Right now, there isn’t a hotly debated topic in college football than what the Oklahoma Sooners should do at the quarterback position. It’s a unique spot for Lincoln Riley and the OU coaching staff.
Between Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams, the Sooners have two good options at the most important position in football. Say what you want about Spencer Rattler. He’s played some really good football for the Sooners. Aside from the Kansas State game, it has been a tough year for Rattler.
But recency bias shouldn’t erase everything he did for the Sooners last year to help them win the Big 12 Championship and the Cotton Bowl over Florida.
Williams was fantastic last week and looked to be the real deal. But that doesn’t make Riley’s decision easy. Williams doesn’t have the experience Rattler offers.
He has two guys capable of leading this team and two guys with a lot of talent. Though a report from earlier in the week indicated Williams was getting a majority of the first-team reps, there’s no telling what happened in practice the rest of the week.
Riley has been reluctant to name a starting quarterback for this week, but if the rest of the week played out like the report from OU Daily, it looks as though it’ll be the Williams show.
Former SMU and Hawaii head coach June Jones joined me on the “Locked On Sooners” podcast to promote his “Run and Shoot” coaching seminar on CoachTube.com. In the workshop, Jones and former head coach Mouse Davis take you through the ins and outs of the “run and shoot,” an offense predicated on motion and throwing the football. It’s the offense that helped Timmy Chang become the NCAA all-time leading passer at one point.
Coach Jones knows a thing or two about the offensive side of the ball and the quarterback position and offered his thoughts on what he’d do this week with Rattler and Williams.
I always feel you go back to the guy that got you to the dance. I would start (Spencer Rattler). I’ve watched him. He makes some unreal plays. He can pass the ball. I think you always go back to him. And if you really think the young kid behind him is the guy then he’s got to prove it again if Rattler doesn’t do the job, then he takes over the team at that point. But right now, for me, I’d go back to the starting quarterback and let the young kid sit there and watch him. – Jones
Rattler has played a lot of good football for the Sooners and has been a big part of Oklahoma’s nation-leading 14-game winning streak dating to last season. He hasn’t looked comfortable for much of this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad quarterback or incapable of turning it around.
Riley will do what he thinks is best for the Oklahoma Sooners in Saturday night’s matchup with the TCU Horned Frogs. Whether Rattler or Williams is at quarterback, the Sooners will have a good player running the show.