E very year we come to the Red/White and every year we leave knowing very little more than we did on the way into Owen Field.

Only maybe not this time.

This time we learned some things.

We learned the lords of Oklahoma football are capable of coming up with a scoring system more complicated than that golf tournament they used to play at Castle Pines and less complicated than, say, calculus.

We learned, on the ESPN broadcast, the phrase “Oklahoma is on the scoreboard,” means absolutely nothing at the annual spring game.

We learned the best offense, at the Red/White, can be a turnover-prone offense, because a turnover deep in your own territory may be worth three points to the defense, but a quick six to the offense going the other way.

We learned Allen Patrick may be a returning starter, but he may have to stand in line behind DeMarco Murray, who looked better running the ball at any Red/White affair since John Blake brought back the bone and put first teamers against fourth teamers the spring before he was axed.

And we learned Sam Bradford will be the starting quarterback.

No, that’s not official.

“That position has to be earned,” Bob Stoops said.

And it’s hard for a true freshman, a redshirt freshman and a guy who’s barely seen a Division I field from inside the lines to earn anything in April.

But everybody can see what’s going on.

Bradford’s strong arm had already been established, as had the idea the 6-foot-5, 197-pound prospect out of Putnam City North was just that, a legitimate prospect and not some young Turk all-stater destined for NAIA until the Sooners found themselves saddled with a scholarship they could use or burn.

“When we feel a guy has earned it,” Stoops said, “we’ll say so.”

So expect Bradford to earn it about a week before opening day. And call Saturday the day it became clear.