After Notre Dame game, Sooner fans will finally get answers

By foxsports
Published

We're three games into the season and the consensus is we don't know much about this Oklahoma football team.

We don't know much because the Sooners have used two quarterbacks, played two distinct offenses and three below average opponents.

Now comes Notre Dame and the answers are sure to follow.

The game is Saturday and that's too long to wait for answers. Here are three things we've learned about the Sooners since they played last:

1. OU is going with Blake Bell at quarterback and the Sooners don't know who the backup is
After Bell passed for 413 yards in a rout over Tulsa, coach Bob Stoops was quick to say Bell was the starting quarterback for the Notre Dame game, even suggesting there was no controversy.

But with the selection of Bell it looked more like the Sooners were choosing an offense.Bell ran a similar offense to what the Sooners had run with Landry Jones and Sam Bradford. However, the offense Trevor Knight ran was a lot different.

Remember, Knight was replaced by Bell at the beginning of the fourth quarter against West Virginia. It was only after the game did we learn Knight had a bruised knee. He didn't play against Tulsa and returned to practice this week. Whether he lost his job due to injury or performance is an unknown at this point. What is known is Bell is the guy.

Co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said Tuesday he didn't know who Bell's backup would be at Notre Dame. Might not be important because it would take a monumental failure by Bell to get replaced. It would show the Sooners aren't sure of themselves at quarterback.

2. The OU defensive line has been good this year and it may use a four-man front against Notre Dame
In the summer, Stoops wouldn't say if he was going to use the 3-4. Now, after making the switch, Stoops said Monday, he may use a lot more 4-3 against the Irish.

OU had been almost exclusively a 4-3 team team under Stoops but has gone with the 3-4 almost all season this year. Stoops said Torrea Peterson, Jordan Wade and Quincy Russell would be on the line along with Jordan Phillips.

"There's a good chance, but I'm not going to give you any percentages on it," Stoops said of going to the four-man front.

3. The running back rotation is not determined
Maybe it was the emergence of Keith Ford, but Bob Stoops couldn't say what the running back situation would be against Notre Dame.

Brennan Clay has been sensational this season, going for 170 yards against West Virginia, but Ford seems to be the guy who is getting the attention. It's his style. So different from Clay and Roy Finch, and even Damien Williams, Ford seems to look for guys to hit.

"When I'm between the lines it's all about how can I help the team," he said. "Whether it's blocking or carrying the ball or doing other things. Whatever it takes, I can do it."

Ford is averaging six yards per carry. Clay leads the team with 262 yards and Williams served a one-game suspension against Tulsa, He should be back for the Notre Dame game. Finch has just 15 carries but is averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

All seem capable, who knows who will play.

Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK