Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley didn’t even wait for the question to be asked, saying in his opening statement he is not naming a starting quarterback for this week’s game vs. TCU between Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams.

“I don’t plan on naming a starting quarterback this week,” said Riley on Tuesday. “We’ll see how the week plays out and we’ll see where we are when we get to Saturday. The guys have done well. They practiced well today. We’ll see how it goes. We’ll see Saturday at 6:30.”

The last 72 hours have been a whirlwind for all involved as Williams played hero in OU’s 55-48 comeback victory against Texas.

Rattler was benched after two turnovers in the first half and the team trailing 35-17. It was Williams, who accounted for 300 total yards of offense, who engineered the touchdown-scoring drives in the second half.

Rumors have been running rampant about Rattler’s future, saying his locker was cleared out and he wasn’t coming back. That’s not true as Rattler was at Tuesday morning’s practice, but it’s a weird vibe right now for a team that is still undefeated.

“It’s not easy for a young guy,” Riley said. “This guy gets painted a different way publicly than what he really is. He’s a great kid. He’s worked his tail off here. He’s been a really good player here. I have a ton of trust in him. He’s doing well. It’s not easy. It’s not easy competing at the level that we do and being on the kind of the stage and platform.

“I think he’s handled it well. We’ve had some good talks. I gave him the day off yesterday. I told him get out of here, don’t come up here. We had a good talk. I wanted him to refresh, recharge and come back reenergized and ready to go today.”

Sources confirmed to SoonerScoop.com that Williams received more first-team snaps than Rattler on Tuesday morning and OUDaily.com confirmed the number of snaps and who the quarterbacks were working with.

All eyes will be on Owen Field, and as Riley said Monday and reiterated Tuesday, this doesn’t feel like a bad thing.

“He came back today and had a great practice, just like I expected he would,” said Riley about Rattler. “He was bouncing around the practice field. He’s a great kid. He’s working hard. I have a ton of trust in him. Everybody thinks they want this but it’s not easy.

“For me, I feel like I have two really good players. I don’t see it as a problem. I don’t see it as an issue. You get to choose between two great options and it’s a good position to be in. I know both of those kids will respond no matter what position they are in.”

Transfer portal looms?

It’s the reality of college football in 2021. If there is any sort of shake-up at OU or depending on how Riley massages this situation, it could lead to the transfer portal.

Especially when you start talking the quarterback position. As of Tuesday, though, Riley didn’t seem too concerned about that possibility.

“There’s never any guarantees,” Riley said. “You can’t predict the future. But I would fully expect to have both of those guys the entire season. I would. Again, I know there’s never 100% but I think that both of those guys are pretty committed to this football team.”

The 2019 season was a chance for Rattler to learn under Jalen Hurts, and now Rattler might be in that same Hurts position from his days at Alabama.

It’s not going the way you want, but it’s hard for anybody to wrap their heads around leaving halfway through a season.

“What is the advantage for leaving mid-season? To me, if you want to leave and go search for another opportunity, then that’s fine,” Riley said. “But you’re going to leave and you’re going to go to nowhere.

“If I’m looking at a guy who is a potential transfer in coming here and that guy quit on his team in midseason, unless there is an extenuating circumstance, I might have a hard time in taking him. I think a lot of other coaches would echo that as well.”

Perspective and patience is what Riley preached. When the season’s completed, that’s another story. But a backup quarterback always knows they’re just one play away from being back out there.

A ‘Major’ return

Riley has another reason to not be worried about giving somebody like Kennedy Brooks a 25-carry load like last week as running back Marcus Major returned to the team over the weekend.

Major was deemed academically ineligible before the season, but a source confirmed the NCAA cleared Major on Friday. Major was in Dallas on Saturday and was suited up and warmed up with the team.

“It was a nice surprise, honestly,” Riley said. “It was a little unexpected. It’s good to have him back in the fold. He’s been practicing as a scout-team member the entire year so he’s had a chance to go against our defense competitively each week. We’ll get him back reacclimated with us offensively. He’s still been in meetings and all that. He just needs some reps to get back in the flow and rhythm.”

Brooks and Eric Gray have done their part in the first six games, but you can breathe just a bit better knowing there’s a third scholarship runner back in the fold.

Major’s last moment was his finest one, a 100-yard outing vs. Florida last season.

“He’s got some good experience, some good explosion. He’ll bring some size and some real physicality to the room, which will be a nice addition,” Riley said.

Mims effect

After not scoring a touchdown in the first five games of the season, sophomore wide receiver Marvin Mims scored two in the second half during that epic comeback.

That was the Mims that OU fans saw last season and the one everybody expected from the very first game of the season.

“I mean, the plays he made on the balls down the field were huge plays and just very competitive plays, which is something we as a receiving corps we really try to pride ourselves on,” Riley said. “And he did a great job.

“And yea, it was good to get him … a little bit more involved here last couple of weeks, which has been good. I think a big key to us playing well. Because he's one of our best players, and he's done well.”

Seeing Mims and Kennedy Brooks get going again was a huge welcome sign and should help the offense, no matter who the starting quarterback ends up being.