The Oklahoma offense is going to take on a whole new look at Kansas State on Saturday, when the Sooners will have three new starters because of injury and suspensions.
Redshirt freshman Trevor Knight will start at quarterback, with Blake Bell has been ruled out after suffering a concussion last week against Iowa State. Senior running back Damien Williams, who leads OU with seven rushing touchdowns, and senior wide receiver Lacoltan Bester, third in receptions and receiving yards, will not play because of violations of team rules.
The one-game suspensions for Williams and Bester was first reported by KOCO-5 in Oklahoma City.
Knight started the first two games of the season but was benched in favor of Bell in the hopes of sparking a lagging passing offense. Knight was 8 of 14 for 61 yards and did not throw a touchdown or an interception in relief of Bell against the Cyclones, but he also rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.
It was a diverse ground game paced by Williams (128 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries) and Knight that allowed OU to rally for a 48-10 win, with four Sooners rushing for at least 45 yards.
Williams, a junior-college transfer from San Diego, has rushed for 1,499 yards and 18 touchdowns in 22 career games at OU, flashing an intriguing mix of big-play ability and power. But Williams (5-11, 211) has never separated himself from senior Brennan Clay, likely to draw the starting assignment against the Wildcats, on the depth chart. Still, the combination of power and speed that Williams flashes should draw interest in the later rounds of 2014 NFL Draft.
Bester, a junior-college transfer from Scooba, Miss., has started five games this season for OU, offering a bigger body in an undersized receiving corps. Bester (6-3, 195) had a career-high 75 yards on four receptions against ISU.
With the severe limitations of the Sooners passing game, a heavy dose of carries for Knight, Williams and Roy Finch (5-7, 167) is likely to be the order of the day against K-State.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
