In their season opener against Chattanooga, both the Oklahoma offense and defense excelled, but Ardmore native and OU tight end Jermaine Gresham struggled to find the end zone.
In front of a sellout crowd of more than 84,000 Sooner fans, Gresham dropped two passes that could have been touchdowns.
The All-American prospect caught two balls for a combined 20 yards in the first half and caught a third pass for six yards on the first drive of the second half.
Sam Bradford, quarterback and team captain, ended the game 17-for-22 and 183 yards. He said he was not worried about the touchdowns his tight end dropped.
“I know Gresham will make a lot of big plays for us in the future,” Bradford said. “He’s a great player and a big target ... We’d like to get the ball to him more.”
Throughout the game Gresham blocked effectively, helping his teammates find the end zone many times. Running back DeMarco Murray had two scores and his fellow back Chris Brown made it into the end zone three times. Receivers Manuel Johnson, Juaquin Iglesias and Quentin Chaney scored a touchdown apiece.
Even though Gresham did not have his best game, head coach Bob Stoops commended Gresham afterwards.
“He’s an incredible talent,” Stoops said. “He’s one of the most competitive guys we have.”
Gresham was unavailable for comment after the game.
