NORMAN — Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson will miss the rest of the 2018 season after suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s 49-21 win over UCLA.
It is the third time in the past four years that Anderson has seen his season ended by the Sooners’ second game due to injury.
“We’re heartbroken for him,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said. “He’s overcome so much in his career and if anybody can do it again, it’s Rodney.
“He’s played a lot of great football and has a lot more ahead of him. He’s just a tremendous person and player and we’ll miss him on the field. But we know he’ll be with us every step of the way as a team captain and that other players will step up in his place.”
The redshirt junior was injured on the final play of the first quarter against UCLA after being tackled on a 10-yard run.
Anderson had a breakout season in 2017 — his only healthy season — when he rushed for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 281 receiving yards with five touchdown catches.
In 2015, Anderson suffered a season-ending broken leg in the second game in a win at Tennessee. In 2016, during fall camp, a fractured vertebra kept him from playing.
Last July, he was asked if he considered not returning to football after either injury.
“The first conversation is ‘Am I going to be OK? Am I, as a person going through life, am I going to be all right?” Anderson said. “Once I knew I was going to be OK, football was easier to approach.”
Anderson had five carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Sept. 1 season-opening win over Florida Atlantic. He had 19 yards and another TD run against the Bruins before leaving Saturday’s game.
Here’s what else we learned from OU’s win over UCLA:
Is this Oklahoma defense for real?
Justin Broiles is an Oklahoma kid who grew up watching OU smother opponents with a potent defense.
On Saturday – the day of his first start and second game appearance – the freshman safety announced he wants to change the narrative of OU football.
“Just trying to change the culture. Tired of being known as Oklahoma: offense. Oklahoma: offense,” said Broiles, an OC John Marshall High School graduate. “When you think Oklahoma, you think defense. Like back when Roy Williams and Teddy Lehman were here, you thought defense when you thought Oklahoma.”
The Sooners have had two solid games and the potential for success is there. The numbers don’t lie — OU’s first-team defense has allowed only one touchdown drive. Oklahoma already has 21 tackles for loss (after having 75 in 14 games last season) and eight sacks (26 in 2017).
Mike Stoops’ aggressiveness with blitzes was impressive against the Bruins, and the starting defensive backs have played well so far.
But there’s one thing to remember — this defense was drawing much praise after the first three games last year following wins against UTEP, Ohio State and Tulane. From that point, it was a roller-coaster ride for Sooner Nation.
The biggest test isn’t the numbers. It is showing consistency week-to-week, especially with Big 12 play starting at Iowa State on Saturday.
Murray, squared
The offense and defensive units were anchored by Kyler Murray and Kenneth Murray, respectively.
Kyler Murray threw the ball 33 times against UCLA. In his previous eight games at Oklahoma, the quarterback had 32 pass attempts.
His final numbers (306 passing yards, 69 rushing yards, five total touchdowns) were enough to make him the third quarterback since 2004 to earn the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week award. He joins Sam Bradford (2007) and Baker Mayfield (2017) in receiving the honor.
Kenneth Murray, OU’s starting middle linebacker, didn’t register a tackle in the opening win against Florida Atlantic. Against UCLA, he ended with nine stops, a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He only had one sack in 2017.
The two Murrays will be needed for success this season.
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