressure

Thompson OU's calming influence

John Shinn

When Oklahoma’s offense takes the field Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, the noise will be deafening. It will be enough to make some teams crack.

But it’s a situation the 13th-ranked Sooners have faced before. Odds are it won’t be any louder than it was in September at Oregon or earlier this month at Texas A&M.

They handled those circumstances quite well and one of the big reasons is quarterback Paul Thompson.

He’s been a steadying force when the Sooners have sailed into rough seas.

“Him just being so confident with everything going on in the huddle in environments like that,” wide receiver Malcolm Kelly said. “It makes it easy for the offense to keep up. He knows when to be cool with us or tell us to man up. He does say the right stuff at the right time.”

Some would call those odd statements, considering the fifth-year senior’s statistics don’t even put him in the upper echelon of Big 12 quarterbacks. Thompson is seventh in the Big 12 in passing yards at 190.2 a game. His 17 touchdown passes place him in the bottom of the pack among starting quarterbacks.

But quarterbacks aren’t strictly judged on passing yards and touchdown passes. Wins and losses are the numbers by which they are assessed.

OU enters Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State at 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12. The record says something about Thompson’s ability to handle pressure.

Staying away from the bad plays is the reason OU has a rightful claim to a win at Oregon and was able to leave Texas A&M victorious.

Thompson didn’t throw for over 200 yards in either game and only threw one touchdown pass. But he didn’t throw an interception either.

“He understands it’s nice to make plays, but you can’t do things that are foolish,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. “That’s the best thing he’s done.

“A lot of guys, when they get in games and the lights are on and everything is moving so fast, they don’t do that. It’s nice to see him keep that composure.”

There’s a lot more to playing quarterback than running the play that’s called. The good ones are also intelligent enough to audible out of doomed plays. They’re able to size up a defense in less time than it takes to answer a phone. They’re even adept at playing psychologist when the confidence of those around them is sinking.

“Getting guys to relax is the main thing,” Thompson said. “I’m a real relaxed guy. I think how I carry myself filters down to everyone else. If they see me relaxed, they’ll be more likely to relax.

“Even going up to the line of scrimmage, I might say something to try and get the guys to relax a little bit. That’s the main thing.”

Odds are there will be a few occasions when the adrenaline gets pumping a little too fast Saturday and mistakes will follow. That’s when the signs of panic start to show.

But if the past is any indication, Thompson’s expression won’t change whether the Sooners are up by four touchdowns or trailing.

“He’s very calming,” tight end Joe Jon Finley said. “When he gets in the huddle, you see he has tons of confidence. At times, he’ll jump on us. Other times, he says something to keep us relaxed. He knows what we need at anytime.”