Oklahoma’s injury situation has become impossible to ignore, and the bye week did nothing to calm it down.
Heading into Saturday’s Red River Rivalry in Dallas, the Sooners’ initial SEC availability report actually came back looking worse after a week off. Oklahoma had 13 players on the report Wednesday, with four already ruled out, three listed as doubtful, five questionable and one probable.
That’s not what a bye week is supposed to look like.
For Brent Venables and Oklahoma, though, this has started to feel familiar. The injured list keeps piling up, and the pattern is hard to dismiss as simple bad luck at this point. The source of the problem may not be fully visible from the outside, but the results are loud enough: the Sooners keep showing up with more availability issues than the team across from them.
The Main Line Podcast pointed out that in 15 SEC games, Oklahoma has had fewer unavailable players than its opponent only once, dating back to 2024.
Since joining the SEC, Oklahoma has played 15 conference opponents. They have had fewer injuries than their opponent only once. pic.twitter.com/harSFg7xgY
- The Main Line (@TheMainLinePod) October 8, 2026
That puts the Sooners at a disadvantage before the opening kickoff, and this week’s matchup with No. 1 Texas is no exception. Texas had only four players on its availability report, with one out, which gave the Longhorns the cleaner bill of health.
Initial availability report ahead of the Red River Rivalry (proceed with caution, OU fans): pic.twitter.com/YNwFelfSt8
- Stormin In Norman (@StorminInNorman) October 8, 2026
Oklahoma’s list also included a handful of names that weren’t on the game-day report before the Georgia game, which makes the post-bye picture even more jarring. Cornerback Jacobe Johnson was already known to be hurt during that game, but running back Xavier Robinson, tight end Trynae Washington, offensive lineman Fred Hinton, starting left guard Eddy Pierre-Louis and tight end Jack Van Dorselaer all surfaced as surprise additions after the week off.
The biggest concern now is starting left tackle Michael Fasusi, who is listed as doubtful. If he can’t go, Oklahoma will be trying to slow Texas’ top-5 pass rush while already short-handed at one of the most important spots on the field.
The deeper issue is why this keeps happening. Venables has not offered much beyond the idea that football is a violent sport, but he has said enough to invite questions about how Oklahoma practices.
Before the Georgia game, he said, "We're always pushing to practice better," Venables said two weeks ago ahead of Georgia. "We do live with the 'It ain't ever good enough,' but it's tough; it's physical.
That's football. You want to play tough and physical, then you got to practice that.
Where's that balance at? You gotta find that."
He also added, "That's part of it too. Football's a violent, physical game.
That's gonna be part of it. But we gotta continue to push our guys to be great practice players.
Good football teams practice really good. There's, 'OK, take care of each other,' but, man, you gotta strike blocks and get off.
How are you gonna practice striking blocks and getting off in a violent way and just rely on game day to do that? You have to practice that."
Venables explained that “good on good” is only part of what Oklahoma does in practice, with much of the work going to drills and sleds for the offensive linemen. Even so, he said every rep still has to be treated like a game.
"You become a creature of habit, good or bad, by what you do at practice every single day," he continued. "That's when you develop your habits.
You don't develop those habits on game day. You develop them throughout the course of the year.
You get a foundation of playing and practicing a certain way."
That approach may make sense in theory, but Oklahoma’s injury report keeps telling a different story. The Sooners are not just trying to play tough; they’re trying to stay upright long enough to get through the season. David Stone’s injury before the last game only added to the concern, especially after he dislocated his left kneecap and barely avoided a season-ending injury when a scout player crashed into him two weeks ago.
The idea of hard practices clearly remains central to Venables’ program. But if Oklahoma is coming out of a bye week more banged up than when it went in, the question is no longer whether the Sooners are working hard enough. It’s whether they need a different way to do it.
Curt Cignetti has shown at Indiana that a team does not need old-school, 90s-style practices every day to be successful, using easier sessions and mental reps to keep players healthier. Somewhere between that and Venables’ current model, there has to be a middle ground.
Right now, though, it does not look like Venables is ready to move off what he believes is the foundation of his coaching. And Oklahoma keeps paying for it on the injury report.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces A Red River Concern Fans Already Feared
Oklahoma heads into the Red River matchup with a defense that could get a boost from a couple of returning pieces, but the more immediate concern is on the other side of the ball. The Sooners are working through injury issues along the offensive line and at running back, and that combination can shape everything from protection to play-calling in a game where margin for error is already slim.
Michael Fasusi is doubtful, Eddy Pierre-Louis is questionable and Xavier Robinson is out, leaving Oklahoma to sort through a patchwork situation at key spots before facing Texas. There are several other availability questions on the report as well, while Texas enters with fewer players listed as unavailable, which only sharpens the concern for a Sooners offense that would prefer far cleaner health heading into one of the season's biggest tests. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Receiver Frustration Just Took Another Hit Before Texas
A week before the Red River showdown, Oklahoma added another wrinkle to a wide receiver room that has already been under scrutiny. Freshman Jahsiear Rogers has been dismissed from the football program, according to an OU spokesperson, and he has already been removed from the teams online roster. Rogers had not carved out a major role this season, but he arrived with the kind of recruiting profile that made him an intriguing long-term piece for the Sooners.
For a passing attack trying to find more consistency, losing a young receiver who once looked like a possible building block is another reminder of how much turnover can shape a season. The Sooners are now moving toward Texas with less depth and one fewer developmental option at a position that has been watched closely all fall. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's 2028 Running Back Problem Just Got Worse Before Texas Week
The recruiting battle around the Red River Rivalry picked up another jolt when Micah Rhodes, a four-star running back in the 2028 class, backed off his Oklahoma pledge and announced for Texas just ahead of the matchup. Rhodes had originally committed to the Sooners, so the flip adds a fresh layer of sting to a weekend that already carries plenty of recruiting and regional weight for both programs.
Rhodes change of heart came after the departure of Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray, a reminder of how quickly the staff turnover can reshape a class. The Sooners still do not have a replacement lined up for Rhodes in the 2028 group, though they remain involved with other targets such as Jayshawn Mitchell as they try to steady that part of the board. [Read more 🡒]