Oklahoma’s edge rush has been shaped this season by a pair that has grown up together in the program and now leads the way off the edge.
Taylor Wein and Adepoju Adebawore arrived at OU in 2023, and by their fourth year together, the two defensive ends have become almost a permanent package deal. Wein calls them “salt and pepper,” while Adebawore says Wein is his “dawg.” They’re rarely far apart - on the sideline, at practice, or anywhere else around campus.
For the first time, both are starting on the edges, and through seven games they’ve turned that shared role into production. Together, they’ve logged 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Even with that output, neither sounds satisfied.
“I still have to be better in all areas of my game,” Adebawore said. “I’m still leaving some plays out there.”
Wein was just as blunt about the standard they’re chasing.
“There’s a lot of meat left on the bone. We both have goals and aspirations. Those don’t mean anything if you don’t put the work in.”
That mindset showed up in Oklahoma’s 23-15 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Adebawore got to Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor on the opening drive, helping force a punt, and finished with 1.5 sacks and two tackles. Wein added five tackles, a solo stop and a fumble recovery as the Sooners limited Mississippi State to 15 points and 352 total yards in Starkville.
Even after that kind of day, Wein still sees room for more.
“We have to make our layups, and in critical moments, we can’t make mistakes,” Wein said. “We had several penalties, myself included. And we just have to learn from that.”
Now the next challenge is waiting in Norman, where South Carolina and quarterback LaNorris Sellers come in on Saturday.
Sellers, a senior, has thrown for 1,548 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games. He’s also added 507 rushing yards and four scores, giving the Gamecocks a dual-threat problem at 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds.
Wein, Adebawore and Oklahoma have already seen him twice since joining the SEC. South Carolina rolled to a 35-9 win in Norman in 2024, then OU answered in Columbia last year with a 26-7 victory.
This time, the Sooners’ fourth-year edge pair will be asked to deal with a quarterback who can beat defenses in more than one way. They sound ready for it.
“His feet are his weapon, and he has a heck of an arm, too,” Wein said. “We have to come correct with our eyes, our physicality.”
Adebawore put it this way: “We know that he’s fast, elusive, strong, can break tackles. Very, very impressive player.
A guy that we just have to contain. We just have to put it together.”
In Other News...
Sooners Injury Report Leaves Two Major Concerns Hanging Over Saturday
Ryan Fodje will miss his second straight week for Oklahoma, leaving the Sooners without another piece of their offensive line heading into Saturdays matchup with South Carolina. The latest injury report also leaves several other names in limbo, including Peyton Bowen and Jake Maikkula, as Oklahoma works through availability questions that could affect both the lineup and the way the staff pieces together its depth.
For a team trying to stay sharp in a tough conference stretch, the uncertainty is almost as important as the absences themselves. The full report includes players from both sides, but the Sooners are the ones watching closest, waiting to see how much they can count on the rest of the roster before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces Another Injury Crunch Before South Carolina Test
Oklahoma is heading into its South Carolina matchup dealing with another familiar roster squeeze, with center Jake Maikkula listed as questionable and the injury report again touching both sides of the ball. Safety Peyton Bowen and cornerback Eli Bowen are also in question, adding more uncertainty to a defensive backfield that may already be stretched thin, while the offensive line is working through its own depth issues.
Several players have already been ruled out, including Eddy Pierre-Louis and Ryan Fodje, leaving the Sooners to sort through more lineup adjustments before a game that could test their depth early and often. However the final availability shakes out, this is the kind of week where Oklahoma's margin for error gets a little smaller and every healthy body matters a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Finally Gets A Sean Hutton Update Fans Will Love
Oklahoma finally has a reassuring update on sophomore offensive lineman Sean Hutton, who collapsed during a practice and spent several days in the hospital after a rare medical event. Since then, Hutton has been released and is back at the team facility, a welcome turn for a program that had been holding its breath while he recovered.
Brent Venables and several teammates have already made clear how much the news means inside the building, where the focus has shifted from concern to gratitude. For a team trying to move forward, Huttons return to the facility is the kind of development that can steady everyone around it, even as the full road back remains something to watch. [Read more 🡒]