Dillon Gabriel, Andrel Anthony developing chemistry on deep throws

NORMAN — It took just four plays against Arkansas State to get a glimpse of how Andrel Anthony fits into Oklahoma’s offense.

On the Sooners’ fourth play of the game — a first-and-10, no less — Anthony sprinted down the middle of the field and got a step on his defender. OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel found him for a 45-yard gain, which was the second biggest play of the day for the Sooners’ offense. One play later, Gabriel found Drake Stoops for the game’s first touchdown.

After that, Anthony felt settled in the Sooners’ offense.

​​“It was great because it was a really big confidence booster,” Anthony said Monday when asked by OUInsider. “Whenever you go somewhere new, it’s like, I don’t know what to expect kind of thing. That early (play) kind of set the tone for our team and just how the rest of the game was going to go... we were firing on all different cylinders.”

It was also immediate evidence that Anthony fills a much-needed role in Jeff Lebby’s scheme.

Lebby, the Sooners’ second-year offensive coordinator, recruited Anthony while he was at Ole Miss. But Anthony stayed close to home, and spent his first two seasons at Michigan. Even with inconsistent playing time, Anthony proved to be a threat as an explosive, big-play receiver with the Wolverines.

With Marvin Mims departing for the NFL, the Sooners were in need of a deep threat at receiver. So it wasn’t a surprise when Lebby was the first person to reach out to Anthony after he entered the transfer portal.

“I saw top end speed,” Lebby recalled Monday about his early impressions of Anthony. “I was very familiar with Andrel in my last stop. I recruited him out of high school. So there was some familiarity there. And then when he got in the portal, I have some really close connections at Michigan and was able to reach out and talk to some people inside the building. They didn't want to lose him. They loved him. They wanted him there. Felt like he was going to be a starter for them.

“He needed to change, wanted a scheme change I think as much as anything. Got on the phone and everything checked out. Knew he was going to be a guy that played with really good length and really good top end speed and that's what we need.”

As soon as Anthony arrived, he and Gabriel went to work on developing a rhythm on long throws. That first-quarter catch wasn’t the only example — Gabriel attempted two other long passes to Anthony that didn’t connect, but Arkansas State was called for pass interference on both plays. Anthony finished with three catches for 66 yards.

“We’ve been working at it, and it’s fun learning each other,” Gabriel said. “But just the work we put in together and to see it kind of come to fruition is a great deal.

"That's eight months together of being close and working at it, but time does do wonders, and hard work and putting it in together. But that's a testament to who he is and, you know, always hitting me up doing the same. He's that type of guy, so I'm proud of him and excited for him.”

While the Gabriel-Anthony connection still has a long ways to go, it’s clear that it’s developing. And that first-quarter catch helped validate Anthony’s decision to come to Norman.

“(It reinforced) everything from all the stress from the portal and all the work and all that,” Anthony said. “That’s what I wanted and it’s going to happen a lot more.”