John Shinn
Oklahoma has been in preseason workouts for over a week and it could be time to make a cut.
No one is going home. But the three-way race between Joey Halzle, Sam Bradford and Keith Nichol to become the Sooners’ starting quarterback could be sliced to two after today’s 11 a.m. scrimmage at Owen Field.
Neither OU coach Bob Stoops nor offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said a timetable is in place for the decision. But there’s no doubt Wilson would like to see at least one of the quarterbacks separate from the pack soon.
“Right now we’re preparing for practice, practicing and having meetings and we’re not having those personnel (discussions),” he said. “We’re just letting them play and play out. But maybe after the scrimmage Saturday we can have a timeline or maybe we’ll have something by then where we can have a realistic timeline.”
Today’s scrimmage will be an early audition for the three. It will be their first performances in front of a crowd since the Red/White game in the spring.
None of the three distinguished himself to the point of being named the starter last time they were on Owen Field. The first week of practice has kept to that form.
The reps have been split equally between the three. Quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel said he’s been pleased with all three.
“They obviously pushed and worked hard this summer,” he said. “I’ve been pleased with the way they played and continued to push here and battle for the position.”
But there’s only so much practice time. There comes a time when more reps have to go to someone.
“We get out there and we are getting about 50 snaps and you divide that by three and you’re at 17 or 18 snaps apiece. That’s not enough,” Wilson said.
One of the reasons Paul Thompson was able to regain his quarterback form last season was the crash course he went through in August.
He was named the starter on the first day of practice and the overwhelming majority of the preseason reps went to him. Timing was created with receivers and running backs. Offensive linemen became used to Thompson’s demeanor in the huddle.
“All that time escalated his performance,” Wilson said of Thompson. “The sooner we could know what direction we’re moving maybe that would help that person who is playing at a high level.”
OU’s next starting quarterback would greatly benefit from the same focus. The only issue is deciding who should be the recipient.
Players aren’t antsy for a decision to be made. They’ll adjust to the coaches’ pick.
“They’re all talented and they all have great arms,” wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias said. “We just have to make plays for them. It’s up to us to give them confidence.”
Performing well in front of a crowd could provide that confidence to at least one of the signal callers. That’s the reason for keeping the scrimmages open to the public.
Stoops believes having a crowd around elevates the intensity for everyone.
“I think any time that you are going live action there is a certain pride that they have in competing,” Stoops said. “They don’t want someone getting the better of them. They want to show up and make plays. That is generally how our teams have been.”
That’s why today’s scrimmage could be the most intense. Depth charts are still fluctuating. Nothing is set in stone.
But the time to make a decision is closing in. The season begins in three weeks when North Texas comes to Owen Field Sept. 1.
The coaches hope at least one of the quarterbacks steps and makes that decision a simple one. And the sooner it happens the better.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
