Oklahoma Freshman Noah Best Enjoyed a 'Super Impressive' Debut at Center Against UTEP

NORMAN — Rocky Beers has seen a lot of football, which made his analysis of Oklahoma’s 51-0 win over UTEP hit home.

The Colorado State transfer tight end hurdled a Miner defender to get into the end zone in his own OU debut, but he was blown away by the work of another debutant on Friday night — freshman offensive lineman Noah Best.

“I think he’s the real MVP of tonight, honestly,” Beers said after the win. “True freshman, that’s a lot of weight on your shoulders at center, right there, in the SEC. We’re going to count on him to do great things.”

Best started at center for the Sooners, becoming the first freshman to start a game at the heart of the offensive line since Ty Darlington in 2012, as a result of injuries to Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje.

Those injuries may have opened the door for Best to start on Friday, but he earned the right to play major snaps regardless of OU’s health situation throughout the offseason.

“He's super impressive,” quarterback John Mateer said. “We all told him this morning; we were like, 'Yeah, we have your back,' but I don't even think we needed to tell him that. He's super confident and good at what he does. He does a great job.”

Best made the calls for the offense against an aggressive UTEP defense, and he handled himself in a manner that impressed head coach Brent Venables.

“His poise, composure, he snapped the ball well,” Venables said. “I think we had a couple that were just a little bit off, but that's gonna happen when lining up guys right over you, pinching in the A-gaps and things like that.

“Just the cleanliness of his ability to execute and picking things up. They pressured us a lot. They send zero-blitz a lot, and I thought he did a nice job.”

Best admitted that he had some butterflies at first.

“I was nervous going through the (pregame) walk and everything. Once I got that first snap off, it just felt like football to me. It felt natural,” he said.

Best credited the coaching staff and his teammates for why he was able to settle in so quickly.

He said that veterans Eddy Pierre-Louis and E’Marion Harris took him in when he arrived in Norman to ensure that they could pass along their experience.

From there, he just trusted what he was hearing at practice every day.

“(Bill) Bedenbaugh prepared us all week for this. I just have to execute it,” he said.

Best’s contributions didn’t stop at center, however.

He played both guard spots in the second half, finishing the night with snaps at three different positions in his collegiate debut.

“It ain't easy. It ain't easy for a seasoned offensive lineman, interior guy,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “But I think that really speaks to how Coach Bedenbaugh coaches them. He doesn't just coach them in a singular facet. He coaches them as a unit. Everybody understands what everybody is supposed to be doing, and so it allows for versatility like that whenever needed.

“But it ain't easy. I'll tell you that much. Especially for an 18-year-old who stepped out onto the Palace for the first time, probably wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. I thought he played really well.”

The Sooners will hope to get Maikkula and Fodje back for next week’s battle with Michigan.

But Best is ready to take a major step up in competition, and he gave his teammates and coaching staff no reason to doubt he can handle the challenge coming next Saturday.

“He's a great kid,” Mateer said. “And I guess he grew up today. Maybe I shouldn't call him a kid. He did a great job. I'm proud of him.”

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