Week 1 is just around the corner, and Oklahoma football is already dealing with injuries. The Sooners’ wide receiver corps has been hit hard ahead of their game against Temple on Saturday.
Top receiver Nic Anderson will be unavailable, as reported by On3’s George Stoia.
“Unfortunately for Oklahoma… junior receiver Nic Anderson will not be available Friday,” head coach Brent Venables announced Wednesday. “Anderson has been dealing with an injury since the first week of fall camp. Although the injury isn’t considered serious, the exact nature of it remains unclear.”
Anderson had a breakout season last year, catching 31 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns, after seeing little playing time in 2022. The freshman All-American was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention.
However, fellow receiver Andrel Anthony will be ready to play.
“He’s doing well,” Venables said of Anthony on Aug. 20. “He looked great today… He won’t need to wear the brace. We’re being cautious with him, but he currently has no restrictions.”
Anthony, a senior who transferred to Oklahoma from Michigan last season, caught 27 passes for 429 yards and one touchdown before a season-ending injury against Texas on October 7. At the time, he led the team in receiving yards.
Additionally, wideout Jayden Gibson is out for the season after suffering a knee injury during fall camp. With two of their top receivers sidelined, how will the Sooners perform?
Despite these setbacks, Oklahoma is still heavily favored against Temple. The Sooners are a 42.5-point favorite over the Owls, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Temple, a member of the American Athletic Conference, will face a tough challenge against an SEC team like Oklahoma, even with the Sooners’ injuries.
In other news, Oklahoma will have to manage without running backs coach DeMarco Murray for a game due to a suspension related to recruiting violations, as reported by The New York Post’s Christian Arnold.
“The University discovered the violations through its monitoring systems and investigated, reported, and addressed the matters promptly and appropriately,” an OU athletic department spokesperson said. “The violations involved a former coach and a current assistant coach. OU cooperated with the NCAA to resolve the issue, and the penalties imposed by the University are already in effect.”
It’s not yet clear when Murray will serve his suspension, but the program will also face one year of probation, a $5,000 fine, and a three-week ban on recruiting communications between December 8, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
The Sooners should manage fine before conference play begins, but they’d benefit from a healthy roster and no further coaching suspensions before their September 21 matchup against No. 15 Tennessee.
