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Jayden Gibson, Oklahoma WRs Looking to Make an Impact Against Texas

Originally posted on FanNation All Sooners
By Randall Sweet | Last updated 10/4/23

NORMAN — Despite a 5-0 start to the season, Oklahoma has yet to live down its horrific performance in the Red River Rivalry last season.

All week leading up to the Sooners' matchup with the Longhorns, fans and media have focused on one question: How does last year's result motivate OU ahead of this year's Red River contest?

Head coach Brent Venables and his players all had a similar sentiment, telling reporters that Oklahoma isn't focused on last year's team or results, and is instead focused on ensuring the Sooners are more prepared this time around.

Additionally, neither Venables nor the four players who spoke to the media after practice on Monday would concede that this game meant a little more than the rest, saying that the team is focused on going 1-0 every week.

"I mean (last year's game against Texas) left a bad taste in all of our mouths," veteran wide receiver Drake Stoops said. "At the end of the day we want to go 1-0 each week and that’s really the goal. We want to go 1-0 this week. The past has nothing to do with the present. Here we are this year. We’re ready to put our best foot forward and go to battle."

Still, after getting blown out 49-0 in the 2022 Red River Rivalry game, there is no doubt that OU needs to rebound and make this season's matchup much more competitive to keep Sooner fans at ease.

One of Oklahoma's biggest weapons against the Longhorns this season will be Jeff Lebby and Emmett Jones' surprisingly deep wide receiver rotation.

Coming into the 2023 season, OU's pass catchers were largely unproven, with Stoops, Jalil Farooq and Gavin Freeman being the only returning wideouts with more than two career catches in the Crimson and Cream.

Yet, through the first five games of the year, the Sooners' wide receiver corps has been one of the best position groups on the team. With players like Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony and Jayden Gibson breaking out in addition to Farooq and Stoops also having solid seasons, Dillon Gabriel has had plenty of options through the air.

Last week against Iowa State, speedy sophomore Brenen Thompson even made his first catch at OU, hauling in a 54-yard bomb from Gabriel.

To challenge a talented Texas defense, Oklahoma will need its playmakers to continue their impressive outings, as the Longhorns will be by far the most formidable opponent the Sooners face all season.

After last year's blowout loss, however, OU and its offense seemed poised to make this year's contest a much closer game.

"Everybody in our locker room knows what time it is, I know what time it is," Gibson said after Saturday's victory over Iowa State. "I’ve been trying to keep next week out of my mind for the last two weeks. Focus on where your feet are, be in the present, know what I’m saying? Last year, it hurt real bad and everyone remembers it and that’s all that needs to be said about that. ... We’ve got a good opponent next week, a worthy opponent for sure. They’re a good team and a good coach. I just feel like we’re going to get it done. We’ve got to go out there and get it done."

In 2022, OU mustered only 195 total yards and 39 yards through the air. After missing what would have been his first Red River Rivalry game with a head injury last season, Gabriel being healthy for the Sooners this time around will be a massive boost to Lebby's offense.

"Dillon should be extremely confident throwing the football. He already is going to drop dots on every receiver," Gibson said. "Even if he wasn’t, you don’t got to worry about it. All the receivers we’re going to get it. I just feel like we’re just at a great place with chemistry right now. You know what I’m saying. Credit to him. Credit to DG. ... I feel like he’s a really great guy at having everybody feel like they’re important. That’s a characteristic of great team and a great quarterback. That’s the leader of the team. I go as he goes. I follow him. Every day I come up to him and say hey man, throw me that ball man. Throw me that ball. I gotchu bro. I trust you. As long as I got his trust I don’t worry about nothing else."

After an embarrassing loss last season, Gibson and the Sooners' wideouts are determined to make an impact on the Red River Rivalry game this year.

"I just feel like we have more guys that are stepping up. I feel like we had a lot of talent last year. But a lot of guys weren’t stepping up the way we thought they would," Gibson said. "I feel like this year everyone is really answered the bell man. All the talent we got is actually showing. ... BV says it every day. Football is a game of what you put on tape. I don’t care nothing of what you did in high school. I don’t care how high you rank. Anybody can get it. That’s the mentality. That’s the mentality I have. Anybody can get it. I feel like that’s the mentality that the whole team has and has adapted. ... I feel like this year, we just not going for nothing. We’re just not on none of that soft stuff. Nothing. We’re going hard. Someone punches us in the mouth, we finna punch them back. I’m not going to say any specific games. I just remember some games we got punched in the mouth man. I feel like we never recovered last year. This year I feel like we can recover from anything man. ... They tried to take our pride from us last year. They called us out by name. They said that we were sorry. We’re not OU. This, that and the third. I’m not really here for none of that."

Oklahoma already has five wide receivers who have amassed over 150 receiving yards this season, showing that Gabriel has done a good job of spreading the ball around to all of his talented pass catchers. If OU's wideouts are able to continue their dominant stretch against a very talented group of defensive backs, the Sooners should be able to at least stay with Texas for the majority of the game.

With Gabriel healthy and an improved group of pass catchers, Oklahoma shouldn't have to worry about being shut out by the Longhorns for a second consecutive season and should be able to throw a few haymakers of their own.