Nurse battles pandemic, volleyball foes for OCU
NORMAN — Not long after OU’s season ended last year, coach Lincoln Riley told freshman Mikey Henderson he might have something different in mind for his sophomore year.
“Lincoln had told me before my exit meeting, right after the Florida game, he was thinking about moving me to running back full time just to do a lot of different things with me to create a lot of different matchups in the slot, do a lot of stuff,” Henderson said Thursday.
After spending last season with Shane Beamer and the Sooners’ tight ends and h-backs, Henderson has made the transition to DeMarco Murray’s running back room this spring.
But Riley said there won’t be a big difference in the way Henderson is used.
Henderson had 168 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches, and nine carries for 81 yards and a score last season.
“He can do a lot of things for us,” Riley said. “He played in the backfield a lot for us last year too, so in a lot of ways, what we’re doing with him right now is just an extension of that. He’s doing a nice job.
“We’re trying to push him to make that jump from being a guy that was a role player for us, and did an outstanding job his first year, but that jump from becoming a role player to becoming a guy that plays a bulk of snaps is not an easy jump.”
Jeremiah Hall was the only other Hback/tight end with a carry last season and he just had one.
Henderson, who spent time at quarterback in high school, came to OU expecting to do a little of everything offensively.
“When I was getting recruited, Lincoln already told me from the jump, ‘You’re not limited to one position. We’re going to move you around everywhere. You’ve got a skillset that not a lot of people have,’” Henderson said. “They were going to do a lot of different
“We’re trying to push him to make that jump from being a guy that was a role player for us ...”
Lincoln Riley OU coach, on Mikey Henderson
things. I didn’t know they were going to move me to running back permanently, but I knew I was going to be getting carries.
“I kinda had this envisioned what I’m doing now, doing a whole lot of different stuff.”
Nearly a third of Henderson’s production last season came in Bedlam, when he had three catches for 61 yards and a score and three carries for 20 yards.
With Austin Stogner out, Henderson was a part of the game plan early, including hauling in a 20-yard touchdown catch on the Sooners’ second possession.
“I always knew I had it in me,” Henderson said of that game. “but to just go out there and finally show it on that stage in a game like that, that was a big confidence booster for me.”
One of the big reasons Riley’s offense have been so successful during his time at OU is the flexibility he’s had in h-backs and tight ends like Dimitri Flowers and running backs such as Joe Mixon. Such versatile players have given Riley the ability to use the same personnel grouping in a variety of different ways.
Henderson and Tennessee transfer Eric Gray give the Sooners a pair of pass-catching threats out of the backfield.
“That’s what we want,” Murray said. “I want a guy who can run the rock as a runner, that’s your job, but (also) want a guy that you can put out in slot, put outside to create matchups with linebackers and safeties.”