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April 16, 2013 | Spring Football Central | Football Notebook | Roster | Twitter

Thank You, Fans

While Tuesday's practice marked the final on-field workout of spring football, several players took the opportunity to thank Oklahoma fans for their support at Saturday's OU Spring Game.

"It was a really good environment," said junior defensive back Julian Wilson. "To have 30,000 fans for a spring game is great support for our program. And it was really cool that we were able to give back to them and to sign some autographs. It was a great way to let them know how much we appreciated them coming out to see us."

"It was really fun getting out there in front of all those fans," added senior wide receiver Lacoltan Bester. "I wasn't expecting a crowd like that, so it definitely made it more competitive. A couple people came up and said, 'this is a little different than Scooba (referencing his Mississippi hometown), isn't it?' They're right about that. I signed some pictures that fans took last season, so that was pretty cool."

While the Sooners graciously signed autographs for around 45 minutes following Saturday's contest, Wilson admitted that he was asked to sign more than just photos and posters.

"Somebody asked me to sign their baby's back," he explained. "I'd never been asked that one before, but we just try to make our fans happy however we can."

Of course, for the OU coaching staff, Saturday provided an opportunity to evaluate players in a different circumstance other than your typical practice session.

"I think it's a great opportunity to go out in front of a live audience," said co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel. "It's a game-day feel for them. It's like kicking off the first week of the season. Being able to put together a mock game plan and go over it, to have to prepare and go to sleep on it, have a walk through and then go play; you give them the tips and reminders right before the practice, but it's a different day for them.

"You saw them handle a lot of things in a positive way. You saw them not manage the game in a way you needed a guy to in order for us to win, but that's why you have a spring game and that's why you practice. That's why June and July will be extremely important for these guys."

Head coach Bob Stoops agreed that there is still plenty of work ahead before his squad officially kicks off the regular season on August 31 against Louisiana-Monroe.

"They need to have a really big summer and I believe our players are aware of that," Stoops indicated. "If they do, we will build on it in the summer. A big part will be their commitment here for the rest of the spring and in the summer they can make the gains they need to in the off-season."

What We Learned this Spring

During the tenure of head coach Bob Stoops, the Sooners have won eight Big 12 titles utilizing six different starting quarterbacks. The quest for a ninth conference crown under Stoops will feature a new OU signal caller in 2013.

So what did we learn about the Oklahoma quarterbacks this spring? The competition will continue through the summer and into the fall. The coaching staff will name a starter once someone has "earned" that distinction. And yes, Blake Bell, Kendal Thompson and Trevor Knight all bring mobility and athleticism to the position.

But before visions of the wishbone start dancing in the heads of Sooner fans, co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel reminds us that the most important prerequisite for any OU quarterback is the ability to throw the football.

"Blake was one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks coming out and he was recruited as a passing quarterback," Heupel said. "He happens to be 255 pounds and gave us a weapon in third-and-short and goal-line situations that ended up being pretty successful for us. We want mobile quarterbacks here but Coach (Stoops) has made it very clear that we aren't going to give anything up in the pass game while recruiting that type of kid."

Of course, all three quarterbacks currently on the OU roster are subtly reminded every day about the last Oklahoma passer to win a national title since he's also their position coach.

"It's great," says Knight of having Heupel as a position coach. "He's been here before and he had so much success, everything he says comes from the heart and it's going to benefit us. He's been through it and he knows what works. Every once and while he'll throw out a joke about who the best quarterback here was, it's a rhetorical question but you're supposed to answer with his name."

When pressed to identify an NFL passer, he'd like to be compared to, Bell acknowledges it's a guy with a similar build.

"I'd always say like a Ben Roethlisberger, bigger style, bigger body, he can move around," Bell surmised. "He can swing around and move the pocket a little bit."

But when asked to identify the best quarterback in recent OU history, Bell is quick to point out that Heupel has plenty of admiration for the likes of Sam Bradford, Jason White, Landry Jones and the other quarterbacks who won Big 12 titles during Stoops' era.

"He gives all those guys all the credit in the world," Bell said of Heupel's appreciation for OU's quarterback lineage. "We watch film on them and it shows things they did right and did wrong. But when it comes down to it, he'll always say "you know who wouldn't have made that mistake.'"

More OU Spring Findings

While none of the quarterbacks on the Oklahoma roster have started a game since high school, the Sooners do have an experienced corps of players surrounding their signal callers. With a group of seasoned performers on the offensive front, there is also a stable of experienced runners at OU's disposal. Seniors Damien Williams, Brennan Clay and Trey Millard have all made plenty of big plays during their collegiate tenure, seeing little, if any duty in the OU Spring Game. While Alex Ross and David Smith each saw time in the backfield, perhaps the most explosive play on Saturday came from senior running back Roy Finch to turned a crossing route into a 49-yard touchdown.

"He is explosive when he gets the ball in his hands," Heupel said of Finch. "He makes plays in space and when he is not in space. He can find a small crack and make a play. He is competing to be an every down back. We feel like we've got a good stable of backs. Trey Milliard is a good player and needs the ball in his hands. Damian Williams, Brennan Clay. That should be a strength of ours offensively, and so we'll find a way for all those guys to have roles as long as they continue to earn it. That will be a big part of my job."

Another offensive player who enjoyed a stellar spring contest for the second consecutive year was sophomore wide receiver Trey Metoyer, who finished the game with six catches for 122 yards.

"I think for him to continue to mature as a football player and to help this team in a way that he is capable of, that there is a big growth pattern for him in June and July," said Heupel of Metoyer. "I'm not saying he didn't do that a year ago. A year ago he was a true freshman. There is a lot of football you have to learn."

SRING GAME REVIEW
The Sooners played their annual Spring Game on Owen Field on Saturday, April 13 as the White team defeated the Red team, 28-24. In case you missed any of the action, get caught up right here:

  Spring Game Recap
  Box Score | Postgame Quotes
  Spring Game Photo Gallery
Video

Full Spring Game Replay
Video

Spring Game Highlights
Video

Sooners Thank the Fans
Video

Postgame Presser: Bob Stoops
Video

Postgame Presser: Offense
Video

Postgame Presser: Defense
Video

QBs Impress in Spring Game
Video

Sooners Sports TV Pregame

OUTSIDE OF FOOTBALL
Several current and former members of the Oklahoma Football squad were honored at the 15th annual Max Weitzenhoffer Scholar-Athlete breakfast conducted at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Tress Way was a recipient of the Athletics Council Service Award for his community service efforts and Jaydan Byrd received the Sooner Schooner Scholastic Award.

Gabe Ikard was one of the recipients of the Dan Gibbons Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award and was also recognized as a 2011-12 Capital One Academic All-America. Austin Woods was one of nine recipients of the Athletics Council Achievement Award for overcoming great personal odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics.

Ty Darlington was one of nine freshman to receive the Jay Myers Award, an honor that recognizes freshman student-athletes who best combine excellence in scholarship with potential excellence in their chosen field of academic endeavor.

"I'm going to major in health and exercise science," explained Darlington. "I only have a few more classes before I can get to my major. Hopefully, I'll be able to start my master's while I'm still on scholarship. I'll either try to get into physical therapy school or go into coaching like my dad and try to be a college coach."

When asked whether it was more difficult to keep up with Ikard on the field or in the classroom, Darlington didn't waste any time in responding.

"Probably on the field," he admitted. "The classroom has always come naturally for me. On the field, it's hard to keep up with Gabe's level of skill and how well he plays. I'm trying to get there, though."

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QUOTABLE

R-Jr. QB Blake Bell
"It's been fun. All three of us are around each other for, it seems like, 24 hours a day. But we have fun with it. We know we're competing but you're going to be competing at any school in the country. We have three good guys just competing and having fun with it and we're all just going to work hard each and every day and that's all we can do."

R-So. QB Kendal Thompson
"You always see things that through the game you can improve on. In the quarterback room, we were just treating this like another practice, but you get to go out there and compete against the defense. So we are working hard to improve as a group and move forward from today into two-a-days in the summer."

R-Fr. QB Trevor Knight
"I went out here (Saturday) and it was my first meaningful snaps in front of fans, which is a dream come true. I made a lot of mistakes and I made a few plays. The good thing is we don't play next week, we don't have a game, so we have the whole summer. As for the competition we're working hard every single day and like Coach Heupel's been saying the guy that makes the least mistakes is the guy who's going to lead the team."

Players Mentioned

Blake Bell

Lacoltan Bester

Brennan Clay

Ty Darlington

Roy Finch

Gabe Ikard

Trevor Knight

Trey Millard

Alex Ross

David Smith

Julian Wilson

Austin Woods

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