Oklahoma Head Coach Brent Venables says Losing Star WR was "Big Loss"
Since losing junior wide receiver Andrel Anthony to a season-ending injury against Texas, Oklahoma’s offense hasn’t been the same.
While the Sooners have still had some of success on that side of the ball since the Red River Rivalry, Jeff Lebby’s offense hasn’t been nearly as fluid since losing the Michigan transfer.
OU’s recent struggles wouldn’t be completely fixed with Anthony in the lineup, but there are moments in each game since the speedy pass catcher’s injury where Dillon Gabriel and company were clearly missing their top target.
Prior to his season-ending injury, Anthony was Oklahoma’s leading receiver, tallying 27 catches for 429 yards and one touchdown in six games. Anthony also drew multiple pass interference calls deep downfield, giving the Sooners’ offense an explosive, big-play threat who got behind opposing defenses with ease and seemed to have a good connection with Gabriel.
After losing Anthony, the OU offense has become more conservative and hasn’t pushed the ball downfield nearly as much. At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, head coach Brent Venables talked about how Oklahoma losing its top deep threat has severely hindered the team’s offense.
“I think it goes without saying, several weeks ago losing Andrel Anthony was a big loss,” Venables said. “At times we’ve been able to have some guys come through. But again we’ve got to play consistently when it comes to doing the basics the right way.”
Without Anthony in the lineup, Drake Stoops, Jalil Farooq and Nic Anderson have all stepped up and played well, but none of the aforementioned receivers have the same speed or play style that made Anthony so dangerous, which in turn helped open up other aspects of the Sooners’ offense.
Against UCF, Anderson led the team with 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns, once again flashing his big-play ability. Against Kansas the following week, however, Anderson caught just one pass for 18 yards.
In OU’s loss to The Jayhawks, Stoops led the team with four catches and 76 receiving yards. The following week, the former walk-on had the best game of his collegiate career, grabbing 12 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Against Kansas and UCF, Farooq recorded a combined six catches for 44 yards. Against Oklahoma State, however, the junior wideout got back on track, catching seven passes for 98 yards.
Anderson also had a good day against the Cowboys, hauling in three passes for 92 yards. The 6-foot-4 receiver could’ve had even better statistics, but dropped what would have been a huge gain and potentially a touchdown.
At his press conference on Tuesday, Venables highlighted Anderson’s miscue.
“When you get open, you got to catch the ball,” Venables said. “When you’re targeting people on the perimeter we’ve gotta do a great job cutting people up and making people work. We need to be more consistent with some of those things. That helps the flow of everything.”
The Sooners have tried to utilize sophomore wideout Brenen Thompson’s speed to create a similar vertical threat, but the former Texas wideout has mustered just two big plays so far this season.
True freshman Jaquaize Pettaway and redshirt freshman Jayden Gibson both flashed early in the season, but neither has gotten much time on the field since the first few weeks.
Since Anthony’s injury, no wide receiver aside from Stoops, Farooq and Anderson has recorded more than 39 yards in a game. Against Kansas, Thompson hauled in a 39-yard pass on the Sooners’ final offensive drive, his only catch of the day.
With Anthony out of the lineup, it is clear that OU’s depth in the receiver room has taken a noticeable hit. Stoops, Farooq and Anderson are three very solid options in the starting lineup, but wide receivers coach Emmett Jones is now struggling to find playmakers behind the three aforementioned pass catchers.
This late into the season, it feels very unlikely that another receiver will suddenly emerge, meaning that Lebby and company will be primarily relying on three wideouts for the final four games of the year.
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