The best quarterback in this history of Oklahoma football and the best player of the Stoops era, the one with the statue across Jenkins from the stadium, the one who should have won two straight Heisman Trophies while overcoming knee reconstructions the way Lance Armstrong overcame cancer, may just have to ready himself for second place.

“Sam Bradford is just sensational,” Bob Stoops said.

He said it a few minutes after the No. 4 Sooners took care of No. 16 Kansas 45-31, after Bradford set a program mark for passing yards in a game with 468, threw three more touchdowns passes to run his season total to 26 against five interceptions and, most of all, made it look so effortless other than those times he threw on the run or under pressure but still with Robin Hood accuracy or the times his receiver was covered so tight the ball couldn’t possibly be caught, even if Bradford made sure it hit him in the hands.

Which is to say, he makes the impossible look hard. But not impossible.

Jason White, the guy with the statue, once brought the Sooners back all by himself, the day they trailed by 14 points three different times at Texas A&M.; It was a performance of will every bit it was of skill. Maybe that’s coming for Bradford or maybe he’ll never be in the same fix, but Saturday was still enough to go looking for new answers.

Because we know about his arm and his leadership and even his uncanny hit-the-guy-in-stride accuracy, which up to now has been the citation of his separation.

“It’s a rare occasion that he makes a mistake,” Stoops said.

Yes, but there has to be an affirmative way to explain it.

Chris Brown, who did the most to get the Sooners off their can’t-run-the-ball schneid, thinks Bradford might just see a different game.

“At times, I think he does,” Brown said. “You just watch this guy and, at times, he’s the calmest guy you’ll ever meet.”

Like maybe he’s not so much quarterback coach Josh Heupel’s quarterback but Phil Jackson’s quarterback.

Zen quarterback.

Heupel, though, might take offense, because he sees Bradford in practice, the film room and in meetings a lot more than he ever sees him Saturdays at Owen Field. And while it’s one thing to talk about work ethic, it’s something else to describe it this way.

“You know, dating back to when he was a freshman and a redshirt, he was the guy that paid attention in every meeting,” Heupel said. “He was they guy who took the most notes … and he’s still that same guy today.”

Bradford’s fourth throw of the day (and third completion) found Manny Johnson for 21 yards. Johnson came off the field as though he’d broken his arm (he didn’t) and was out for the day (he was). So Bradford threw to the guys still on the field.

Juaquin Iglesias caught 12 passes for 191 yards and Quentin Chaney, off the bench, caught six for 105. So Bradford didn’t simply play as though Johnson had never departed, but completed the greatest aerial assault in program history without his most productive receiver.

A quarter in, he’d thrown for 189 yards. At the half, it was 313. What if the Jayhawks had kept pace?

None of it phases Bradford.

“In any offense, the numbers are nice, but this week it was just really nice to get a win,” he said. “That’s something we didn’t do last week … I thought we played great today.”

There is, apparently, no “I” in Sam.

Just performance after performance that appear commonplace to the point of monotony for a guy who doesn’t so much act like he’s been there before as he acts like, as long as he’s here, he might as well be the best who ever was here.

“He’s got a competitive drive in him that some people, they might not understand it, that causes him to be a great football player,” Heupel said.

It’s true, you don’t really see it.

Even Saturday, when he makes it look so easy.

Clay Horning

366-3526

cfhorning@normantranscript.com