Anderson building back his reputation
RLOS ANGELES — odney Anderson had a good reputation. On the field and off.
But good reputations can expire fast. They’re much more difficult to build than they are to lose.
All of which makes it remarkable that Anderson is a central figure in the Rose Bowl.
Back in September, few could have foreseen the Oklahoma tailback as an indispensable weapon for Baker Mayfield. Anderson was a fourth-teamer who looked prime for the What Could Have Been Hall of Fame.
Just a few weeks ago, Anderson’s trip to LaLa Land was in jeopardy. An acquaintance accused him of sexual assault, and Norman authorities investigated.
These are not the times when a school can try to win a Rose Bowl with a tailback under such a cloud.
But Friday, there sat Anderson on a podium in the LA Hotel Downtown, talking about Georgia and the Rose Bowl and his own rocky road. Not particularly comfortably. Anderson is not a big talker.
He’s got the same fallback answer for questions about September and December. Faith, family, friends. That’s what got him through the discouragement of two severe injuries and a slide down the depth chart, before his scintillating play made him a star. That’s what got him through the horror of the sexual assault allegations, before police announced that the accusations didn’t hold up, with verifiable evidence supporting Anderson’s innocence claims.
“I just relied on God throughout this whole thing with my family,” Anderson said. “They helped me stay focused ... they just kept telling me I had to rely on my faith and my family, and the truth is going to come into light.
“I mean, all you can do is pray, and that’s what I did. I prayed for myself and I prayed for her (the accuser) and I prayed for everybody involved in that situation.”
Anderson’s teammates naturally rallied to his side, and the rest of us were naturally skeptical. Too many athletes in too much trouble for anyone to get too committed to a ballplayer’s character. But something about Anderson’s pleas of innocence, and something about the Sooners’ not-this-guy reaction, made you think Anderson might be worthy of the benefit of the doubt.
“He’s a very, very good person,” center Erick Wren said. “He’s a very good stand-up guy.”
But remember, reputations are hard-earned and easily lost.
“I feel like I’ve done a really good job building up my reputation to this point,” Anderson said. “I feel like I built it on my faith and my family, and so I feel like people who really know me know that, and you know, if you don’t know me, then hopefully you can see it through the people that do.”
Anderson’s athletic reputation already had taken a hit. After arrival in Norman from Katy, Texas, Anderson was billed as a worthy successor to the proud Sooner tailback tradition. But a broken leg against Tennessee as a 2015 freshman, then a neck injury suffered in August 2016, wiped out virtually all of Anderson’s first two years at OU.
And others moved into the void left by the NFL departures of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. Through five games this season, Anderson’s carries totaled 13. Trey Sermon had 61 carries, Abdul Adams 35 carries and Marcelias Sutton 20 carries.
Fourth-team. That’s what Anderson was.
But Anderson said he never let himself get discouraged. Never thought that it just wasn’t going to work out.
“Like I said, with the other situations, I always rely on my faith, my family and friends,” Anderson said. “I just let God lead me to the whole thing. I’m a hard worker and I never really lost confidence in myself. I just put my head down, kept working and it paid off.”
Maybe he was a little hesitant, trying to recover from the unconventional injuries. Anderson didn’t dismiss the possibility. But he just kept his head down, waiting for a chance. It came against Texas, with 48 yards on 10 carries, and the next week Anderson exploded against Kansas State. The tailback job was his.
Over the last seven games, Anderson has averaged 125 yards rushing and scored 14 touchdowns.
With a thick Georgia accent, nose tackle John Atkins on Friday raved about Anderson.
“I like (No.) 24,” said Atkins. “They want to run down your throat. I have a lot of respect for those guys.”
Then I dropped the news on Atkins. Not that long ago, Anderson was fourth team.
“That’s crazy,” Atkins said.
Yes it is. Crazy. But true. Sort of like Anderson’s entire season, when his reputation, on and off the field, has taken a hit, but he’s building it back.