The ups and downs of Trevor Knight's season have made people wonder what happened to the Oklahoma quarterback who embarrassed Alabama’s defense in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Knight’s numbers don’t resemble a guy who some considered a preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year candidate or even possible Heisman candidate. The sophomore is 128 of 217 pass attempts for 1,821 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions and a 79.9 adjusted QBR.

Knight has taken plenty of heat for his sophomore slump. Yet the changes around him could be the driving force behind some of the ups and downs of his season.

As a redshirt freshman, Knight was surrounded by veterans who had experience winning big games and shouldered the pressure of making sure the offense was operating efficiently. A closer look at Knight’s surrounding cast during the Allstate Sugar Bowl gives us a better feel for how his task has changed in 2014:

• Starting center Gabe Ikard: A four-year starter whose contribution as a senior cannot be understated. He is a big reason the 2013 Sooners were able to play musical chairs at quarterback during an 11-win season, as his veteran voice and intelligence kept the offense humming.

• Starting receiver Jalen Saunders: The Fresno State transfer changed games for the Sooners as a senior, both as a returner and receiver. His ability to always win one-on-one situations was a quarterback's best friend.

• Starting guard Bronson Irwin: His versatility and experience was an asset.

• Starting receiver LaColton Bester: Although he wasn’t an impact player at receiver, he had plenty of experience and the ability to make defense pay if they didn’t respect him.

• Starting running back Brennan Clay: Oklahoma's ability to trust the senior running back in any situation has been missed this season. Not only could he get tough yards when they needed it, he was a asset in everything he did, from pass blocking to special teams duties.

• Starting receiver Sterling Shepard: He simply abused defenses when they focused on Saunders. Defensive coordinators having to match up with Saunders and Shepard made Oklahoma's offense explosive a year ago.

This season, only Shepard remains.

Outside of a veteran offensive line, the offense is littered with inexperienced skill talent. Shepard has performed like an All-American, but the rest of the skill players have had ups and downs that mirror Knight's, but without the spotlight shining on their consistency, or lack thereof.

Confidence could be at the center of some of the inconsistency as Oklahoma's young players simply don't know what it feels like to change games with one play even though they have been relatively productive.

"Big plays can come from any part of your game, it’s just guys feeling confident and making plays at every position," co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. "TCU is not doing anything except playing at a high level, and guys feeling like they’re going to make plays. When guys start to play confidently, that happens."

The running back position hasn’t been an issue, with freshman Samaje Perine ranking among the conference leaders in rushing, Alex Ross emerging as one of the Big 12’s most explosive players, and Keith Ford, when healthy, providing versatility. And the receivers, along with tight end Blake Bell, have had their moments of production.

But the search for big plays continues.

Shepard is averaging 16.93 yards per touch, ranking fifth in the Big 12, but No. 1 among players with at least 50 touches. Durron Neal (12.79) is the only other Sooner with double-digit touches who is averaging more than 12 yards per touch in 2014. Receiver KJ Young (10.64) and tight end Blake Bell (10.46) join that duo as skill guys with a double-digit average and 10 or more touches.

Of Oklahoma's 40 plays of 20 yards or more, Shepard has made 17 of those big plays. No other Sooner has more than five, with Neal (5), Perine (4) and Ford (4) rounding out the top four players in that category.

"The key is execution and guys making big plays," Norvell said.

It’s not a talent issue, as several skill players have flashed their big-play ability in practices, scrimmages and even games. But transforming from an inexperienced talent to productive playmaker requires in-game excellence.

"Anything meaningful, that effects your confidence, happens in a game. And that history is really important," Norvell said. "We gain a lot of confidence in practice with practice repetitions, but the meaningful, lasting confidence happens in games, and it happens different in different years. The situations are tough in practice, but they’re not quite like in a game.

"It’s always better if it happens in a game."

The cast of skill players that surround Knight is improving and gaining experience with each week, and Oklahoma is even looking to inject some new blood into the attack with true freshman Michiah Quick set to see his playing time increase down the stretch. But until the 10 players around Knight improve, the offense is unlikely to resemble the unit that helped put up 45 points in the Allstate Sugar Bowl romp.

"We’ve done a lot of really good things through the first part of the season," Norvell said. "We’re excited about pressing forward, because we think our best football is in front of us."