NORMAN, Okla. - Maybe Blake Bell was never the quarterback he should have been.
He probably wasn't as good as you thought he'd be, but when Bell wraps up his regular-season career with a home game against Oklahoma State Saturday, Bell should get the loudest of applause from the home fans.
He's been manipulated and fidgeted with. Poked and prodded. No one has gone through more, who has done so much, as Bell has.
When his playing career is done, Bell will have gone from a heralded back-up quarterback to Landry Jones to a seldom-used tight end, taking reps in practice as the back-up quarterback to freshman Cody Thomas.
But in between is what Bell should be remembered for,
He was a bowl game MVP in a win over Iowa, won at Notre Dame, beat Oklahoma State twice â once by running, and another as the third-string QB â and was so good, so effective and so dynamic Bell created a nickname for his short-yardage success.
All of that and no one would have blamed Bell if he didn't come back for his senior season.
"I wanted to stay here," Bell said. "One last year. "I wanted to finish it at the University of Oklahoma. The grass isn't always greener. The biggest deal for me was to stay here and finish out and play here. I'm lucky to be here and in this situation."
But maybe it's the other way around. Maybe Oklahoma is lucky to have him instead.
Bell might never have reached the potential of a great passing quarterback, but he when came in during the second half of a 2011 game against Kansas State, the coaching staff at Oklahoma turned him into a novelty piece.
The "Belldozer" was born and suddenly after about a five-year run of inconsistent, short-yardage play, Bell provided stability. Jones would move the ball down the field, Bell would get the tough yards. And it looked like nothing more would become of Bell at quarterback.
Especially after Bell was passed over as the starting quarterback last season by freshman Trevor Knight, Bell replaced Knight early in the season. In his first start, he threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in a win against Tulsa.
Bell went on to beat Notre Dame, throwing for 232 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, completing 22-of-30 passes.
From there, Bell was underwhelming against Kansas and then lost to Texas. He was benched for Knight once again but returned, not as the back-up, but as the third-string quarterback against Oklahoma State.
A year earlier against Oklahoma State, in Norman, Okla., Bell scored in the closing seconds on a fourth-down run which tied the game that OU would go on to win. Bell had three rushes, eight yards and a touchdown as well as a completion.
He was a passer in 2013, leading the Sooners down the field in an improbable fashion, going 10-of-16 for 140 yards, including a last-second toss to Jalen Saunders in the endzone that put OU ahead.
"I can always look back and think about everything that happened," Bell said about his pass to Saunders â the last one of his career to this point. "I'll remember it forever."
Bell was benched once again in the bowl game and it was Knight who passed the Sooners through Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and once again Bell was out at quarterback.
"I'm not going to sit here and tell you I didn't want to play quarterback," Bell said. "I did."
Bell could have transferred. No one would have blamed him if he did, but instead he moved to tight end. Yeah, a position change, but there's more. Because Knight has been injured this season, Bell has been taking time in practice as the back-up quarterback. Again.
And that brings us back to this week. Bell is the back-up quarterback. He's the starting tight end, but would anyone be surprised if he took a snap or two at quarterback?
Or maybe picked up a first down on a run up the middle?
Whatever happens, he deserves an extra cheer.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
