The Oklahoma Sooners have been dealing with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball. The offensive line looks healthy and ready to roll into the Red River Showdown. But Oklahoma is still hoping for some good news with their skill positions.
One player who looks like he’ll return for OU-Texas is true freshman running back Taylor Tatum. The Longview, Texas product was left off of the initial injury report for this Saturday’s matchup.
Tatum left the Tennessee game with a concussion and missed Oklahoma’s win over Auburn. Tatum had emerged as the No. 2 running back behind Jovantae Barnes.
The Sooners will need his playmaking ability out of the backfield against the Longhorns.
Another important player to monitor is wide receiver Deion Burks. The dynamic pass catcher is questionable on the initial injury report. Burks also missed the Sooners’ win over Auburn but still leads the team in receiving through five games. He’s a big play threat every time he touches the ball.
On the Texas side, Quinn Ewers looks likely to return to action after missing the last two games with an abdominal injury. Ewers is listed as probable, supporting reports that he’ll return to action to face the Sooners.
The Oklahoma Sooners have battled injuries all season and it’s no different heading into their rivalry matchup against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.
Most of the players who were expected to play are. Taylor Tatum was fully off the injury report, as was Dasan McCullough, who had missed every game prior to this week.
However, the Sooners are expected to miss one key playmaker on offense in this one. Wide receiver Deion Burks is not expected to play this week, as he’s still recovering from an injury he suffered in the Sooners’ loss to Tennessee in Week 4.
The Sooners generated plenty of plays in their last game against Auburn without Burks (against what might be a better defense, I might add), but this is still a blow.
Burks still leads the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.
Burks hasn’t practiced all week or last week, so it’s not a surprise that he is out this week. It won’t change the gameplan for the Sooners at all. Given their injuries at wide receiver, it’s not a surprise that Oklahoma is hesitant to rush Burks out before he is ready.
Now, Oklahoma will be relying on players like Brenen Thompson, Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney, and newly converted wide receiver Jacobe Johnson to make up the difference with Burks out.
For Oklahoma, the game plan should still revolve around picking on Texas’s issues in the run game and then attacking them in the passing game once they adjust. There were plenty of positives against Auburn, even without Burks and four other wide receivers, in this area. If they can do that, their defense should be able to make up the difference and keep the Sooners in this game.
With Burks out, however, the margin for error offensively becomes even slimmer. The Sooners have to make every play count.
Leave a Reply