Solid spring means Halzle should be Sooners' No. 2 quarterback this fall

Jake Trotter

Published: April 7, 2008

NORMAN — Last year at Texas Tech, quarterback Sam Bradford exited the playing field permanently when team doctors realized he had suffered a concussion.

What happened next surprised most everyone.

The Oklahoma coaches inserted Joey Halzle into the lineup for the remainder of the game instead of heralded freshman Keith Nichol, who many outsiders thought was the No. 2 quarterback at the time.

Halzle started slow, but finished strong, nearly rallying the Sooners from a 27-10 halftime deficit.

Now, after two solid scrimmages, Halzle appears to still possess the upper hand as the No. 2 quarterback over Nichol as well as true freshman Landry Jones heading into the fall.

"I think Joey's probably played better than (Nichol),” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said before the second scrimmage, though nothing that happened Saturday should've altered his thinking.

Halzle continued his strong spring by completing 14-of-22 passes for 177 yards and no turnovers.

Nichol went just 5-of-15 passing for 78 yards and an interception.

In two scrimmages, Halzle has completed 59 percent of his passes and is yet to throw a pick.

Nichol has connected on just 29 percent of his throws and has tossed three interceptions. Jones only has one completion in limited playing time.

Part of the discrepancy in statistics is that Halzle has played more often with the second-team offense, which is a better supporting cast than Nichol and Jones have had with the third offense.

But the defenses have been superior with Halzle on the field, too.

"Joey's playing within himself and making some plays,” Wilson said. "All in all, as we've went along, I think Joey has been really solid.”

Halzle, who is now in his third spring, is beginning to consistently perform like a veteran — something he didn't do last spring and fall, which allowed Bradford, then a freshman, to ultimately win the starting job.

Halzle's emergence is nothing against the younger quarterbacks, who have a lot of potential.

Nichol has only been on campus a little more than a year; Jones just turned 19 on Friday.

And if Halzle wins the No. 2 spot, Wilson will have the option of redshirting ei

ther Nichol or Jones or both next season, giving them an extra year of eligibility to improve.

"Joey's got a little more of that game experience playing in a few games last year, and he's probably a little more self-assured,” Wilson said. "He's an older guy now, who's playing with a lot of self-confidence.”

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