Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] is carrying quite a heavy load on the OU offense right now.
The Sooners struggled to move the football in a 16-12 victory over Houston last week, as there was no part of the offense that looked in sync in a tough outing. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s unit has been behind the eight-ball two weeks into the season, forcing OU’s defense and special teams to pick up the slack.
Part of the reason for the issues is the myriad of injuries the Sooners are facing on offense. In the offensive line room, Geirean Hatchett is out for the season, while Branson Hickman, Jake Taylor, and Troy Everett are all working their way back from injuries. One of OU’s best offensive linemen, Jacob Sexton, might be playing out of position due to all of the injuries, and the Sooners are down to their fourth-string center in Joshua Bates and a backup tackle in Spencer Brown. The other tackle, Michael Tarquin has played on both sides of the line, and because of all of the shuffling, the only player excelling in one spot up front is right guard Febechi Nwaiwu. These are just the beginning of the issues for an offensive line that has struggled through two weeks.
There are similar issues at wide receiver. Jayden Gibson is done for the year. Jalil Farooq is still two months from returning. Andrel Anthony has been extremely limited as he attempts to return from his injury, and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] hasn’t played yet in 2024. Anderson is expected to be back “sooner rather than later,” but until he is, OU will be hurting at wide receiver.
Burks has been the only player at the position who can provide quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] with a reliable, open target in the passing game, as the unit has struggled with getting separation and with drops. Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester, and Jaquaize Pettaway haven’t been what Sooner fans had hoped for so far in 2024. True freshmen Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney, and Ivan Carreon will be asked to step up even more if the injury issues continue. If OU wants to improve in the air, they need other options to step up until Anderson returns and Anthony is healthy enough to have an impact.
Enter the tight ends.
[autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] have each had one excellent performance and one so-so performance so far in 2024, but luckily for the Sooners, they came on opposite nights.
Against Temple in week one, Sharp stepped up alongside Burks to five passes and a touchdown. He was reliable over the middle of the field and got open for Arnold. He didn’t have a catch against Houston, dropping a key third-down pass, but his running mate picked up where he left off.
After being used mainly in a blocking role against Temple, Roberts burst onto the scene in week two against Houston. He caught three passes, with two going for key first downs and one going for a touchdown. He was the only player on OU’s roster aside from Burks who had multiple receptions in a lackluster overall offensive performance.
During post-practice media availability Monday night, reporters asked Burks about the emergence of the two tight ends. Josh Callaway, who covers OU for 247Sports, shared Burks’ response on social media.
‘Them guys is leaders,” Burks said. “They come in every day with the same mindset, bring everybody’s energy up; energy is contagious, honestly. They’ve got reliable hands and stuff like that as well, just dudes you can rely on, so it’s a great thing when we go with the “21” personnel and run two tight ends and stuff like that as well, so I think it’s great.”
https://twitter.com/JoshMCallaway/status/1833600765166031255
As Oklahoma readies for Tulane, and anticipates the return of Anderson to boost the passing game alongside Burks, look for even more emphasis on the two tight ends who have been one of very few positives early this season for the OU offense.
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