Tulsa World: For Iglesias, it's not about yards

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For Iglesias, it's not about yards

OU receiver Juaquin Iglesias drags a Chattanooga defender for a gain in OU's opener. Iglesias could see his role change dramatically against Washington. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World file

By DAVE SITTLER Sports Columnist
Published: 9/13/2008 2:04 AM
Last Modified: 9/13/2008 2:53 AM

SEATTLE — On an Oklahoma offense so explosive that it already has made plenty of noise nationally, wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias has been the unit's silent assassin.

Iglesias's stealth-like role could change dramatically Saturday in No. 3-ranked OU's (2-0) game at Washington (0-2). Based on the versatile offense's pattern in wins over a Division I-AA school (UT-Chattanooga) and a team from a BCS Conference (Cincinnati), Iglesias could become quarterback Sam Bradford's primary receiver against the Huskies.

In the Chattanooga contest, Bradford singled out senior slot receiver Manuel Johnson as his target. Johnson had nine receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown as the Sooners rolled to a 57-2 win.

A week later, it was slot receiver Ryan Broyles' turn. Bradford helped the redshirt freshman have a smashing debut, as Broyles caught seven passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in a 52-26 romp over Cincinnati.

A senior from Killeen, Texas and a four-year starter, the 6-foot, 204-pound Iglesias has quietly and efficiently gone about his business while Johnson and Broyles have shared the spotlight. He caught three passes for 67 yards and a touchdown in the opener against the Mocs, and added four catches for 73 yards and another score a week later.

In a perfect college football world, it should be Iglesias's turn to hear his number repeatedly called in today's game at Husky Stadium. But OU's offense is so flexible that Bradford can have five receivers to select from if the Sooners go to the no-back set they unveiled last week.

In addition to Iglesias, Johnson, Broyles and several more talented wideouts, Bradford also can throw it to tight ends Jermaine Gresham or Brody Eldridge, along with running backs DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown and Matt Clapp.

"There's an awful lot of talent out there," Iglesias said.

The added options created by the new schemes could mean Iglesias's numbers will drop off drastically after two outstanding seasons. The Sooners' second-leading receiver as a sophomore and the team's leader as junior, Iglesias had a combined 109 receptions for 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns.

"Everybody is really happy with the way it's going," Iglesias said. "I'm happy to be a part of it."

The soft-spoken Iglesias insists that there are plenty of footballs to go around for everybody, and he counts wins before he adds up his personal statistics. And he likes what he has seen thus far from an offense that is sixth, seventh and 11th respectively in the national rankings in scoring, passing and total offense.

"Whenever we win and put up a lot of numbers and get people to make plays, it's always good," Iglesias said. "It's exciting to see that many guys make plays."

Iglesias' excitement is genuine. He acknowledged that he is guilty at times of checking out one of his talented teammates when he is supposed to be blocking.

"Sometimes you find yourself sitting back and watching," Iglesias said. "When DeMarco (Murray) gets the ball, I want to watch to see what he does. And when Jermaine (Gresham) catches the ball, I'm trying to see what he does at the same time I'm blocking.

"And it's really exciting on film. Even when one person has the ball, you get to see five or six guys making plays (blocks) at the same time."

After playing the slot receiver spot early in his OU career, Iglesias has happily settled in at wide receiver. While Johnson and Broyles have posted bigger numbers to this point, Iglesias said that is fine with him as long as they keep playing in the slot.

"You get a lot of balls (thrown to you) in the slot, but I don't want to go back to that," he said. "I remember my freshman year, getting beat up a lot (going) over the middle.

"The slot is different, so I'll let those guys catch the balls and get all the yards."

OU coach Bob Stoops maintains he was that concerned when All-American wide receiver Malcolm Kelly left after his junior year last season to enter the draft. While outsiders wondered who would pick up the big-play slack Kelly provided, Stoops said he was confident Iglesias was more than ready.

"Juaquin has better speed than Malcolm," Stoops said. "He was in position against Cincinnati on one that Sam (Bradford) had intercepted.

"He was behind his guy, and if Sam had put the ball out in front of him, that would have been a big one."

Iglesias knows that there will be times in every game when everyone in the stadium is focused on him. He has been one of the nation's top kickoff returners, setting a single-season OU record in 2007 with 826 yards. His total of 3,235 all-purpose yards ranks 20th on OU's career list.

"Returning kickoffs is one of my top things to do in a football game," Iglesias said. "It's one of those things where you just have to get the ball and go.

"It's a new adventure every time you get the ball on kickoff returns."

Iglesias and his offensive teammates have the depth, talent, skill and numbers to make the 2008 season go down as the Sooners' big adventure. By DAVE SITTLER Sports Columnist

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