Oklahoma Looks to Fill Void at Quarterback, Offensive Line

Star running back Adrian Peterson will likely have to shoulder much of the Sooners' offensive load as quarterback Paul Thompson eases into the starting role. (Jerry Laizure - AP)

Nearly a month ago, Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops answered questions at Big 12 media day in Kansas City, Mo. Among the first questions was about quarterback Rhett Bomar's growth, progression and the expectations to be placed upon him this year.

Stoops, in a methodical and technical voice, answered: "We expect him really to start the year in a good way, and continue to improve. Because he has -- he has so much skill and ability."

A week later the tone changed, and those words seemed, in retrospect, haunting.

Stoops dismissed Bomar and sophomore guard J.D. Quinn for receiving wages above their entitled employment income, a violation of NCAA rules.

Gone was that opportunity to develop potential. The dismissal was the foil to maturity and the expectation for a strong start became considerably eerie.

Stoops's answer became: "So, in the end we had a couple of football players who knowingly broke NCAA [rules]. . . . This changes things to some degree, but again, it is a cut-and-dry issue. If you knowingly and intentionally and premeditatedly break NCAA [rules], then you cannot be a part of this football team or a member of this university."

Paul Thompson was inserted as the Sooners' starting quarterback.

Question and concern immediately replaced preseason promise and accolades -- Big 12 media members had picked Oklahoma over Texas to win the North Division.

The drama settled in Norman, Okla., in part because the players knew they needed to rally around the unexpected hurdle and in part because Thompson has been a mature, level-headed example.

"He's a very even-keeled, stated guy," new offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. "Externally, he's very stoic and very mature."

Thompson was so expressionless that after the coaching staff asked him if he would take the job, Wilson was unable to get a feel for the quarterback's feelings.

"When he walked out and we told him to talk to his family about it, everybody said, 'What do you think?' And I said, 'I don't know if he wants to or not.' "