Tag: Nic Anderson

Brent Venables provides injury update: Andrel Anthony done for the season

Sooners get some good news and some bad news on the injury front on Monday. Andrel Anthony will miss the remainder of the 2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost three starters to injuries during the game on Saturday. On Monday night, [autotag]Brent Venables [/autotag]gave an update on each of the players.

The good news is Venables said [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] is good to go. Also, after a scary injury where he was carted off the field, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] will be back “sooner rather than later,” according to Venables.

But the Sooners also received some bad news. Oklahoma will be without leading receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] for the rest of the season. Anthony went down with what looked like a noncontact knee injury at the end of the third quarter.

He’s been huge for the Sooners in his first year in the crimson and cream. From the very first game, it has looked like he and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had developed a special connection. He’s been the most consistent deep threat for the Sooners.

Anthony has 27 catches for 429 yards and a touchdown on the season. The Sooners’ depth is going to have to rise to the occasion. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is the one who replaced Anthony during the game and caught the game-winning touchdown pass.

He’s the most likely candidate to take his spot in the starting lineup. Anderson leads the Sooners with six touchdowns on the season.

You could also see a healthy dose of [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. For the deep threat, we could see some more of [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], who we saw against the Iowa State Cyclones but didn’t see last week.

Anthony is just a junior, so he most likely will be back next season, but it’s a tough blow for a guy having a career year for Oklahoma. Now it’s up to his teammates to make up for the loss of his production.

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Report Card: Sooners pass biggest test of the season in win over Texas

The Sooners won an instant classic against their rivals from Texas 34-30. We went and graded every position group’s performance.

Oklahoma’s win over Texas was a significant notch in the belt of head coach Brent Venables. It also signified the revitalization of Oklahoma football, just a year removed from getting blasted 49-0 in the same stadium by the Longhorns.

Venables’ team spent the entire offseason leveling up and striving to return to the standard people have become accustomed to.

This season, the Sooners handled everything that came their way. Every setback or adversity they faced in their first five games prepared them for Saturday in Dallas. The entire team and coaching staff handled it masterfully as the Sooners beat Texas, 34-30.

It was the most complete performance of the season, and some of the most significant areas the Sooners needed to work on after last season’s 6-7 record were on full display. After passing a test like that, it’s time to pass out some grades. It’s report card time.

Sooners get a big bump in latest US LBM Coaches Poll after beating Texas

The Oklahoma Sooners got a big bump in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after their incredible win over the Texas Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners came away with their biggest win of the Brent Venables era, beating the Texas Longhorns 34-30 in dramatic fashion on Saturday.

It came down to the final minutes of the game, and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] orchestrated an incredible drive to put the Sooners ahead with his touchdown pass to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] with 15 seconds remaining in the game.

With the win, the Oklahoma Sooners moved up to No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Sooners jumped up five spots, leapfrogging the Longhorns, who fell to No. 11, Alabama, USC, and Oregon in the process.

USC fell two spots after needing three overtimes to dispatch the Arizona Wildcats.

There was a lot of movement in the top 10 after Texas dropped.

Georgia stayed at No. 1, securing 61 of a possible 64 first-place votes. The Bulldogs dominated Kentucky in a top-25 matchup. Michigan remained at No. 2 after their big win over Minnesota. The Ohio State Buckeyes remained at No. 3, and Florida State moved into the fourth spot vacated by the Longhorns.

Following the Seminoles are the Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 5 and the Washington Huskies at No. 6.

The Oklahoma Sooners have their bye week coming up and then will host the UCF Knights.

Here’s a look at the full US LBM Coaches Poll after the Sooners’ Week 6 win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry.

Then continue scrolling to take a look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s win over the Texas Longhorns.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 6-0 1597 (61) –
2 Michigan 6-0 1512 –
3 Ohio State 5-0 1443 (2)
4 Florida State 5-0 1411 +1
5 Penn State 5-0 1300 +1
6 Washington 5-0 1246 (1) +2
7 Oklahoma 6-0 1200 +5
8 Oregon 5-0 1168 +1
9 Southern California 6-0 1121 -2
10 Alabama 5-1 1025 –
11 Texas 5-1 982 -7
12 North Carolina 5-0 912 +1
13 Ole Miss 5-1 764 +2
14 Oregon State 5-1 713 +2
15 Louisville 6-0 651 +10
16 Utah 4-1 600 +3
17 Tennessee 4-1 587 +1
18 Duke 4-1 451 +3
19 Washington State 4-1 370 -5
20 Louisiana State 4-2 355 +3
21 Notre Dame 5-2 324 -10
22 UCLA 4-1 276 +8
23 Kentucky 5-1 159 -3
24 Kansas 5-1 120 +10
25 Missouri 5-1 78 -3

Schools dropped out:

No. 17 Miami; No. 24 Fresno State.

Others Receiving Votes: 

Miami 74; Wyoming 60; Air Force 58; Iowa 57; Maryland 37; Clemson 33; West Virginia 24; Wisconsin 23; Texas A&M 22; Tulane 18; James Madison 9; Brigham Young 9; Fresno State 4; Ohio 2; Memphis 2; Florida 2; Liberty 1.

Here are some of the best photos from the Red River Rivalry

3 stars of the Game: Dillon Gabriel has a legacy performance in Red River Rivalry win

Taking a look at our three stars from Oklahoma’s excellent win over Texas.

Oklahoma faced its first actual test of the season on Saturday afternoon. The Sooners rose to the occasion as they defeated their rivals, the Texas Longhorns, in an instant classic 34-30 at the [autotag]Cotton Bowl[/autotag] in Dallas, Texas.

The game was wild from start to finish, but Oklahoma remained steady despite the roller coaster of emotions and the adversity it had to face during the game. Oklahoma eventually came out on top thanks to an all-time drive with less than 1:30 left on the clock and no timeouts by the Sooners offense.

The win guarantees Oklahoma the tiebreaker over Texas for the remainder of the regular season. It also gives the Sooners a signature win to validate them to the rest of the college football world.

The Sooners had to have nearly legendary performances from several guys to pull off the win. Without further ado, here are our three stars from Oklahoma’s win over Texas.

Up Next: 3 Stars from the Red River Win

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

‘This is why I came here’: Dillon Gabriel leads Oklahoma to win in Red River Rivalry

Dillon Gabriel became a Red River Rivalry hero in the Oklahoma Sooners win over Texas.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] trotted onto the field down three with 1:17 left in the game and the ball at his own 25-yard line. After scoring on the first possession of the half, the Oklahoma Sooners had been shut out on four straight possessions.

Oklahoma’s top wide receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] had been ruled out with an injury. One of the Sooners’ most experienced linemen, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], had also been lost for the game. The odds were against Gabriel.

What he did next will go down in [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] history.

Gabriel led the Sooners on a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in 1:02, to put the Sooners up, 34-30, with 15 seconds left on the clock. Gabriel went 4-for-4 for 58 yards and ran for another three yards, setting up the game-winning touchdown pass to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag].

Gabriel talked about the final play after the game.

“Just saw the corner clamp and saw Nic in the back of the end zone,” Gabriel said. “That’s what we practice week in and week out, and just proud of everybody coming together. Just controlling the chaos and just dialing it in. That’s big-time football and something you dream of as a little kid.”

Gabriel finished the game 23-for-38 for 285 yards and one touchdown while also rushing 14 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. He registered a QBR of 93 in the win. A QBR of 100 is perfect; 93 is phenomenal.

It was arguably his best game as a Sooner. He shined when they needed him most. A player who’s been hotly debated among fans, certainly earned his flowers after this game. If they didn’t love Gabriel before, I’m sure they do now.

He told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game this is why he came to Oklahoma.

“This is what OU football is all about,” Gabriel said. “This is why I came here, this game.”

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Oklahoma Sooners stay unbeaten, stun the Texas Longhorns 34-30 in Red River Rivalry

Dillon Gabriel and the Oklahoma Sooners came through with an incredible drive in the final minute to beat the Texas Longhorns 34-30.

The Oklahoma Sooners remained unbeaten with an incredible 34-30 win over the Texas Longhorns, the No. 4 team in the nation.

After everything that happened in this game a year ago, Oklahoma exorcised the demons and seized control of the race for the Big 12 title game and College Football Playoffs.

The Longhorns started with the ball, and on the second play of the game, Quinn Ewers was intercepted by Gentry Williams. It was Williams’ third interception of the season.

A few plays later, Dillon Gabriel ran it in as the Sooners took the 7-0 lead.

On the following possession, Texas showed early aggression, with a successful fake punt and picking up a key fourth down. The drive came up empty though when Kendel Dolby picked off Quinn Ewers in the end zone.

Unfortunately, the Sooners wouldn’t go anywhere with the possession, and Texas blocked the punt and recovered it for a touchdown to tie the game.

The game slowed down a bit after that, but the Sooners took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. On that drive, the Sooners benefitted from a roughing the kicker penalty, which gave the Sooners a fresh set of downs. Gabriel connected with Jalil Farooq on a deep ball before Zach Schmit hit the first of his two field goals in the game.

Ewers led a methodical drive and capped it with a touchdown pass on fourth down that put the Longhorns up 14-10.

The Sooners came right back. Gabriel led a great drive capped with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tawee Walker to make it 17-14 with nearly 5:30 left in the half.

Ewers and Texas responded with another great drive after a deep shot to Worthy. But the Sooners’ defense forced a field goal to tie it at 17.

On the final drive of the first half, the Sooners responded with a great drive. Tawee Walker dropped a sure touchdown with seconds left before half, and the Sooners were forced to settle for a field goal and a 20-17 lead into halftime.

The Sooners outgained the Longhorns, 245-228, in the first half.

The Sooners started the third quarter with the ball and finally had an Austin Stogner sighting. He had two huge catches on a drive that was capped with a 1-yard touchdown by Walker.

The Sooners forced a fumble by Ewers, but the offense couldn’t capitalize. After a punt, Texas put together a nice drive and ended it with a field goal to make it 27-20.

Texas started the fourth quarter on the Sooners’ 34 yard line after a couple of nice runs. Texas earned a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Sooners stopped the Horns on three straight runs and on fourth down, Billy Bowman stuffed Xavier Worthy at the one-yard line to keep the Longhorns from tying the game.

Backed up into their own end zone, Gabriel broke loose for a long run to set the Sooners up in Longhorns territory, but Oklahoma couldn’t cash in. Zach Schmit, kicking into the win, had his 45-yard field goal attempt come up short.

Texas marched right down the field and tied it on a long run with 6:10 left in the game. After a Sooners three and out, Texas took the ball into Sooners territory, and Bert Auburn put Texas ahead with his third field goal of the game.

With 1:17 left in the game, Gabriel put the Sooners on his back, going 4-for-4 58 yards. He made big throw after big throw before finding Nic Anderson in the back of the end zone with 15 seconds left to put the Sooners up 34-30.

Texas had one more shot at the end of the game but their Hail Mary fell short and the Oklahoma Sooners pulled off the incredible upset victory.

Gabriel was phenomenal in the win, completing 61% of his passes for 285 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 14 times for 133 yards and a score.

Jalil Farooq was also fantastic in the effort, with five receptions for 130 yards. He carried the ball three times for 13 yards and also had 37 yards on returns.

Defensively, Ethan Downs had a great game with two sacks. Jaren Kanak led the defense with 13 total tackles and a sack. Billy Bowman had 11 total tackles and a pass breakup. He was huge in run support for the Sooners, who held Texas to just 3.9 yards per carry in the game.

It was a huge win for a Sooners team that struggled for a lot of the second half after their opening drive. But when the team needed to come up with a drive, Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners came up clutch to win the game.

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15 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 5 per Pro Football Focus

Five games into the season, who are the highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners according to Pro Football Focus?

Football is a team game, but it’s made up of individual performances that enhance the whole. This season, the Sooners are playing well on both sides of the ball and have a top-five scoring offense and defense.

But what’s happening in 2023 is a change of pace from years past.

Of the Sooners’ top 15 highest-graded players, according to Pro Football Focus, nine of them are on the defensive side of the ball. Oklahoma has an elite offense but looks like they have an elite defense to match for what feels like the first time in forever.

Minimum Offensive Snaps: 99

Minimum Defensive Snaps: 89

Stock Report: Young playmakers rising as Sooners prepare for season’s biggest test

Oklahoma is 5-0 and on a upwards trajectory so check out how they fair in this week’s stock report as they prepare for the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma has passed each of the tests put before them through the first five weeks of the season. Now all eyes turn to their Red River Rivals, the Texas Longhorns. To get to that point, the Sooners had to dispatch the last five teams in front of them. The most recent being their final Big 12 matchup with the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag].

The Sooners won in decisive fashion, 50-20. Coming into the game, Brent Venables’ team had to avoid looking ahead and also leave no doubt that they weren’t the teams of the past that got tripped up by Matt Campbell’s Cyclones. Campbell has been a thorn in Oklahoma’s side since taking over the Iowa State program. However, an explosive passing game and stifling second-half defense put the game away.

As the Sooners prepare for Texas, some notable things are on an upward trajectory around Norman. And still, there are areas that aren’t on the right track. Will the positives prove pivotal on Saturday, or will the negatives continue to trend downward and affect Oklahoma’s chances of pulling off the upset of the Longhorns in Dallas?

Report Card: All three phases contribute as Oklahoma cruises to 30 point win over Iowa State

Oklahoma plays complementary football and rolls to a 50-20 win over Iowa State. A look at this week’s report card.

Oklahoma put together a complementary effort on Saturday night, beating Iowa State in their last matchup as Big 12 foes. In the Sooners’ 50-20 win, Oklahoma had big day on offense, added a defensive score, and a blocked punt resulted in a safety.

It was a pleasant sight as the Sooners avoided getting caught in a trap game. A few busts in coverage made the game closer than it was.

Outside of the two big plays, the Sooners allowed 234 yards and six points across the remaining three quarters. Brent Venables was able to rally and refocus his troops when the game got to 21-20 in the second quarter. The Sooners didn’t allow another point over the final 39 minutes of the game.

Here’s how the Sooners fared in this week’s Report Card.

Sooners offense shines, defense settles in as Oklahoma beats the Iowa State 50-20

Oklahoma Sooners put together another strong performance knocking off the Iowa State Cyclones, 50-20.

The Oklahoma Sooners took on the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] in their conference home opener in Norman on Saturday and came away with a huge 50-20 win to move to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 play.

The Sooners had a great start to the game as [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] picked off [autotag]Rocco Becht[/autotag] and took it back for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Iowa State came right back with a 51-yard strike on a 3rd and 18 on a busted coverage.

The Sooners took their first drive right down the field to answer. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] led the 75-yard drive and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run. The Sooners immediately gave up a huge run but ultimately held the Cyclones’ offense to a field goal.

Oklahoma got a touchdown on their next possession as Gabriel hit a wide-open [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] for 39 yards.

But then another defensive bust led to a 67-yard touchdown for the Cyclones. After a missed field goal by Zach Schmit, the Cyclones cut the game to one on a field goal of their own.

But the Sooners responded as Gabriel hit [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] for 46 yards. Gabriel ran it in from six yards out on the next play to make it 28-20 and the Sooners never looked back.

On the Cyclones ensuing drive, Oklahoma got a stop and then Peyton Bowen blocked his second punt of the season. After Trace Ford was unable to recover the blocked kick, the ball rolled out of bounds for a safety.

On their next drive, the Sooners put three more points on the board to go up 33-20.

Gentry Williams picked off Becht on the Cyclones’ next drive. Gabriel then found Stoops to end the half with the Sooners up 40-20.

Oklahoma outgained the Cyclones 340 to 272 in the first half.

The Sooners started the second half where they left off as Gabriel found [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] on a 41-yard touchdown pass on 4th down. It was an incredible display of balance and athleticism as Gibson bounced off of several would-be tacklers to get into the end zone and extend Oklahoma’s lead to 47-20.

After that, it was a defensive showdown for both teams for the rest of the quarter. The Sooners ended the quarter with a 4th down stop and took a 27-point lead to the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, Oklahoma was content to simply run the clock out. Though they only added a field goal, in the fourth, they did a great job milking the clock and holding strong on defense to close out the game.

They outgained the Cyclones 523 to 352, allowing only 80 yards in the second half.

Dillon Gabriel was fantastic yet again for the Oklahoma Sooners. He completed 67% of his passes for 367 yards and three touchdown passes. He also carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and two scores.

Jalil Farooq led the receiving corps with five receptions for 81 yards on the day. Brenen Thompson saw his first action as a Sooner with two catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Oklahoma Sooners shut down the Cyclones after allowing 20 points in the first 21 minutes of game time. The Sooners held Iowa State to just 4 of 15 on third down. They held Rocco Becht to a completion rate of 45% and limited the damage after the early coverage issues.

For the first time this season, a team found some success on the ground. Iowa State ran for 150 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. However in the second half, the Sooners held the Cyclones to 2.63 yards per carry.

The Sooners remain unbeaten, setting up the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.