Brent Venables updates availability, status for Oklahoma WRs Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson vs. Temple

Oklahoma will play its inaugural game as a member of the SEC on Friday, facing off against Temple. Head coach Brent Venables has been preparing the program for this moment after two seasons in the Big 12. Excitement is palpable in Norman, even heading into the game as a big favorite.

Heading into the matchup, there were some injury updates for Venables to provide. Both come from the wide receiver room with Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony both having problems during the offseason. It’s a good news, bad news situation for the Sooners as one will play vs. Temple and the other is not available.

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“Andrel will be available,” Venables said Wednesday during the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “And Nic will not be.”

Anthony has been out for quite a bit of time, suffering a torn ACL during last season’s win against Texas in the Red River Shootout. There was even a setback during spring practice, originally putting his status for the opener in doubt. Thankfully, progress has been made throughout the fall and Anthony will be on the field Friday night.

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Before going down with his injury, Anthony was on pace to eclipse 1,000 yards for Oklahoma. In six games played, he caught 27 receptions for 429 yards and a touchdown against SMU. Getting him to work with quarterback Jackson Arnold in 2024 will be huge for the offense.

Oklahoma will not have the same luxury with Anderson, at least for one game. There has been a lingering issue bothering the wide receiver since early in fall camp. Venables has yet to reveal what is keeping Anderson out but it’s enough to see him miss game action.

Anderson played in all 13 games for the Sooners last year, going for 798 yards on 38 catches. He was tied with Drake Stoops for the team-high in touchdowns, snagging 10 scores.

Outside of those two, Jayden Gibson is set to miss the entire season due to a knee injury he recently suffered during practice. Wide receiver health has been a big topic for Oklahoma ahead of the Temple matchup.

At least one is able to return and potentially make an impact as the Sooners open up their SEC account.