All Sooners

Sooners in the NFL: Eagles Duo Stars, Grant Calcaterra Scores First Career Touchdown

Oklahoma's passing connection in Philadelphia lifted the Eagles to a win on Sunday afternoon.

Ross Lovelace

Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Grant Calcaterra (81) reacts to his touchdown catch against the Carolina Panthers during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Grant Calcaterra (81) reacts to his touchdown catch against the Carolina Panthers during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
In this story:

Oklahoma's NFL talent has been shining bright across the league's landscape all season long, but Philadelphia was a highlight in Week 14 action. The Eagles won their ninth game in a row, and it was an OU duo leading the way.

Jalen Hurts has had a career-best stretch during Philadelphia's impressive winning streak, and as a result, he has developed a ethal connection with former Oklahoma tight end Grant Calcaterra. The duo connected on a fourth-quarter touchdown against the Carolina Panthers, which proved to be the game-winning score in Philadelphia's 22-16 victory.

Once again, Hurts was terrific, and all he had to do was take care of the ball. The former Oklahoma quarterback completed 14-of-21 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns through the air. As always, he was effective on the ground, rushing eight times for 59 yards and another score. Hurts has had his fair share of struggles through the air this season, but he has made up for it with ball security. In his last 10 games, he has 13 passing touchdowns compared to just one interception.

The real story on Sunday, though, was Calcaterra. The former Oklahoma tight end nearly gave up football because of concussions at Oklahoma. After a rock solid stint at OU, he transferred to SMU and kick started his career. Now, he's having a career year in the pros.

In Week 14, Calcaterra hauled in his first NFL receiving touchdown and helped the Eagles walk away victorious. On the day, he caught all three of his targets for 16 yards and a score.

On the season, Calcaterra now has 20 catches for 232 yards and a score. He has been an underrated part of Philadelphia's success and a breakout performer for one of the league's best teams this season.

Dallas Goedert, the Eagles' starting tight end, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury on Saturday that will keep him sidelined for an extended period of time. Because of that, Calcaterra's opportunity will grow even more as Philadelphia's final regular-season stretch approaches. He could become the unlikely hero for the Eagles this season.

After catching passes from Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Calcaterra only played one season with Hurts (2019) at Oklahoma, but it was Calcaterra's final season before breifly retiring due to concussions. He only caught five passes for 79 yards that season and finished his three-year OU career with 41 catches for 637 yards and nine touchdowns. After sitting out 2020, he turned up at SMU, where he caught 38 passes for 465 yards and four TDs in 2021.

But based on the way Philadelphia's season is shaping up, you'd think the two had a long history of chemistry on the football field. The practice reps are certainly shining through now.

Published |Modified
Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners since 2018. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and the Sooners On SI podcast. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross started with Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and worked for Sooners On SI and Thunder On SI. Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross and his wife live in New Orleans, where he is a Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

Home/Football