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College Football

College football observations: QBs Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell might not be who we thought they were

Erick Smith
USA TODAY

The consensus top two quarterbacks prospects entering the season were Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma and Sam Howell of North Carolina. The likely script for both was simple: Each would have banner campaigns and enter the NFL draft after their junior seasons. The only mysteries were which one would win the Heisman Trophy and which would go first in the NFL draft. 

But sometimes the script gets torn up. Halfway through the seasons for Sooners and Tar Heels, things look very different.

Rattler struggled through his first four games that culminated with his home fans booing him in a win against West Virginia. He appeared to resolve those issues last week against Kansas State. Then came a terrible first half against Texas that saw him commit two turnovers and Oklahoma trail 28-7. Rattler (8-for-15 for 111 yards passing, one interception) was benched and freshman Caleb Williams led the Sooners to a memorable comeback win, leaving doubt about whether Rattler is even the starter next week.

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