OU football notebook: Spring focus will be on quarterback

Published: March 8, 2007

OU football coach Bob Stoops announced Wednesday that in addition to the annual Red-White Game, the Sooners' two spring scrimmages will be open to the public.

The scrimmages are set for March 14 and 31. The remainder of OU's spring practices are closed.

Tickets for the spring game are now on sale online at SoonerSports.com or over the phone at 1-800-456-GoOU. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 the day of the game.

•Under center: Stoops, meeting with the media Wednesday, didn't wait for a question about OU's burning issue this spring.

"The quarterback will be the main center of attention, for sure,” Stoops said.

The Sooners are essentially auditioning three unproven players — junior Joey Halzle and freshmen Sam Bradford and Keith Nichol — for the starting role.

•Shared experience: While Halzle and Bradford have at least been in the program the better part of a year, Nichol didn't arrive on campus until January.

He was playing high school ball in December and could be planning for the prom back home in Michigan. Instead, he's bidding to become the Sooner starter.

OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said he'll be careful in bringing Nichol along.

"We need to put him in good places to succeed,” Wilson said. "We need to force it a little bit, too. We don't want to hold his hand, but we don't want to throw him to the sharks.

"Maybe in our play calling, we structure things that give him a chance, where he's not just going to fry his brain out there.”

Still, Wilson said all three quarterbacks will get an opportunity to show what they can do with basically the same number of snaps.

"It's going to be pretty equal, at least the first half, maybe all of spring,” Wilson said.

•Boise moment: Watching game tape of Nichol's high school career, Stoops noticed the quarterback connecting on a hook-and-lateral pass not unlike one he would see in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State.

"I was talking to him in December, when we were recruiting him and commented, ‘We've got to put that in,'” Stoops said.

"Lo and behold, as soon as that happened, I looked at coach (Josh) Heupel, who was recruiting Keith, and I said, ‘I'll be…' you know what. ‘That's the same play.'”

By John Helsley