Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

In not-so-happy news, the Oklahoma Sooners have yet to reach the end of Week 1 of fall camp, but already a major contributor to last year’s defense could potentially miss significant time. According to Sooner Scoop, junior DB Tre Norwood did not practice on Tuesday, and was seen on crutches with his left knee wrapped. The Football Brainiacs originally reported a torn ACL for Norwood.

According to our own Kamiar Mehrabian, an official announcement should be expected on Friday.

The Fort Smith native has 19 starts in his career, including all 14 games in 2018. If Norwood does have to miss the majority if not all of the 2019 season, losing his experience could be felt early on.

In cases of losing players to injury, it’s never a net positive, but fortunately for OU, there are a number of experienced defensive backs available that could potentially pick up the slack. Leaving Tre Brown to hold down the left CB spot, senior Parnell Motley could step in for Norwood on the right side. Additionally, young guns like Miguel Edwards, Jaden Davis and Woodi Washington will be itching to make their mark.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Patrick Fields is in play to make a major impact this fall, Baker Mayfield does a great thing for military servicemen, Antonio Brown is recovering from frostbite and more!

OU Links

• Jack and Kamiar are back with another episode of the Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast! In this week’s installment, the guys discuss Tre Norwood’s injury and the impact it could have, plus they take a look at each level of Alex Grinch’s defense. Also, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice! We’re now onITunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. If you enjoy the podcast, make sure to give us a five-star rating on ITunes, as it will help it reach more listeners.

• Lincoln Riley has a nice collection of QB talent on this 2019 team with Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler and Tanner Mordecai. Check them out while they work as the competition wages on.

• Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World covered sophomore safety Patrick Fields this week, and for the Tulsa Union product, he’s living the dream at Oklahoma. After Alex Grinch praised his performance in the spring, he’s also learning to live with expectations.
• Check out Athlon Sports’ game-by-game predictions for Oklahoma’s 2019 schedule, featuring Allen Kenney’s thoughts and takes on how the Sooners’ year could play out.
• Want bold predictions? Well, depending on your definition of bold, these may or may not be that, but in any case, here are five predictions for Oklahoma’s upcoming season from Dallas Sporting News’ Spenser Davis. For the record, I agree with all of them except the very last one, only because I don’t predict a rematch this time around.
• Baker Mayfield is many things. He’s an elite quarterback, he’s the life of the party, but most importantly, he’s a genuinely good person. Way to represent, champ.

Around the Sports World

• Freshman CB Chris Steele signed with the Florida Gators ahead of the spring semester earlier this year, then elected to transfer back to his home state of California to play for the USC Trojans. On Tuesday, the NCAA ruled him eligible to play during the 2019 season.
• Oakland Raiders WR Antonio Brown has reportedly suffered frostbite on his feet after using a cryotherapy machine without wearing proper footwear. Ouch.
• New England Patriots WR Josh Gordon has applied for reinstatement after repeatedly violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The playing fate of the former Cleveland Browns receiver is at the total discretion of commissioner Roger Goodell.
• ESPN 8 ‘The Ocho’ is making a come back, and this is the kind of quality content it brings that you won’t find anywhere else. I’d say this qualifies as barely a sport, so it’s perfect!

Stick to Sports!

• The sequel for Sony Pictures’ ‘Venom’ film will be directed by Andy Serkis and co-written by star Tom Hardy. After mixed reviews yet wild success at the box office, the sequel looks to give fans of the first more of what they enjoyed, while listening to the issues from those who weren’t as impressed.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!