The Sooners have another Heisman hopeful at the quarterback position. It’s virtually been the standard operating procedure for the better part of the last five years of the Oklahoma football program. The catch is, the guy that’s the Heisman hopeful is not the guy that started the season under center for Oklahoma. True freshman Caleb Williams usurped Spencer Rattler as the starter after relieving him in the Texas game and providing a spark in one of the biggest Oklahoma comebacks in years.
Since that moment, Williams has been the starter. He’s dazzled and thrown 12 touchdown passes in 3.5 games. Pro Football Focus has taken note of Williams’ play, and he currently stands as the Power Five’s highest-graded quarterback at a grade of 95.1. Seth Galina of PFF had this to say:
The Sooners were off this week, but we are going to find out exactly what this team is made of going forward. They play Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State to finish out the season. Luckily for them, it seems like they’ve found their next great quarterback. Williams remains on top of the rankings for another week and is one of four quarterbacks with a yards-per-attempt figure above 10.0 — his 10.8 mark ranks third-highest in the country. – Galina
Caleb Williams has galvanized this Oklahoma program which in some ways seemed sluggish. Williams in the starting role has been like putting fresh batteries in a remote-controlled car and seeing how fast it zips around afterward. The Sooners have games coming up against formidable conference foes, and all three teams boast stiff defenses that are familiar with Oklahoma’s offense.
Williams ultimately may be the ex-factor. His cool head and his ability to make plays with his feet may be the difference between the Sooners running through this three-game stretch undefeated or with a loss. A single defeat that could derail Oklahoma’s chances at holding up a conference championship trophy or contending for the national title.
As many of us know, the sport of football is highly dependent on the play of quarterbacks. This team will go where this seemingly transcendent talent at quarterback will take them. There’s a level of mystique like we’ve seen with Sooners quarterbacks of the past that makes you feel confident that Oklahoma has a shot against anyone. With a game this week on the road against Baylor, we’ll see just how good he is.
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