— NORMAN – Landry Jones has thrown for more yards than any quarterback in Oklahoma history. Heck, with just an average season he’ll throw for more yards than any Big 12 Conference quarterback.

Those are just statistics. He’s four wins shy of matching the Sooners’ mark for wins by a quarterback and is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender.

So, why was it that all OU fans didn’t rejoice when he spurned a likely spot in the first round in the NFL draft and elected to return for his senior season? They did when Jason White elected to return in 2004 after a Heisman Trophy winning season the year before. There was a state of euphoria when Sam Bradford returned for another year after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2008.

OU coach Bob Stoops doesn’t get where the blasé attitude toward Jones comes from.

“He’s about to be the all-time leading passer in our history and that’s with guys like Jason White and Sam Bradford and Josh Heupel and so on and so on. That pretty much says it all,” he said.

Jones, who is 29-8 as the Sooners’ starting quarterback and has thrown a school record 93 touchdown passes, is a victim of timing. He had to replace Bradford as OU’s starting quarterback. Filling his shoes was never going to be easy. It’s never easy to replace a guy who has a statue outside the stadium.

Doesn’t help that his backup — Blake Bell — was the MVP of the Insight Bowl last season and reinvigorated the Sooners’ rushing attack in the second half of last season. Doesn’t help that OU’s passing attack foundered after All-American wide receiver Ryan Broyles went three-quarters of the way through the season.

“Let’s face it, a year ago you took away some weapons. He maybe overall hasn’t had the most stable receiving corps and tight end corps like some of those other guys had,” Stoops said. “So, I think the guy has done very well. And the expectations are what they are. He isn’t any of those other guys. He’s Landry Jones and we love him. I think he’s getting ready to have a great year.”

Jones never says a peep when asked if he feels slighted. His skin thickened soon after he was thrust into the starting job as a redshirt freshman in 2009.

“You just have to realize what you are capable of and what you are out there to do and leave everything else kind of off to the side. You have to focus on what you can control,” he said. “Those other outside deals or what people are saying to you … You have to control your emotions and how you react to things.”

Jones hardly said a peep when asked about being left off the preseason All-Big 12 team last month.

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith had the top spot. It exemplified the first three years of Jones’ career. He’s done the things All-American quarterbacks do. Getting full credit for it has been the hard part.

Jones doesn’t ask for the praise. He’s really only set one goal for this season.

“For me it’s going after that national championship,” he said. “We’ve had some success around this place. With me at quarterback, we haven’t yet been able to get to that big game. We’ve had some stumbles usually in the regular season that keeps us from that. I think that’s a steppingstone that I want to take and I want to be able to accomplish in my career.”

It’s the one thing Bradford and White weren’t able to attain; it’s the one thing Jones has yet to achieve. Win it and Landry Jones will finally get the respect he’s earned.

– John Shinn is a sports writer for the Norman Transcript.