Bowe Bentley’s Tough Start in Spring Game Shows Oklahoma’s Long-Term Vision

Despite struggles in the Spring Game, Bowe Bentley's growth may have needed the looks he got for the long-term — and he's mature enough to handle it.

Oklahoma quarterback Bowe Bentley | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Things can always be worse than the result you land on.

For Bowe Bentley, his first chance to play in front of Sooner fans could hardly have gone much worse. A 5-of-13 performance for 35 yards with two interceptions is not the way Bentley wanted to announce himself. By design, the Sooners’ Spring Game gave Bentley a brutal first look.

Brent Venables said as much to the postgame radio crew after the red team’s 31-3 rout of the white team, explaining that starters wearing red were pitted against backups and developmental players in white. Although the setup wasn’t solely aimed at Bentley, he led the white‑team offense behind reserve linemen facing a front line that included Taylor Wein, Danny Okoye and Nigel Smith.

Not ideal.

Of course, it wasn't just the Spring Game that's given Bentley fits — and this isn't to suggest that Bentley is destined to struggle forever. He's an 18-year old true freshman who enrolled early to endure integral reps. What makes those reps integral? The struggle.

That struggle has been there since day one of spring practice. Venables, Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski want their blue-chip freshman quarterback to struggle because they know him to be mature enough to handle it properly.

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"From going with the 3’s to bumping and walking through with the 1’s in OTAs, I think all those reps (help me)," Benley said on April 13. "The speed is just different, so being able to understand that and why we do certain things. Extra time in the film room.

"So being able to spend time in there on my off days, (Kuceyeski) pushed me to do a lot of things to understand why we do things and take a lot of tests on the playbook. So I think that’s helped me a lot," he added.

It's important to remember that spring games are not absolute guarantees or success or failure.

In Oklahoma's 2008 Spring Game, Sam Bradford threw three interceptions — Bradford would throw five interceptions the entire season en route to a Heisman Trophy and a national championship appearance.

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford t | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Following the spring game in 2015, where there was an open competition for the starting quarterback position under new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, there was no consensus winner according to those outside the Barry Switzer Center. Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions in the game with Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas also throwing a pick each.

Mayfield won the job in fall camp and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy, leading Oklahoma to its first College Football Playoff berth.

Bentley was put into a situation where his coaches knew hurdles and poor results were inevitable. Despite those challenges, his offseason opponents on what hopes to be another top-five defense in the nation, recognize his improvements.

"He’s been improving," Eli Bowen said on April 13. "When he first got here, I think our defense is more complicated than anything he’ll see in high school and most places in college, so I think it was an adjustment period. But I think he’s getting rolling right now, making some good throws, making good decisions, and being on time."

Time will tell whether Bentley lives up to his recruiting hype, much less whether he follows the path of past Oklahoma quarterbacks who stumbled in spring games only to find greatness. For now, his greatest strength seems to be his maturity and attitude — a clear awareness of the long game he’s playing.

"I think it’s kind of just the belief in myself, knowing I’m, here for a reason and I have the athletic ability to do a lot of stuff," Benley said. "So just being able to remind myself that I can do that expands my offense a lot. But I mean they’re the best defense in the SEC, so being able to go against them helps a lot. I mean they got me a couple of times, but I’ll get them."