How Oklahoma Will Try to Replace WR Andrel Anthony's Production
NORMAN — Oklahoma’s wide receiver room was dealt a blow in the Cotton Bowl.
Andrel Anthony will miss the rest of the season, OU coach Brent Venables confirmed on Monday.
The Michigan transfer exited the game in the second half of the Sooners’ 34-30 victory over then-No. 3 Texas.
Through six games, Anthony leads Oklahoma with 429 receiving yards and is second on the team with 27 catches. He also has pulled down one touchdown catch. Per Pro Football Focus, Anthony has been targeted on 34 passes this year, the second-most on the team behind Drake Stoops (36).
A deep threat early in the season, Anthony is averaging 15.9 yards per catch, OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel also displayed plenty of faith in his pass catcher on crucial downs.
Gabriel has targeted Anthony 10 times on third downs this season, with Anthony nabbing eight catches for 79 yards. He’s moved the chains on seven of those eight catches, averaging 9.8 yards per reception on third down.
In total, 29.6 percent of the junior’s receptions on the year have come on third down.
Now, wide receivers coach Emmett Jones will need some of his younger talent to step up and fill the void.
“It's a big loss,” OU tight end Austin Stogner said on Monday. “ … Andrel's a guy that's obviously a crazy good playmaker and really fast guy. But we feel for him and we're going to miss him, but we've got some guys that can step up, obviously, and contribute.”
Though there were plenty of questions surrounding Oklahoma’s pass catchers entering the season, a few candidates have flashed the ability to make a difference halfway through the regular season.
Redshirt freshman Nic Anderson has found the end zone on six of his 11 catches in 2023, leaving fans clamoring for more.
Redshirt freshman Nic Anderson has six touchdowns on 11 receptions this year for Oklahoma.
Nathan J. Fish / USA TODAY Sports
“He’s a guy who will continue to get more and more action,” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said after beating Texas on Saturday. “He’s produced when he’s been put in more situations. And he’ll continue to. I’m fired up about where he’s at and where he is going.”
Anderson got plenty of run for the Sooners after Anthony’s exit, with his lone catch coming on OU’s final offensive snap — a 3-yard touchdown catch to put the Sooners in front 34-30.
Along with his six touchdowns, Anderson is third on the team with 282 receiving yards despite only being targeted on 13 passes in 2023.
Anderson hasn’t displayed the speed that makes Anthony a lethal weapon in Lebby’s vertical passing game, but his 6-foot-4 frame creates a matchup problem, and he’s already shown the ability to run through arm tackles against both Tulsa and Cincinnati.
Sophomore Jayden Gibson was also called into action after Anthony went down against Texas.
Gabriel threw the ball in the direction of his 6-5 receiver twice in the fourth quarter, though the Longhorn secondary made a pair of competitive plays to break up those passes.
Gibson has caught six passes for 159 yards and two scores this year, and is averaging 26.5 yards per catch.
A candidate to replace Anthony’s speed could be Brenen Thompson.
The Texas transfer was banged up during fall camp, and finally got onto the field against Iowa State, where he punished the Cyclones with two passes for 62 yards, including a 54-yard catch through double coverage.
“He’s really fast,” Venables said after the win over the Cyclones. “Really, really fast. Faster than fast. So it’s good to have him back out there.”
Oklahoma also has Gavin Freeman and Jaquaize Pettaway available, though the pair of wide receivers have mostly seen action when Stoops heads to the sideline.
Freeman has 11 catches for 62 yards and one touchdown and Pettaway has caught 10 balls for 61 yards so far this year, including a team-high nine in the season opener.
Thompson didn’t log a snap against Texas, per PFF, but Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) won’t take the field again until its at 11 a.m. contest on Oct. 21 against the UCF Knights (3-3, 0-3), giving the No. 5-ranked Sooners plenty of time to get multiple players up to speed to attempt to replace Anthony’s production.
Wide receiver Jalil Farooq is confident his teammates will be ready to produce by the time OU takes the field against UCF, as the entire position group has to live by a next-man up mentality.
“Everybody (is) putting in work day in and day out,” Farooq said on Monday. “Just being ready for their moment. … We know what comes with this game. Injuries happen 24/7. Just players (have to be) ready to step up and I feel like we’ve got the receivers for it.
“We don’t have no weak link. We’re as strong as our weakest link. I feel like we’ve got all studs, so everybody in the room is ready to step up to that plate.”
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