Oklahoma football: Five returning Sooners ready to ramp up their game
By Chip Rouse
Junior tight end Mark Andrews
Tight end Mark Andrews has been an important contributor and on the receiving end of some big plays in his two seasons at Oklahoma. At 6-foot, 5-inches tall, Andrews provides a big target for quarterback Baker Mayfield, and the junior tight end has some get-up and go to go along with his size.
Fourteen of his 50 career catches as a Sooner have resulted in touchdowns. Broken down another way, that means that one in every four of his catches have produced points. If Andrews can stay healthy and stay on the field, he should be targeted a bunch in 2017, and rightfully so because he is a big weapon in Oklahoma’s Air Raid offense.
“Obviously, we need to get the ball to him more,” Mayfield said at Oklahoma Football Media Day on Saturday. “He can run like a receiver, but he’s big enough where he can play with the big boys and block too.
“He needs to be on the field at all times and we need to utilize that,” the Sooner starting quarterback added. “He’s going to be a huge part of the offense, and I think he’s going to have a great year.”
Andrews had a big game in Oklahoma’s 35-19 Sugar Bowl win over Auburn last season. He caught three passes for 68 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown catch, against a very good Auburn defense.
He was named to the 2016 All-Big 12 First Team as the conference’s premier tight end.
“I’m looking to catch the ball more,” Andrews told reporters on Saturday. The Sooners would be wise to take advantage of potential mismatches and throw it to the big receiver more in 2017.