Oklahoma vs. Texas: Trevor Knight's Legs, Not Arm, Key to Sooners Victory

When the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns meet Saturday, expect quarterback Trevor Knight to be released from his harness.

Thus far, the Sooners coaching staff has veered on the safe side when it comes to the sophomore, limiting the amount of running he does. However, following last weekend’s loss to TCU—a game in which Knight struggled heavily in the pocket—Oklahoma will have to undergo drastic changes in its playcalling if it wants to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

With that in mind, expect Knight to run wild this weekend.

If the Sooners coaching staff needs a push in that direction, it just needs to take a look at the Longhorns defense. Through five games, the unit ranks No. 29 in total defense (333.6 YPG) and No. 5 against the pass (134.6 YPG), allowing just four passing touchdowns and intercepting nine passes.

As for Texas’ weakness? Yep, you guessed it: Stopping the run.

Opponents have taken advantage of the Longhorns’ front seven, rushing for an average of 199.0 yards per game—Texas ranks No. 99 against the run—while finding the end zone six times. In fact, all but one opponent has racked up 170 yards rushing or more against the Longhorns.

It’s not like Knight, a San Antonio native, doesn’t have the talent to pull off a big running day.

Over six appearances during his freshman campaign last season, Knight rushed for 445 yards and two touchdowns on 67 carries. On three occasions he rushed for 80 yards or more, including topping the century mark twice.

In comparison, through five games, Knight has only rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. In all but one of those games, Knight didn’t attempt more than five rushes, including failing to record a single one against West Virginia on Sept. 20.

If it isn’t broke, why fix it?

“We don’t want him hit as much as we can avoid it,” head coach Bob Stoops said earlier this season, per The Oklahoman’s Jason Kersey. “You see the quarterbacks that are out in NFL and college. The more he can avoid it, the better.”

The alternative hasn’t worked so well for Oklahoma this season.

Knight has thrown for 1,374 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions on 54.5 percent passing. He has thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game only once this year, and his completion percentage is a career worst and ranks ninth in the 10-team Big 12.

And this poor play is supposed to change against a secondary that held Baylor’s explosive quarterback Bryce Petty to just 111 yards on 7-of-22 passing last Saturday?

During the first half of Saturday’s loss to TCU, Knight actually ran the ball quite frequently. Whether it was by design or not, he made plays after plays, picking up big first downs. His mobility played a large role in the Sooners holding a 31-24 lead early in the third quarter.

However, the team surprisingly turned away from the run after taking the lead. That resulted in a disastrous stat line for Knight over his final eight possessions, as he threw for just 48 yards and two interceptions—one returned for a touchdown—on 6-of-19 passing while being sacked twice.

If Oklahoma wants to get back on the winning track, the coaching staff is going to need to fully trust in Knight.

Whether they like it or not, their season depends on it.

All stats, recruiting information and rankings used in this article are courtesy of CFBStats.com and 247Sports.

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