The last time we saw Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight in action during the holiday bowl season, he was making Alabama’s defense look like the Philadelphia 76ers. This time around, Oklahoma is hoping Knight will provide a much-needed boost and balance to the Sooners' attack. The sophomore quarterback was cleared to return to practice last Saturday and has been practicing with the team as the Sooners prepare to face Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29. Knight missed Oklahoma's final three games after suffering a neck injury against Baylor on Nov. 8. “He’s doing everything right now as he always did,” coach Bob Stoops said. “The key part is after practice he’s feeling good, it isn’t taking a toll on him.” Redshirt freshman Cody Thomas started during Knight’s absence but struggled to keep defenses honest with his passing. Thomas passed for 292 combined yards in those three games as the Sooners leaned on the excellence of freshman running back Samaje Perine, who rushed for at least 150 yards in each of those games. Oklahoma went 2-1 with Thomas starting, with victories over Texas Tech and Kansas before its Bedlam loss to Oklahoma State as the Sooners rushed for 1,198 yards during that three-game span. Knight’s return should bring confidence to the passing game, even though the sophomore has had plenty of ups and downs of his own during his first season as the unquestioned starter in Norman. The San Antonio native has been brilliant at times, highlighted by his 376 total yards and six touchdowns in a 59-14 win over Iowa State on Nov. 1. When Knight returned to practice this week, he hasn’t looked like a guy who has been out of action for more than a month. “Trevor actually looks like himself; he looks great,” tackle Daryl Williams said. “It looked like he never left.” Knight averaged 244.1 passing yards per game in nine starts this season and led the Big 12 with an Adjusted QBR of 80. He finished 162-of-279 for 2,197 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games. While Knight clearly has improved in his second season, his overall performance has been overshadowed by three critical interceptions that helped lead to losses to TCU, Kansas State and Baylor. With Knight at quarterback, the Sooners passed for less than 200 yards twice in nine games and were unable to eclipse that mark in all three games with Thomas as quarterback. Knight’s sophomore campaign has showed he is still a young quarterback prone to game-changing mistakes, yet he remains the Sooners’ best hope for balance on offense against Clemson. “Trevor has looked good,” linebacker Eric Striker said. “When we’ve gone against him [in practice], he’s looked the same. He’s ready, he’s back and he’s looking good, real good.”
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