OU Running Back Abdul Adams Could Fill Rodney Anderson's Role

With the start of college football season just around the corner, it looks like the Sooners finally fell victim of the injury bug.  OU’s first significant injury of preseason camp occurred during Thursday’s scrimmage when reserve running back Rodney Anderson suffered a neck injury that will keep him out of the lineup throughout the entire 2016 season.

While losing a third string running back for the year on a team that returns over 91 percent of its rushing total from the previous season may not be big news for some programs, it’s definitely worth noting for the Sooners since Anderson was one of the standouts of camp.

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Just hours before the news broke that Anderson was out for the season, offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley had this to say about the redshirt freshman:

“He’s had one of the best camps of anybody I can think of offensively of any position,” Riley said. “He’s been fantastic just finally getting him back healthy. Came in from high school with an injury, had an injury the first of the spring, obviously got hurt against Tennessee last year and was still limited in the spring, so this is the first time we’ve really had him healthy for an extended time and he’s made a lot of plays.”

This was just the last of many raving comments about Anderson, but it’s now time for the Oklahoma offense to move forward, and the next guy in line must step up.

While it’s likely both Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon will shoulder more carries without Anderson as reinforcement, we could see the Sooners trot out true freshman running back Abdul Adams (5-10, 208) as the team’s new third string ball carrier.

“Abdul has really been great and he looks super. He’s got great quickness, he’s strong, very bright young man and fits right in with that crew,” OU head coach Bob Stoops said of Adams at OU’s media day earlier this month.

A four-star recruit out of Landover, MD., Adams is an explosive runner that may have been redshirted if it weren’t for Andersons’ injury, but now he faces the opportunity of inheriting a significant role in the OU offense.

Adams rushed for 2,036 yards and 21 touchdowns during his senior season playing in North Carolina, so it’s clear he has the skill set to make an impact.

“He’s extremely eager, he’s making freshman mistakes you’d expect, but the thing I love about it is he’s not making the same mistakes over and over and he’s making the mistakes full speed, which is what you want,” Riley said of Adams.

Riley also complimented Adams’ physical running style and breakaway ability, while saying he has the chance to be a complete back.

That being said, it’s no sure thing that Adams will be third in line in carries, seeing OU returns senior running back Daniel Brooks at the position. Despite lacking a standout performance, Brooks rushed for 150 yards on 28 carries last season, and will surely have every chance to earn