Oklahoma OC Josh Heupel talks about his opening-drive QB switch

Josh Heupel talks with Blake Bell during the first day of spring practice at the University of Oklahoma in Norman on Monday, March 21, 2011. (Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman)

Landry Jones completed four passes — two to Justin Brown, one to Kenny Stills and one to Sterling Shepard — for 38 total yards. He’d handed the ball off and watched his backs — Damien Williams, Brennan Clay and Trey Millard – run for 21 yards.

The Sooners grabbed four first downs and were at Oklahoma State’s 16-yard line and suddenly, Jones was no longer in at quarterback.

There was Blake Bell. It was second-and-7. This wasn’t the typical time that Oklahoma used its Belldozer short-yardage package.

Then Bell handed the ball off to Roy Finch, who gained one yard. Now it was third-and-6. Then Landry Jones was back in at quarterback. He threw an incompletion and just like that the opening drive ended in a missed field goal.

Sooner Nation went nuts, at least on Twitter.

‘What was Josh Heupel thinking?’ was the common question.

Here’s the answer:

“I jut felt like there was an opportunity for us to stick a run in there with a big-boy set,” Heupel said Tuesday. “So it’s a formation that we felt gave us an advantage and an opportunity to run the football and get into a manageable situation on third down and pick up a first down.”