Oklahoma football: What we learned from the OU spring game
The young receivers are the real deal
It’s time to start believing the hype when it comes to the 2019 Oklahoma football receiver class. With some of the older guys sitting out or playing sparingly the young receivers took their chance to shine. We saw Bridges make some outstanding plays in tough situations. Theo Wease got going late after a quiet first half and Austin Stogner might very well be impossible to keep off the field. The four-star tight end used every bit of his 6-foot-7 frame to shield the ball from defenders to make some key catches. Jadon Haselwood was involved as well, though he looked to be slightly hampered by an injury.
The fun part for Oklahoma football fans (and the terrifying news for everyone on their schedule) is these guys are still far from a finished product. Bennie Wylie gets all summer to develop their bodies and the Sooners coaching staff has all of fall camp to get them more comfortable in the offense.
The older guys weren’t exactly upstaged though. Lee Morris had a long touchdown after a spectacular one-handed, behind-the-back catch and redshirt senior Nick Basquine was all over the field. He just always seemed to be camped out in a hole in the defensive zone. Basquine could develop into a third-down security blanket for Hurts in 2019.
We also didn’t see Ceedee Lamb, Grant Calceterra or much of Charelston Rambo so this was really just a small taste of what Oklahoma will field at the receiver position next year.
Running back should be even deeper next year
Trey Sermon sat out, giving some opportunities to some of the younger guys to step up and show they are ready to contribute. One of those young players was T.J. Pledger. Pledger led all rushers with 51 yards on seven carries including a couple of really nice cutback runs that showed off his vision and burst. Kennedy Brooks has added a new wrinkle to his game with a few nice catches out of the backfield to go with his homerun ability as a runner.
Fullback Jeremiah Hall also flashed some versatility, filling in at the halfback role for parts of the game and rushing for 48 yards on four carries. You kind of got the feeling the Sooners were testing quarterbacks and the passing game at the expense of running the ball much, but the backs look ready to go.