Tulsa World: OU seeks helping hands

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OU seeks helping hands

OU receiver Ryan Broyles (right) had a breakout season in 2008 with 46 catches, 687 yards and six touchdowns. Broyles and Jermaine Gresham will be the two main returning receivers for the Sooners in 2009. stephen holman/Tulsa World file

By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 4/11/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 4/11/2009 4:58 AM

NORMAN — Malcolm Kelly left a year early. Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson are gone, chasing the NFL dream. Heck, even Quentin Chaney won't be around to bail out Oklahoma's offense any more.

Sooner fans filing into Memorial Stadium on Saturday for the annual Red/White Game probably are eager to see what last year's record-setting offense has become.

Even more pressing than the fans' need to identify OU's new receiver corps, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford needs to know who they are, too.

There are two familiar stand-bys. Bradford at times may have to choose from an all-new wardrobe of wideouts, but he can always count on Jermaine Gresham and Ryan Broyles, throwing them on like an old pair of comfortable jeans.

"There's a little pressure there," said Broyles.

Gresham, a 2009 senior from Ardmore, ranks second all-time at OU in touchdown catches with 26. With six more, he'll be in first, and with eight more, he'll have more TD catches than any tight end in NCAA history. He ranks first among tight ends in OU history with 1,627 yards. That includes his monster 2008 season in which he caught 66 passes for 950 yards and 14 scores.

"Well, he's always been a big role," said OU head coach Bob Stoops. "But yeah, he'll be relied on every bit as much or more than a year ago."

Broyles, a third-year sophomore from Norman, hasn't had the time on task of a three-year starter like Gresham. But after redshirting 2007, he broke out in 2008 with 46 catches, 687 yards and six touchdowns. That includes a debut versus Cincinnati in which he caught seven passes for 141 yards.

Both his Cincinnati output and his season total were OU freshman yardage records.

"When I look at Ryan and when I look at Jermaine, those are guys that have proven themselves, have made big plays," said Dejuan Miller, a sophomore wideout who's trying to give Bradford another target. "I kind of want to develop and become in that mold of having the reputation of being a playmaker."

Broyles and Gresham provide an obvious on-field punch, but it's off the field where they may have made the greatest strides in the past two years.

Gresham, voted team captain prior to last season, already has gained a reputation as a workout warrior. Gresham still sets the standard by which his teammates measure themselves.

"It was ESPN news when I said (in 2006) Adrian Peterson could play better, but he could've," said Kevin Wilson, OU's offensive coordinator and Gresham's position coach. "As good as Jermaine is, he can always play better. I'd bet coach (Jeff) Capel would say Blake (Griffin) could. You're always (trying to get better). I bet Tiger (Woods) is on the range today after the round."

Gresham said his goal this spring was "just being a more complete player."

"What he's doing, he wants to block," Wilson said. "I held him out of a scrimmage a little bit because I didn't want him to get a cheap hit, and he goes, 'No, I need to block.' He knows what he thinks he needs to work on. And he's embraced playing well without the ball."

Broyles has begun to follow the same path as a leader in the offseason. But he also wants his play on the field to speak for itself.

"Just make plays," he said.

Said Wilson, "The thing with Ryan is a little different. He was inside last year and now we're playing him outside. Sometimes the routes are different and the concepts are different, or the looks he's getting are different. Early, there was a little bit of a mental (hurdle). In his world, it's a little bit of a different world."

Alas, before fans get too exited about seeing Gresham and Broyles against the Sooner defense on Saturday, there is a spring scrimmage caveat.

"You'll see a lot of core guys not play as much," Wilson said. "You won't see a lot of Jermaine or (Matt) Clapp or Brody (Eldridge) or Chris Brown. You'll see those two running backs (Justin Johnson and Jermie Calhoun). You'll see (Trent) Ratterree and (James) Hanna at tight end.

"So which of those guys — who's coming along? Who can we count on? How big does it look like their role will be?"

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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