Colorado had no answer for junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles as the Sooners won 43-10 on Saturday in Norman, improving to 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the Big 12.
For the third time this season and the fourth time in his career, Broyles gained more than 100 yards in the first half of a game.
Broyles would finish with nine catches, 208 yards and three touchdowns. His performance gives him 29 career receiving touchdowns and moves him past former OU tight end Jermaine Gresham’s 26. Broyles is currently second on the OU career touchdown reception list behind Mark Clayton’s 31 career touchdown grabs.
Oh, and don’t forget he did all that on banged-up ankles.
“I think he’s getting a little better,” said head coach Bob Stoops of his receiver’s ankles. “They’re still bothering him a little bit.”
Could’ve fooled the Colorado secondary.
“Ryan Broyles is just spectacular and continues to be with the big plays he’s able to make,” Stoops said. “He just has such a knack for going for the ball and getting open.”
However, neither Broyles nor the OU offense got off to a quick start Saturday night.
The Sooners put up just three points in the first quarter, scoring on a 33-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Jimmy Stevens with just over eight minutes left in the first. That field goal would be the only score by either team in the quarter.
Stevens would strike again at the beginning of the second quarter. Although the offense compiled 122 total yards in the first, they made it to the red zone just twice, going three-and-out both times, leading to two field goals.
But that was just the beginning as Broyles scampered into the end zone two minutes later off of a 16-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Landry Jones. One drive later, Broyles and Jones connected again for an 81-yard touchdown pass—a career long play for both.
OU headed into the halftime locker room with Jones and Broyles posting big first half stats.
“I knew I was having a pretty good night,” Jones said. “We hit some really big shots early in the game which really helped us out.”
It would take the dynamic duo just three plays to connect again in the second half, this time for a 64-yard touchdown. On the three-play, 80-yard drive, Broyles and Jones accounted for 76 yards.
After the first quarter, it seemed the OU offense was off to a mediocre start at best. Two quarters later they looked like they were in pristine form as they gained a school-record 488 passing yards.
“We started out going sideways a little bit, so we went over to the sideline and told the coaches what we saw out there and we switched it up a little bit,” Broyles said of the offense’s switch to a more vertical passing game.
Despite Broyles’ big numbers, he said he isn’t doing any more than people have expected of him during his career.
“You know, people have compared me to Mark Clayton from the beginning, so I feel like that’s what I have to do is fill his shoes and I have another year left so I’m trying to make the best of it,” Broyles said.
Another year? So the star receiver has decided that he’s going to play his senior year? Not exactly.
“I know I have another year left,” Broyles clarified. “Whether I take it or not, I know it’s there.”
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fan1963 1 year, 6 months ago
Great game! Can anyone tell me the name of the player who got his head driven into the ground and was down for a while?