Oklahoma football: Trey Metoyer's excitement sometimes goes out of bounds

The five-star recruit with “as good as it gets” ball skills has been MIA from big-game play.

He was supposed to be the answer to all of Landry Jones' receiving woes. He was drawing comparisons to be the best freshman performer since Adrian Peterson stepped on Owen Field.

Coach Bob Stoops even said the following about Metoyer after the spring football game: “He just has a natural feel for it, on spacing and how to make plays and get to the ball.”

Then season came and Metoyer's connected with the out-of-bounds line more than Jones' arc-from-his-throw line. In four games, Metoyer's made 10 receptions for 90 yards. He had zero receptions in Oklahoma's 41-20 wreck of Tech.

Oklahoma actually painted a red line along the boarder of its practice field to help Metoyer adjust. Assistant coach Jay Norvell called it a loss of awareness.

“He got a little tight to the boundary a couple times,” Norvell said. “He's gotta learn from that.”

Norvell also attributed it to Metoyer being a young player who wanted to get a catch. Metoyer hasn't played a full football season since high school. Although he attended Hargrave Military Academy in between his senior year of high school and his freshman year at Oklahoma, the wide receiver didn't see much football time.

Metoyer called his lack of grabs a result of excitement. He wants to make the plays. He knows the expectations that the media, fans and coaches had for him. Metoyer doesn't think he's underperformed but said he has to keep reminding himself to stay calm and make the play.