The NCAA’s highest-scoring offense lost its commander for the remainder of the 2015 season Monday.
Baylor’s junior quarterback Seth Russell suffered damage to the cervical vertebra late in his team’s 45–27 victory over Iowa State Saturday. The team announced that Russell will undergo a season-ending neck surgery that commonly requires a recovery period of six months.
Before a decision was made on Russell’s season, however, Baylor coach Art Briles received a text message from Norman, Oklahoma.
Following OU's win over Texas Tech, George Knight, father of Trevor and Connor Knight, was at dinner with his sons Saturday evening. As news spread of Russell's injury, George texted the Bears’ head coach that he and his sons said prayers for the Baylor first-year starter.
Briles immediately replied with his appreciation.
George Knight knows better than anyone what it’s like to see someone close to him deal with a traumatic neck injury. During the fourth quarter of Oklahoma’s home game against Baylor on Nov. 8, 2014, George witnessed his son Trevor take a potentially career-ending sack.
The Injury
As Baylor led Oklahoma by 27 points, a mob of Baylor defenders brought down then-sophomore Trevor Knight deep in his own backfield on a broken fourth-and-two play.
His father was in attendance, and he vividly recalls the sight of his son unable to get up and struggling to move his arms, he said.
"It was a horrible feeling," George Knight said in a phone interview Monday. "I shot up out of my seat and got down to the entrance of the locker room right away.”
As Trevor Knight prepared to be carted off the field, his brother and fraternal twin Connor Knight was joined by a few Baylor players.
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty and offensive linemen Spencer Drango and Tyler Edwards kneeled with the Oklahoma tight end and lowered their heads in prayer as Connor Knight was unable to be with his brother with 11 minutes remaining in the lopsided game.
"It’s always scary seeing something like that happen to someone you’re so close to, and really, anybody that you’re playing with," Connor Knight said. "You see a big injury, and it just kind of shakes you up for a minute.
"Especially with him, just seeing him go down, I couldn’t go with him. I couldn’t see if he was alright."
Trevor Knight was eventually taken to Oklahoma's training room, where his father was waiting inside.
As they approached the facility, George Knight couldn't see his son with so many people surrounding the cart. But then he heard a familiar voice.
“Dad! Dad! I’m okay! I’m okay!"
A Bad Day Gets Worse
Trevor Knight immediately let his dad know he was fine. But the difficult day didn't end there.
The sophomore quarterback left Oklahoma's facility under his own power and visited a specialist in Oklahoma City for further evaluation.
But on the way back, the Knights ran out of gas.
“It was my older son’s Tyler’s vehicle," George Knight said. "I ended up getting in the drivers seat and not paying attention to where the fuel was. We ended up at the exit just off of Tecumseh (along Interstate 35)."
The bad day became a little worse.
Fortunately for the family, Trevor’s roommate, Oklahoma’s starting center, Ty Darlington, and Ty’s younger brother came to the rescue.
"I had to go buy and take him gas," Darlington said. "We couldn’t get the car started — it was a disaster. It was a rough night. No matter how you slice it, it was rough."
The roommates eventually returned home with Trevor Knight sporting a neck brace.
There was no guarantee he would return to the football field, though.
"I think that was part of the equation the whole time until ultimately he had seen multiple specialists and was fully cleared by them and the OU football team," George Knight said. "That was something distinctly possible until the final decision was made."
His official diagnosis was transient quadriplegia — a cervical spine injury typically caused by hyperextension of the neck. And the unclear timetable for his return frustrated Trevor Knight.
He was positive he'd be back from the injury. And on Dec. 29, 2014, No. 9 strapped on an OU helmet again.
The Friendship
Had Trevor Knight's road to recovery not gone so smoothly, he might have not met Seth Russell.
Trevor Knight was invited for a second time to the Manning Passing Academy this past summer. He knew of the Baylor quarterback, but it wasn't until their time in Thibodaux, Louisiana, that they met and bonded.
“We pretty much hung out the whole time," Trevor Knight said. "The cool thing about that camp is you get to know those guys really well in a short period of time. We hung out the whole weekend."
The two were able to learn under NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning and a few more of the game's best minds.
Since their time at camp, the two quarterbacks have experienced very different seasons.
They both currently play for a top-15 team, but Knight is once again in a backup role, while Seth Russell is lighting up secondaries in his first year as Baylor's starter.
The Bears’ gunslinger threw for 2,104 yards and an NCAA-best 29 passing touchdowns in only seven games.
Their friendship made the news of Russell's injury all the more disheartening for Knight.
“You hate to see that happen to a guy, especially a guy like that — a guy that I know, and a guy that’s playing so well," Trevor Knight said. "You don’t want to see him go down like that. It’s just a really unfortunate deal.”
The Return
Baylor will now have to rely on freshman quarterback Jarrett Stidham, but Russell will still have another shot next year to bounce back.
Trevor Knight knows that situation well. His path at OU has taken several turns, but he's always been able to recover from adversity.
He was injured several times as a first-year starter in 2013. Despite those setbacks, the then-redshirt freshman fueled Oklahoma's Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
Fast forward to this year. Trevor Knight was named a team captain for the second time despite a difficult end to his 2014 campaign.
And while it's Baker Mayfield in the starting quarterback role, Trevor Knight is just enjoying getting back on the field.
“It’s awesome. Any time you get a chance to play, you try to make the most of it," Trevor Knight said. "That’s what you come to a place like this for. That’s what you play college football for — to get in the game and do big things.”
Part of Trevor Knight's resilient demeanor comes from his constant positive mood.
His father said he's always been a positive person. Other players' parents have also noticed Trevor Knight's positive spirit.
"He’s never in a bad mood," senior Sterling Shepard said. "My mom says that all the time. She’s like, ‘Trevor is just so happy at all times,’ and that’s just the type of person he is. No matter the situation or what happens, he’s all going to have that happy attitude.”
Trevor Knight's current role may be different. But postgame interactions haven't felt any different for his father, who has watched OU the past few weeks rise up from its loss to Texas.
Oklahoma boasts a 6-1 record with November approaching, and the Sooners control their own destiny in terms of a Big 12 championship.
Trevor Knight will continue to prepare himself for his moment when it presents itself. And not even one year later after his scary injury, he has moved on and is relishing his opportunity to play for Oklahoma.
“I don’t ever really think about that injury anymore," Trevor Knight said. "It was just kind of one of those deals. It happened, and then (I) moved on. It’s not something that sits in the back of my head or anything like that.
"Hopefully, that’ll be the same with Seth. Hopefully he can get back there soon because he’s going to have a heck of a career ahead of him.”
