Oklahoma outside linebacker and sack leader Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will be out against Kansas with an undisclosed injury. Paramedics were working with him at one point in the Texas Tech game last weekend, but the circumstances were never made known.
Sooners' Okoronkwo ruled out Saturday vs. Kansas https://t.co/ofosIznAdj
— Ryan Aber (@ryaber) October 27, 2016
Obo hasn’t been perfect this year, as he struggled to apply pressure during OU’s crucial opening stretch. However, he now leads the team with seven sacks (tied for second in the Big 12) after some good performances against TCU, Texas and Kansas State.
Obo’s absence opens the door for guys such as Caleb Kelly and Ricky DeBerry. DeBerry is one that I would like to see extensively on Saturday, since he came to OU with so much hype. Like Kelly, DeBerry was a four or five-star recruit (depending on the service), but he hasn’t seen much of the field after redshirting a year ago.
Whatever’s wrong with Obo, I sure hope he gets better soon - both his sake and the team’s. He’ll be needed for the stretch run, as OU will need to be able to apply pressure to Seth Russell, Skyler Howard and Mason Rudolf.