Big 12 Football: Top 20 quarterbacks since 2000
By Andrew Tineo
Career Stats: 63.6% completions, 16,646 passing yards, 123 touchdowns, 52 interceptions
Being behind a heisman quarterback in Sam Bradford can certainly help you build up confidence and given reps behind him, will help in the long run. That did not happen for Landry Jones, the freshman out of Las Vegas.
Jones was thrown into the fire in his first collegiate game after Sam Bradford re-injured his shoulder in their opener against BYU. Jones was unable to get the Sooners a win but was given a chance to play long-term, due to the severity of Bradford’s injury.
Proving himself, Jones would throttle Idaho State and Tulsa and show glimpses of what he could become. Big games against Kansas State and Texas A&M showed signs of a future captain. Others like five interceptions against Nebraska and a loss to Texas showed there was room for improvement.
It happened in 2010, with Jones completing 65.6 percent of his passes, to go with 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. Road losses to Missouri and Texas A&M kept Oklahoma from being out of the national championship picture but kept the Big 12 title in their sights.
Jones and the Sooners outlasted the backfield of Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, then proceeded to route No. 25 Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.
Unfortunately for the team’s success, the Sooners would not reach a higher peak than the Fiesta Bowl win. The Sooners capture humongous wins in 2011, from upsetting Florida State in Tallahassee to pummeling Texas as well as Kansas State.
Oklahoma struggled to finish down the stretch with a loss to Baylor, and a letdown in Stillwater against Brandon Weeden and Oklahoma State.
The following season was similar, as Jones continued to rack up big numbers. Losses to three top 15 teams kept them out of the Big 12 title. Oklahoma would finish the season falling to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.
Jones was a situation where the team hit a ceiling his sophomore year and he proved he could win a national championship in Norman. However, the cards did not play out and his season ended in Dallas. However, Jones etched his name in OU history, winning the 2010 Sammy Baugh Trophy.
He led the country in pass completions in that same year, to go with passing yards and touchdowns in the conference. Jones finished third all-time in the NCAA in career passing yards.