NORMAN, Okla. — Even after an All-America season, Ryan Broyles knew he could do more.
It didn’t have anything to do with catching more passes or improving the statistics he put up while breaking every significant receiving record at Oklahoma.
It was a realization he wasn’t being the right kind of role model for the No. 3 Sooners (4-0, 1-0 Big 12).
“I know years in the past I didn’t want to be a leader because I knew I’d have to go hard and play and really hone in every opportunity that I have,” Broyles said. “But now, I think it just makes me a complete player, knowing that guys are looking up to me and I have to — and I want to — set a good example for them.”
Broyles has been taking steps in that direction since a rocky start in Norman. He was arrested for stealing gas the day before Oklahoma’s 2007 season opener — he’d later plead no contest to the crime — and he redshirted behind a talented group of receivers.
He also had to sit out the first game of the 2008 season and then went out and set the school’s freshman record for receiving yards in his debut.
Since then, the big numbers have continued to add up. When he takes the field Saturday against No. 11 Texas (4-0, 1-0), Broyles will be 13 catches shy of breaking the NCAA career record for receptions. Taylor Stubblefield, who played for Purdue from 2001-04, holds the record with 316 receptions.
“Any type of career number like that, whether it’s a touchdown or yardage or catch, is something that’s a real tribute to that player and his durability and his work ethic,” said co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, who is in charge of Oklahoma’s receivers.
Broyles has averaged more than seven catches per game over the course of his career, and he led the nation a season ago with a 9.4 average. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football’s top receiver, and decided to return for his senior season and another shot at the national title instead of entering the NFL draft. So, after catching 131 passes for 1,622 yards and 14 touchdowns, he identified the ways he could make his team even better.
“It’s a physical sport and I feel like my past three years here, I haven’t really brought that intensity every game,” said Broyles, who recently got engaged. “I felt like I’m really a receiver and my job was to catch the ball, but I’ve really been focusing on getting out there and making an impact in the running game.”
Footnotes. Miami defensive tackle Marcus Forston will miss the rest of the season after suffering an undisclosed knee injury during Wednesday’s practice.
• Nebraska backup offensive lineman Jake Cotton is out for the season after tearing ligaments in a knee.
• North Carolina kicker Casey Barth will miss Saturday’s game against Louisville because of a thigh injury.
• The Longhorn Network will not show high school game highlights under an agreement approved by leaders of the Big 12, including Texas.
The Associated Press
