Replacing Rodney Anderson: Where will Oklahoma turn?
TAKE TWO: How much did Texas A&M gain from its loss to Clemson?
Oklahoma’s run to a return trip to the College Football Playoff hit a bump in the road last Saturday, when starting running back Rodney Anderson was lost for the season with a knee injury. But the show must go on and it’s next man up time for the Sooners, who are playing a key conference game with Iowa State on Saturday. So, who will fill Anderson’s shoes? We take a look back at the candidates as recruits and also explore a what-if scenarios.
As a recruit: Sermon initially drew national recruiting attention, with schools such as Oregon, Georgia, Tennessee and several others in the mix for his commitment. But Oklahoma stuck with Sermon, even after he suffered an injury during his junior season, and that loyalty led to his commitment during the spring of his junior year.
What to expect: Sermon is the front-runner to take over the job, mainly because he filled Anderson’s shoes at the beginning of last season. As a true freshman, Anderson rushed for 744 yards and five touchdowns while also catching 16 passes for 139 yards and two scores. He’s seen limited action so far this year, rushing 16 times for 82 yards and a touchdown, but that should change in a big way come Saturday.
As a recruit: Originally a two-star in the class of 2014, Sutton stayed close to home and signed with NC State, but failed to qualify and headed to junior college instead. Sutton was re-ranked as a three-star in the class of 2017 and committed to Oklahoma over Arizona State and the Wolfpack.
What to expect: Sutton is a change-of-pace back for the Sooners and saw spot duty during his first year on campus last season. He finished the year with 130 yards rushing on 22 attempts while scoring two touchdowns. He’s already matched his touchdown total in two games this season, scoring twice while rushing for 71 yards. He should find himself on the field more in the absence of Anderson.
As a recruit: One of the top players in the class of 2018, Pledger committed to Oklahoma over Nebraska, Notre Dame, USC and several other major programs during the spring of his junior year.
What to expect: The freshman was pushing for playing time even before Anderson went down and has been impressive in his brief appearances so far this season. Through two games he has 83 yards rushing on just 14 carries. He fits the power back mold of Anderson and Sermon and should see meaningful snaps this weekend and beyond.
WHAT IF?
As a recruit: Adams initially made a commitment to Michigan State as an underclassman but later backed off that pledge late in his senior season After looking at Alabama, Michigan and others, he committed to Oklahoma less than a month after re-opening his recruitment.
What happened: Adams saw the field as a true freshman in Norman, Rushing for 283 yards in seven games. Even with the arrival of Sermon in 2017, he found a role on the team, playing in 10 games and rushing for 542 yards while averaging more than nine yards per carry. But with Anderson and Sermon returning, Adams elected to leave the program and transferred to Syracuse where he is currently sitting out the 2018 season.
