Rocky Beers may be the one Sooners receiver who has quietly emerged as a real piece of the offense, but Oklahoma is going to need more from a few under-the-radar names when New Mexico comes to town.
Beers leads OU with eight catches for 137 yards through two games, and he’s already accounted for one of the Sooners’ four touchdown receptions. With Trell Harris out for the foreseeable future because of a significant injury, the margin for error at receiver has gotten even thinner.
Isaiah Sategna has produced six catches for 85 yards, Parker Livingstone has only two catches for 14 yards along with a fumble, and Elijah Thomas has just one catch so far. If John Mateer and the offense are going to get where they want to be before SEC play arrives, Beers may have to carry even more of the load.
Thomas is another name that keeps flashing even if the box score hasn’t caught up yet. He was on the field for 24 plays in the 17-10 loss to Michigan and didn’t record a catch or even a target, despite being open multiple times.
Against UTEP, he hauled in a 24-yard pass and would have had a touchdown as well if the officials hadn’t blown the play dead on an offsides call against the Miners. With Harris now sidelined indefinitely, the Sooners need Thomas to become a real part of the passing game.
At 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, he looks like a player with every tool to matter, which makes his limited role so far a little surprising given all the offseason praise from teammates and coaches.
The backfield has its own quiet candidate in Lloyd Avant. He’s been the most steady runner Oklahoma has had so far, but he still hasn’t been used like it.
Last week, he got only five carries in the first half even though he was averaging 6.6 yards per carry, which apparently wasn’t enough to keep Ben Arbuckle calling his number. Tory Blaylock and Jonathan Hatton Jr. should see larger roles Saturday, but the Sooners also need to get Avant rolling before the Georgia matchup.
On defense, the focus has been on the players stepping in for Kip Lewis, Cole Sullivan and James Nesta, but there’s pressure on Heinecke too. The sixth-year middle linebacker was a little off against Michigan, and Brent Venables said Heinecke was reading things almost too fast and ending up out of position.
With Lewis out, Oklahoma needs Heinecke to be sharp and fundamentally sound, especially against a New Mexico offense that has averaged 412 yards per game and 246 rushing yards per game. The Lobos haven’t seen a defense like Oklahoma’s yet, but they’ve moved the ball well enough to punish mistakes if the Sooners aren’t lined up correctly.
Venables also said Cole Sullivan needs to play better. He noted Tuesday that even though Sullivan’s production against Michigan was uneven, he did some things well and left the coach with the sense that the transfer linebacker is trending in the right direction.
Still, with Kip Lewis injured, Sullivan has to get up to speed quickly. Oklahoma likes what it has in James Nesta, but there are questions after that, and if the depth has taken a hit, Sullivan has to start looking like the player OU thought it was getting this offseason, beginning with New Mexico.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces A Big Depth Test Against New Mexico
Oklahoma heads into its matchup with New Mexico having to lean on its depth in more than one spot, and the first test is up front. Starting left tackle Michael Fasusi and wide receiver Trell Harris are both out, which pushes Ryan Fodje and freshman Noah Best into bigger roles on the offensive line and gives Elijah Thomas a chance to absorb more work at receiver.
The absences do not stop there, either, with linebacker Kip Lewis also unavailable and James Nesta slated to start in his place. There is at least some stability in the backfield, where Jonathan Hatton Jr. and Tory Blaylock are both healthy and available, but this game will still tell the Sooners plenty about how ready the next layer of the roster is if the injuries keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Carl Albert Kept Its Historic Run Alive When It Nearly Slipped Away
Midwest City Carl Albert had to work a lot harder than the streak suggested, but the Titans found a way to keep their historic run alive with a 31-28 win over Del City. The victory pushed the programs winning streak to 57 games, leaving it one win shy of tying the Oklahoma state record for consecutive 11-man football wins set by Bixby.
Carl Albert trailed at halftime and still had to survive a tense finish before a last-second field goal, set up after a penalty against Del City, finally put the game away. The Titans now move into the next stretch of their schedule with a chance to tie the mark and then break it, a spot they have earned by making every one of these close calls count. [Read more 🡒]
Finebaum Turns Oklahomas Michigan Loss Into Fresh SEC Fuel
Paul Finebaum did not hide his disappointment with Oklahoma after the Sooners loss to Michigan, using his spot on SEC Nation to turn one nonconference result into a broader conference argument. His point was not just about one game, but about what it says when a program with Oklahomas profile comes up short in a matchup that was supposed to provide early-season clarity.
Finebaum also took aim at the Big Tens overall showing this year, saying he regretted having spoken so highly of the league earlier. For Oklahoma, the criticism lands in a familiar place, with the Sooners once again serving as a flashpoint in the SEC versus Big Ten debate and leaving plenty of room for the discussion to grow beyond a single Saturday. [Read more 🡒]