OU's Broyles wants one more year
BY JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Monday, November 01, 2010
11/01/10 at 6:07 AM
Ryan Broyles gave Oklahoma football fans an early, uh, Halloween present on Saturday night.
Not his school-record 208 receiving yards. Not his three touchdowns. Not even the 81-yard TD bomb that was the longest pass play of Bob Stoops' tenure.
Broyles' gift following the Sooners' 43-10 victory over Colorado was bigger than all those combined.
"You know, people have compared me to Mark Clayton from the beginning," said Broyles, a fourth-year junior from Norman. "I feel like that's what I had to do, fill his shoes. I have a whole other year left, and I'm just gonna make the best of it."
Wait, does that mean he intends to be catching passes for OU next year and not some NFL team? He would likely be a high draft pick and make good money. How certain is he with as many as six games left this season?
"Oh, I know I've got another year left," he said.
He has until Jan. 15 (the NFL's deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft), but he sounds convinced.
Broyles says he would like to break Clayton's career records of 221 catches, 3,241 yards and 31 TDs. Broyles broke Clayton's single-season reception mark of 83 last year with 89. Now Broyles owns single-game records for catches (15 two weeks ago versus Iowa State) and yards (208 against Missouri).
Up next: Clayton's single-season yardage mark of 1,425. Broyles, who leads the nation in catches per game and ranks third in yards per game, has 1,018 this year. Only four Sooners have surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in a season, and Broyles has done it twice (he had 1,120 last year).
Career-wise, Broyles has 213 catches (eight behind Clayton). He has 2,825 yards (36 behind Juaquin Iglesias, 416 behind Clayton). He has 28 touchdowns (three behind Clayton). All three should belong to Broyles by season's end.
In his third season, Broyles has stepped almost completely out of Clayton's shadow - even in the eyes of their coaches.
"I'd say Mark, at the end of his time, was probably stronger, little bit more mature and physically had a little bit more substance," said OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. "But I think Ryan makes up for it with a little bit more quickness, and he has a unique savvy just as far as feeling space and how to win working defenders.
"Ryan's probably equal if not superior to Mark in the passing game because, on the receiving side, he's awfully good."
Up next
At Texas A&M
6 p.m. Saturday
TV: FSOK-27
Radio: KMOD fm97.5, KTBZ am1430
John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Ryan Broyles says he would like to break Mark Clayton's OU receiving records. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World
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