n “Sam’s been everything we wanted and needed him to be and more,” Bob Stoops said. “We’ve got such total confidence in him that we’re treating him like a senior.”

Now, the stats.

He’s thrown 308 passes, completed 216, 34 (an NCAA freshman record) for touchdowns against seven interceptions. No quarterback in matches his 180.5 passing efficiency rating.

“That little quarterback is a dandy,” Stewart said. “He is a player and he is going to be real special. He is going to be one heck of a challenge to our defense.”

Bradford has been aided all season by an offensive line that has only given up a Big 12 best 11 sacks, as well as a trio of running backs that have given the Sooners unpredictable balance. And there may not be a better five-receiver group than Kelly, Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson, Finley and Jermaine Gresham.

But Bradford shouldn’t be penalized for his good fortune. He has made them better, too. His uncanny accuracy has made catching the ball easy.

To proclaim such a season unprecedented by a freshman quarterback may well be correct. If not, his reaction to it all has to be.

The first time Bradford spoke to reporters in a press conference setting, he arrived in flip flops on a 45-degree morning. Once there, he told us how laid back — and — competitive he was.

“When it’s not exactly right,” Wilson said, “he takes it real personally. There’s an exactness.”

That makes sense.

Because he’s been exactly what the Sooners needed. And still he has three seasons to go.

But that’s for later. Momentarily, there is only tonight. And tonight, as luck would have it, there is only OU and West Virginia.

Sam Bradford could be the talk of college football.

The way he’s played all season, it won’t even take anything special.