Oklahoma will be down one of its top playmakers for a second straight week when the No. 15 Sooners host Houston on Saturday night.
Nic Anderson, the team’s leading returning receiver from last season, will be held out of the lineup with an injury, just as he was for Oklahoma’s season-opening win against Temple last week. He is expected to return “sooner rather than later,” according to head coach Brent Venables, possibly even in time for the Sooners game next week at home against Tulane in Week 3.
Star Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson Out for Week 2
Anderson burst onto the national scene last season when he caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking in the top three on the team in each of those categories.
He was twice named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week while playing in all 13 games, including six starts. His 10 touchdown catches in 2023 were tied for the most among freshman FBS receivers.
Anderson started this season on the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the best receiver in college football.
Deion Burks To Play Big Role Again With Anderson Sidelined
The Sooners’ latest depth chart released Saturday morning lists Deion Burks, J.J. Hester, and Brenen Thompson as the Sooners’ starters at wide receiver. Burks, a Purdue transfer, is the only Sooners wideout available among the projected starters entering the year for the Houston game.
Junior Jayden Gibson is already out for the year due to a knee injury sustained during preseason training camp, while senior Jalil Farooq sustained a broken foot in the season opener and will be out for at least the next six weeks.
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Burks caught six passes for 36 yards and three touchdowns in the Sooners’ Week 1 win over Temple. Thompson caught four passes for 16 yards, while Hester was shut out despite a pair of targets against the Owls.
The injuries at receiver could open the door for several younger, inexperienced options in Oklahoma’s passing game led by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who completed 17 of his 25 passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns last week.
Sophomore Jaquaize Pettaway, as well as freshmen Ivan Carreon, Jacob Jordan, Zion Kearney, and Zion Ragins all appeared on the Week 2 depth chart at wide receiver and could see increased snaps on offense against Houston.
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