Oklahoma Sooners announce game captains for week 2 vs. Houston Cougars

The Oklahoma Sooners revealed their week two game captains for their matchup with the Houston Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) begin their week getting ready for the Houston Cougars (0-1) in Norman on Saturday night. The matchup is the second of four-straight home games for the Sooners to start the season, culminating in their week four matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.

After their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls, the Sooners will to continue improving in all three phases as they inch closer to their SEC debut.

With week two underway, the Sooners have announced their game captains. Oklahoma will be led by defensive end [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], running back [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag], cheetah linebacker [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag], and kicker Zach Schmit.

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1830987191092178989

Downs represents one of the longest-tenured Sooners on the roster and one of a handful of players still on the roster from the Lincoln Riley days. He’s been a steady force for the Sooners at defensive end as Oklahoma has turned over it’s unit up front under Brent Venables.

Barnes looked really good against Temple. He was fast, explosive, showed the ability to break tackles and nearly broke a long run for a touchdown. After a 2023 season that was limited due to injuries, Barnes looks ready to improve upon his breakout freshman campaign back in 2022.

Roberts is another veteran on the roster, in his fifth season of college football. Combined with [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], the Sooners have a really good duo at tight end. When Oklahoma utilized two-tight end formations, Roberts was out there to aid the offense. His experience and leadership is key for a team relying on a lot of youth across the depth chart.

Dolby has been a revelation since coming up from the JUCO ranks. Initially a backup last season, he emerged to take over the starting cheetah role and hasn’t relinquished it. He’s displayed his playmaking ability both in coverage and as a blitzer. Against Temple, he had a sack and forced a pass deflection that led to an interception.

Schmit may not have won the place-kicking duties, but his work as the kickoff man is crucial to Oklahoma’s special teams. His ability to kick it out of the back of the end zone prevents teams from mounting a return.

Though the Houston Cougars were beaten by UNLV in week one, this is a well-coached team led by Willie Fritz. Fritz had his Tulane Green Wave team pushing the Sooners back at the beginning of the 2021 season. Oklahoma’s game captains will have to keep the Sooners focused on themselves this week and not looking past Houston to stave off a threat from the Cougars.

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Brent Venables provides injury update to trio of Sooners starters

The Oklahoma Sooners could get back some key personnel for their week two matchup with the Houston Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners are dealing with a rash of injuries to key personnel on the offensive side of the ball.

Wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] missed Friday’s win over Temple. Starting center [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] was lost due to an ankle sprain in the first quarter.

All three have a chance to be back for Week 2 against the Houston Cougars.

On his weekly coach’s show, Sooners head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] shared that Branson Hickman looked good at practice Monday evening but is questionable for this week’s showdown with Houston. If he were unable to go, Oklahoma could go with [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag], the Washington transfer who slid over to center in the first half after Hickman went down. Or, they could roll with [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], who made a lot of noise in fall camp for his work and his improvement. He was banged up toward the end of the August and didn’t play until the second half last week against Temple.

The Oklahoma Sooners need [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] back. The Sooners were already down [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], who was ruled out for the year during fall camp. Then, they lost Jalil Farooq for 6 to 8 weeks with a broken foot. The Sooners’ wide receiver depth is pretty thin at this point. Getting Anderson back would provide a huge boost to the passing attack. He had nearly 800 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in 2023 and was expected to be a significant part of the offense this year, but has been hobbled since fall camp.

The projected starter most likely to return this week, and one the Sooners need to get in the mix, is right tackle [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag]. Taylor had a strong offseason and beat out [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] to earn the starting role along Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line. His unavailability was noticeable against Temple, as the Sooners had a hard time blocking on the right side of the formation.

At some point, the Oklahoma Sooners need to begin building continuity and cohesion with their offensive line. But the injuries they’re dealing with makes that difficult. If Taylor and Hickman can go this week and next against Tulane, it will give the Sooners an opportunity to see their starting five together for a couple of weeks before the Tennessee Volunteers roll into town.

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Sooners kicker wins SEC Special Teams Player of the Week

The Oklahoma Sooners earned their first SEC Weekly Award after a great week from kicker Tyler Keltner.

Special teams was an area that the Oklahoma Sooners needed drastic improvement. The punting situation improved over the second half of last season, but the return game and the kicking game didn’t help the Sooners much.

Well, one game into the 2024 season, the kicking game looks improved. Transfer kicker [autotag]Tyler Keltner[/autotag] was 3-for-3, including makes 50, 42, and 24 yards. He was also perfect on his six extra-point attempts. Keltner was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts and earned Oklahoma’s first weekly award in the SEC.

After transferring from Florida State in the spring, Keltner battled with incumbent starter [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] this offseason. Keltner earned the first opportunity to hold down the kicking job and came through in his first game action as a Sooner.

It’s an important revelation for the Sooners, who will need their special teams units to be good to have a chance to contend in 2024. With Oklahoma’s defense leading the way and the offense under transition, OU can’t afford to leave points on the field.

Keltner’s performance provides a lot of confidence in the kicking situation moving forward. He’ll get another opportunity to ply his craft this Saturday evening when the Sooners take on the Houston Cougars.

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The Good, the bad and the ugly from the Oklahoma Sooners win over Temple

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the Oklahoma Sooners week one win over the Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a strong start in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls. They did just enough on offense to take advantage of a great defensive effort.

Oklahoma knew it didn’t need to go deep into the playbook to beat the Owls. While the offensive performance isn’t quite what we’d expect from the Sooners, it didn’t need to be for OU to win and cover the 42 1/2-point spread.

There was a lot of good in Oklahoma’s win over the Owls and some stuff that has to improve as the Sooners move through the 2024 season. Here’s a look at the first installment of the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 1.

The Good: Defense is Back in Norman

It’s just one game, but the Oklahoma Sooners defense looked great against the Temple Owls on Friday night.

The Sooners held Temple to less than 200 yards of total offense and 1.9 yards per carry. Oklahoma’s defense recorded six turnovers, the most in a game since 2003. It also recorded six sacks and nine tackles for loss. The production came from everyone.

The Owls couldn’t get much going offensively as the Sooners frustrated them with a relentless defensive effort.

The Sooners will face tougher teams down the road, but you have to be happy about what they put on the field to start the 2024 season.

The Bad: Run Game Needs Work

Yes, the Oklahoma Sooners ran for 217 yards. You take the 28 yards from sacks out of the equation and the yardage number jumps to 245. On the surface, that looks pretty good. But nearly a third of that rushing total came on the final drive when [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] added 76 yards to the total.

In the first half, OU ran for 4.1 yards per carry. By contrast, the Sooners averaged 9.1 yards per carry in the second half. A much better number, but Temple went deeper into the depth chart as the game went on.

Yes, the offense had a vanilla game plan, but the first-team offense should have been more effective against the Temple Owls. The unit was without [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] and lost [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] to injury in the early going.

The Sooners will have an opportunity to right the ship when they take on a Houston Cougars team that allowed UNLV to rush for nearly 200 yards and average 4.1 yards per carry.

The Ugly: Wide Receiver Depth takes another Hit

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room was lauded this offseason for being one of the deepest in the nation. Well, that depth is going to be put to the test as the Sooners suffered another significant injury.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], who was third on the team in receiving yards in 2023, was expected to have another strong season but suffered a broken foot in the first quarter of the win over Temple. That’s the second significant injury suffered by the wide receiver during the last month. [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] was lost for the season in the preseason.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] has been banged up and is expected to be ready to roll this week against the Cougars, and Oklahoma will need the breakout star from 2023 to have a repeat season this year.

[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] looked good and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] is off to a nice start to the season. But the Sooners need Anderson back and will need a younger player to earn a significant role in the wide receiver rotation.

Oklahoma can’t afford another significant wide receiver injury.

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3 Stars from Oklahoma’s 51-3 win over the Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a great start in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls, and here are this week’s three stars.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the season with a 51-3 win over the Temple Owls on Friday night. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but there were a great many positives to take away from the win.

But on both sides of the ball, there were impact players, so let’s take a look at this week’s three stars of the game.

Third Star: Jackson Arnold, QB

Seth Littrell and the Oklahoma Sooners didn’t ask [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] to do too much in this game, but he was effective with what he was asked to do. The first throw of the game was fantastic, a deep strike to Jalil Farooq for 47 yards.

Arnold attempted just two passes beyond 20 yards, which will not indicate his passing chart week-to-week. One was the reception by Farooq and the other was a beautiful deep ball down the sideline to a covered J.J. Hester who let the ball go through his hands.

Behind a patchwork offensive line, Arnold made good decisions, got the ball out quickly and tried to make things happen with his legs when it wasn’t there for him through the air.

Accounting for drops and throwaways, Arnold’s adjusted completion percentage was 83.3% on the evening and finished with an NFL passer rating of 121.8. A strong start to the season for the former five-star quarterback.

Second Star: Deion Burks, WR

Deion Burks was as advertised in the Sooners’ win, catching three touchdowns in the first half, which is the most ever by a player in their Oklahoma debut.

As was the case for the offense, the Sooners didn’t unveil all of the ways in which they’ll utilize Burks, but he was efficient and effective on his targets. He had six catches on seven targets for 36 yards and three touchdowns. He also took three sweeps for 14 yards, showing off his speed.

Burks displayed really good route running, creating separation in the red zone for his scores.

With the wide receiver depth chart taking a hit due to Farooq’s injury, the Sooners will need Burks to have a big season and he’s off to a great start.

Up Next: First Star of the Game

Sooners wide receiver Jalil Farooq expected to miss significant time with injury

The Oklahoma Sooners will be without wide receiver Jalil Farooq for an extended period of time.

The Oklahoma Sooners went into fall camp feeling great about a deep wide receiver room. Fast forward through the first week of the regular season and that depth has evaporated.

Despite a 51-3 win over Temple, the Sooners have taken a hit on the injury front.

Senior wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] hauled in a 47-yard reception to help the Sooners score on their first possession. He then left the game and was seen on the sidelines with a walking boot. In his postgame press conference, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] revealed that Farooq will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a broken foot.

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Oklahoma lost [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] for the season during fall camp and were without [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] in week one. [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] made his return to the field, but had a limited snap count, making one catch for four yards.

Transfer wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] was really good in his debut for the Sooners, catching three touchdowns on six receptions. But Oklahoma’s going to need someone to step up among their young blue chip wide receivers. [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], and [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag] each earned time in the win over Temple, but they’ll likely be asked to do more over the next two months while Farooq works his way back to the field.

https://twitter.com/EricBaileyTW/status/1829720359077363750

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Stingy defense leads Sooners to 51-3 win over Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners defense forced six turnovers to lead the way in a 51-3 win over the Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners took care of business in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls.

On a night when OU honored the 1974 and 1975 national championship teams, squads that had great defenses, OU’s defense led the way for the Sooners, forcing six turnovers.

Temple took the opening kick, but couldn’t create much before going three and out. And that was about as productive as the Owls would be in the first half. Defensively, Oklahoma forced Temple to go punt, fumble, punt, interception, fumble, punt, punt, and fumble.

[autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] forced the Sooners first turnover of the season, a strip of quarterback Forrest Brock, which was recovered by Da’Jon Terry. Cornerback [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag] grabbed Oklahoma’s first interception of the season picking off a tipped pass by cheetah linebacker [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag]. [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] also forced fumbles in the first half to help create a strong start in the turnover department for the Sooners.

The Sooners offense took advantage of a stingy defensive effort by scoring on six of their eight possessions in the first half.

On the Sooner’s first offensive possession, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] led OU on a seven-play 76-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a 14-yard scoring strike between Arnold and tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag]. It was the first of four touchdown passes for the Sooners five-star quarterback, who was making his first start at home.

The Sooners took advantage of good field position provided by the defense to lead a five-play, 46-yard drive ending on Arnold’s second touchdown pass of the day, this time to [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

[autotag]Tyler Keltner[/autotag] provided some answers at kicker, nailing field goal attempts of 50 and 46 yards to put the Sooners up 20-0.

Though the offense slowed a bit in the second quarter, they closed the half strong, with touchdowns on two of their last three possessions. A nice return from [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] gave OU the ball in the Temple half of the field, and Oklahoma drove the ball 44 yards on five plays for another Burks touchdown.

After OU punted late in the half, the defense forced yet another turnover inside the Temple 10-yard line, and Arnold cashed in with his fourth touchdown pass of the day and third to Burks to put Oklahoma up 34-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the Sooners’ offense struggled to get going punting on their first possession. The defense forced a three and out and Keltner pushed his third field goal of the day through the uprights to put the Sooners up 37-0.

Temple began to generate some offense on their second possession of the half, moving the ball inside the Sooners 20-yard line. However, sacks from [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] and a combination of [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] put the Owls in a 3rd-and-22 situation. After an incomplete pass, Temple kicked a field goal for their only points of the game.

The rest of the way, it was about the Sooners’ defense. [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] forced a fumble on a punt, which was scooped up by [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and returned for a touchdown.

True freshman safety [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] recorded the first interception of his Sooners career, the sixth of the game for Oklahoma.

On Oklahoma’s final drive of the game, it was true freshman running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] doing the heavy lifting. He carried the ball four times for 66 yards, finishing the drive with an eight-yard touchdown. Fellow true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] also looked good on the drive, showing off his athleticism and quick release to help the Sooners move the ball down the field.

Defensive tackle [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag] finished off the Owls with a pair of sacks on their final drive of the game.

It was a strong defensive performance, however, as the Sooners allowed just 197 yards of total offense and 1.9 yards per rushing attempt. The Sooners forced six turnovers, recorded six sacks nine tackles for loss, and rarely let the Owls offense create much momentum.

The Sooners offense looked good in stretches, but with several starters out along the offensive line, there wasn’t much cohesion up front. Arnold was sacked four times, and regularly the Sooners rushing attack was bottled up. A talking point for much of the offseason wasn’t resolved in week one and perhaps has created more questions.

Though the running game produced 217 yards at 6.2 yards per carry, it wasn’t a consistent performance, especially in the first half. Oklahoma ran for 87 yards in the first half and 130 yards in the second.

Arnold was efficient, going 17 of 25 for 141 yards and four touchdowns. Though his yards per attempt (5.64) will be nothing to write home about, he didn’t have a ton of time to work the ball down the field. Yet he played mistake-free football, and with a defense like Oklahoma’s is key.

Injuries along the offensive line will be important to monitor moving forward. [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] exited the game with an ankle injury. [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] finished the game at center for the Sooners.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] is also an injury situation to monitor. He left the game early as well. Farooq came through with a big 47-yard possession on the Sooners opening drive of the game. Brent Venables revealed after the game that Farooq broke his foot and will be out 4-6 weeks.

It was a solid performance from the Sooners in all three phases. If they can continue to get defensive efforts like the one tonight against Temple, it’ll take a lot of pressure off of an offense that has some questions to answer along the offensive line. They’ll need to improve their rushing attack as they move forward, but there were some building blocks to work with.

The Sooners move to 1-0 on the season and get set to host the Houston Cougars in week two.

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Final thoughts on Oklahoma Sooners vs. Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners get set to open the season against the Temple Owls and here are this week’s final thoughts.

It’s football time in Oklahoma, and the Sooners are stepping into a monumental season in college football. The Sooners enter 2024 in unfamiliar territory as a team with something to prove.

No longer are they the conference powerhouse, but instead will fight to earn their place at the SEC’s grown-up table alongside Georgia and Alabama. But that’s what this program has been about throughout its existence. The Sooners are one of the big boys of college football, a blue blood that’s had as much success as anyone.

But, like anything in life, the Sooners will have to earn the respect of their new conference brethren. And that’s the way Brent Venables wants it.

As the Sooners get set to kick off the 2024 season, here is this week’s final thoughts.

Offensive Line Time

So much has been said about the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line. Sure, they don’t return a primary starter from a year ago. But no reason to fret. The Sooners have had productive offensive line play for a long time and are coached by one of the best in the business in [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

It will come together and this week against Temple provides the first opportunity to see the unit begin to gel. [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], and [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] have a nice mix of blue-chip talent and experience.

Believe in Bedenbaugh.

Need for Speed

The Oklahoma Sooners will start two legitimate speedsters this week against the Temple Owls when [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] take the field. Burks showed off his big-play ability in the spring game and Thompson, though in a limited role, averaged more than 34 yards per reception on his seven catches last season because of his track speed.

The Temple defense is going to have a difficult time keeping track of Burks and Thompson, who will blow down the field like an Oklahoma wind on the prairie.

Welcome Back JoBa

[autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] got off to a great start to his collegiate career when he emerged as the backup to [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] during the 2022 season. He ran for over 500 yards and looked headed for a jump in production as a true sophomore in 2023. However, injuries kept Barnes from getting going and last season was pretty much a wash.

In 2024, Barnes has stayed healthy and looks primed to reprise his role from the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl, where he and fellow 2022 four-star signee [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] operated in the lead running back tandem.

Sawchuk may get the start, but Barnes is going to get a lot of work in 2024 and the two will complement each other well in the Sooners rushing attack.

Jackson Arnold Show

The former five-star quarterback, Elite 11 winner, and Gatorade National Player of the Year is set to take the stage for his first season as a starter, and the anticipation has reached a fever pitch. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] has all the talent in the world to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback.

With an entire offseason to work with his wide receivers and to familiarize himself with [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s offense, look for a much more comfortable and decisive heading into his second career start. Though the level of competition isn’t quite what Arnold faced in the Alamo Bowl, there’s still a lot to be gleaned from this game against Temple.

Defensive Dominance

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense will lead the way for the Sooners in 2024. And that starts against Temple. The Owls are one of the worst teams in the country in SP+ offensive ranking and don’t have a settled situation at quarterback.

Oklahoma’s depth and talent are so much greater on the defensive side of the ball. The Sooners should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage, making life incredibly easy for the back seven. Look for this game to resemble what OU did to Arkansas State last year.

Brent’s Guys

It’s year three of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. All but a handful of guys on the roster committed and signed to play for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners after his arrival.

This team has his fingerprints all over it on both sides of the ball. It’s a team marked by energy, intensity, and determination. They may not be the most talented team in the country, but they’ll be one of the hardest working and toughest teams in the nation.

Young Guns

The [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] has already made a name for themselves with the way they’ve worked this offseason to get ready for OU’s first year in the SEC. [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] earned a starting spot on the defensive line. Venables praised David Stone’s work ethic. [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag] received rave reviews for the work they put in after arriving this summer.

We still need to see that group on the field. What they look like in year one isn’t a finished product. But from what we’ve seen, the Sooners coaching staff won’t have to wonder if this crew is going to work for what they want.

Tonight, we get our first glimpse of what this class is made of.

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No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Temple Owls: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Sooners Wire Staff predicts Oklahoma vs. Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners kick off the 2024 college football season on Friday night when they welcome the Temple Owls to Norman. The Sooners come into the contest No. 16 in the nation in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.

The Sooners are No. 13 in the final SP+ rankings prior to their opener, while Temple ranks No. 132 out of 134 teams in the FBS.

On paper, it’s a mismatch and the Oklahoma Sooners should be able to do whatever they want on the gridiron. This game won’t tell us everything we need to know about Oklahoma, but if they put on a performance similar to their 2023 outing against Arkansas State, then odds are this team will be pretty good in 2024.

Oklahoma is a heavy favorite. Fan Duel has OU as 42.5-point favorites heading into Friday’s opener.

As we will each week of the season, here are the predictions from our staff here at Sooners Wire.

More: SEC week 1 predictions

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Oklahoma starts fast in week one, showing off their supreme talent on both sides of the ball against Temple.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s debut as OU’s full-time starter at quarterback goes well as he begins the process of getting more comfortable in Seth Littrell’s offense at game speed.

The starters on defense pitch a shutout before the backups give up a fourth-quarter field goal.

As with any first game, there will be things to clean up, but Brent Venables is happy with his team on Saturday morning.

Sooners 59, Owls 3

Contact/Follow Aaron Gelvin

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Brent Venables updates injury status for pair of key wide receivers ahead of Temple

Brent Venables revealed that Nic Anderson will be out this week but Andrel Anthony will return vs. Temple.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room has been banged up this offseason. It’s arguably the deepest position group on the team, bu that depth has taken a hit through fall camp.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] will be out for the season, and now we know that [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] will be out for Oklahoma’s week one matchup with Temple. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] confirmed that Anderson will miss week one.

Both players figured to be among the Sooners’ top four wide receivers this fall.

However, some good news came from Venables’ press conference. Wide receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] will return to the field, suiting up for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury during Oklahoma’s win over Texas.

Anderson had a breakout campaign in 2023, hauling in 38 receptions for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. Though listed as day-to-day by Venables earlier in the week, the Sooners will likely be patient with his recovery, knowing they’ll need Anderson for tougher contests ahead.

Anthony was experiencing a breakout season in his own right in the first half of the year. After catching just 19 passes in his first two seasons at Michigan, Anthony tallied 27 receptions for 429 yards and a touchdown before missing the second half of the season.

All eyes turn to senior [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], incoming transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], emerging speedster [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], and Anthony to lead the Sooners passing attack this week against the Owls.

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