OU football rewind: Sooners' receiver depth a pleasant surprise heading into Texas clash

NORMAN — Going into the season, perhaps the biggest question about OU’s offense was its receiving corps.

The Sooners returned Jalil Farooq, last season’s No. 2, and Drake Stoops, the dependale but not overly flashy slot receiver, but little else in the way of experience.

But so far, the group has been fantastic.

That continued in Saturday’s 50-20 win over Iowa State as 10 different receivers caught passes, seven of them wideouts.

That depth figures to need to continue to show itself as the schedule gets tougher, especially when OU faces Texas on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC) in Dallas.

The biggest keys to the groups’ success have been second-year players Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson.

Anderson battled injuries a year ago while Gibson struggled with drops in big moments and finished with just one catch for 12 yards.

Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony, Anderson, Farooq, Gibson and Stoops each have at least 150 yards receiving and all but Anthony — who leads the Sooners in receiving yards — have multiple touchdowns.

The Sooners might not have the star power they did last year with Marvin Mims at the top, but the group as a whole appears to be as deep as any in recent years.

“I feel like we had a lot of talent last year, but a lot of guys weren’t stepping up the way we thought they would,” Gibson said. “I feel like this year everyone has really answered the bell. All the talent we’ve got is actually showing.”

Here’s a look at more of what we learned after the Sooners’ win over the Cyclones:

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Top 5 players of the week

1. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel: Gabriel became the first player in nearly two seasons to through for more than 300 yards against Iowa State, going 26 of 39 for 366 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for two touchdowns.

2. Safety Billy Bowman: Bowman got the game started with a bang, returning an interception 44 yards for a touchdown on the third play from scrimmage. But his performance went well beyond that, as he was solid in coverage — though he collided with teammate Gentry Williams on play to start the second quarter that lead to a 67-yard touchdown for Iowa State.

3. Wide receiver Jayden Gibson: It’s hard to overstate just how good Gibson’s third-quarter touchdown reception was. Gibson caught the ball in traffic, spun to get free, juked a defender a few yards downfield and then fought his way into the end zone. Gibson’s improvement has been staggering since last season.

4. Defensive tackle Jordan Kelley: Kelley was OU’s highest-graded defensive player according to Pro Football Focus, checking in at 94.4 on 20 snaps. He had a solo tackle and one quarterback hurry.

5. Wide receiver Jalil Farooq: Farooq led the Sooners with five catches for 81 yards and also continues to be strong blocking when the ball isn’t coming his way.

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Top 5 players of the season

1. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel: Gabriel is seventh nationally in passing yards with 1,593 (just 10 yards behind No. 6 Caleb Williams), No. 6 in passing efficiency at 189.37, and No. 4 in completion percentage at .780.

2. Linebacker Danny Stutsman: Iowa State wasn’t Stutsman’s best game, but he still led the Sooners with six tackles and leads the Big 12 with 49 tackles — 12 more than any other defender.

3. Wide receiver Andrel Anthony: Anthony has 22 catches for 387 yards and a touchdown. That’s more receiving yards than Texas star receiver Xavier Worthy.

4. Safety Peyton Bowen: Bowen continues to make an impact both defensively and on special teams, after blocking his second punt of the season in the win over Iowa State.

5. Wide receiver Nic Anderson: It’s time to recognize Anderson here. He’s played the fourth-most plays of any OU receiver (behind only Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony and Drake Stoops), and leads the Big 12 and is tied for 12th nationally with five receiving touchdowns.

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R Mason Thomas returns

R Mason Thomas appeared in just his second game of the season and first since SMU on Sept. 9.

The sophomore defensive end played nine snaps according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at 76.4 according to the site — in the top 10 of Sooners’ defenders.

Thomas had a promising freshman season, playing in 10 games with seven tackles, but has struggled to stay healthy this season.

OU coaches hope he can establish himself as a regular rotational player this season.

“He did good,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “He’s going to continue to get better, because he’s still a young guy. Missed a couple of weeks. That’s a cumulative effect. But he’s a guy that works on and off the field, so that way, you minimize the effect that maybe missing a couple of weeks might have.”

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Redshirt watch

The first group of players crossed the redshirt threshold against Iowa State, with four defensive freshmen playing in their fifth games — Adepoju Adebawore, Peyton Bowen, Lewis Carter, and Jacobe Johnson.

Here’s a look at where the Sooners stand as it relates to the four-game redshirt rule.

For at least one more week, we’ll include only freshmen here, outside of defensive back Justin Harrington, who Brent Venables announced was out for the season and who would seek a medical redshirt to gain another year of eligibility:

Played in five games: Adepoju Adebawore, Peyton Bowen, Lewis Carter, Jacobe Johnson,

Played in four games: Jackson Arnold, Cayden Green, Samuel Omosigho, Makari Vickers

Played in three games: Jaquaize Pettaway

Played in two games: Eli Merck, Ashton Sanders, Daylan Smothers, Jasiah Wagoner

Played on one game: Joshua Bates, Taylor Heim, Kalib Hicks, Daeh McCullough, Kade McIntyre, Heath Ozaeta, Markus Strong, Taylor Wein

Will seek medical hardship redshirt: Justin Harrington.

OU vs. Texas

KICKOFF: 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (ABC)

More: Mussatto: Brent Venables has rebuilt the OU football defense, but is it ready for Texas?

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football brings receiver depth into Red River Rivalry vs. Texas