Brenen Thompson, Jovantae Barnes active for Oklahoma’s game against LSU

Two key offensive players will return for the Sooners in their regular season finale at LSU on Saturday.

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A couple of key offensive players will be active for Oklahoma’s final regular season game against LSU.

Neither wide receiver Brenen Thompson nor running back Jovantae Barnes were listed in Friday’s SEC Availability Report, meaning the two will play against the Tigers on Saturday.

Thompson suffered a leg injury in the first half of last week’s 24-3 win over No. 7 Alabama. A transfer from Texas, Thompson had one catch for 19 yards before suffering the injury.

With 230 yards and two touchdowns, Thompson has brought in the fourth-most receiving yards for the Sooners in 2024.

Barnes last played on Nov. 2 against Maine, when he ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns. But he’s been nursing an ankle injury ever since and missed the Sooners’ game against Missouri and Alabama.

Thompson’s quick return is huge for quarterback Jackson Arnold and the Sooners’ passing game. 

Oklahoma is depleted at wide receiver, with Deion Burks, Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony all out for the LSU game. Tight end Kade McIntyre is also out.

Barnes is OU’s leading rusher. He has run for 577 yards on 122 carries this year with five touchdowns, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.

With Barnes back in the lineup, the Sooners have great depth in the running back room. Barnes will be OU’s lead back, while Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson will be key supporting pieces in the backfield.

Robinson broke out against the Crimson Tide, rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns. With 272 yards, Tatum is Oklahoma’s third-leading rusher behind Barnes and quarterback Jackson Arnold. Robinson played wide receiver as a scout-team player earlier in the season, and interim offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley has noted Tatum’s strengths as a pass catcher.

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Also back for the Sooners is running back Gavin Sawchuk, who returned against Alabama. Sawchuk suffered a quadricep injury prior to OU’s game against South Carolina but saw his first game action last week against the Crimson Tide.

Between Barnes and those three, the Sooners will have more versatility and manpower.

“That can be a heck of a room, and we’ve known that all year and we’re hopeful for that,” OU coach Brent Venables said.

Sooners defensive end Caiden Woullard, who injured his knee against Alabama, will miss Saturday’s game. They will also be without four offensive linemen: Geirean Hatchett, Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor and Joshua Bates.

For LSU (7-4, 4-3 SEC), wide receiver CJ Daniels and offensive lineman Miles Frazier are probable to play. Offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger and defensive tackle Jalen Lee are both questionable.

Safety Jordan Allen, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., cornerback JK Johnson, wide receiver Kyle Parker, running back John Emery Jr., defensive end Princeton Malbrue and defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory will all be inactive against the Sooners.

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The Sooners (6-5, 2-5) upset the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide in their home finale last week to clinch bowl eligibility. It was their first SEC win since Sept. 28, when OU beat Auburn 27-21 on the road.

Saturday’s game between Oklahoma and LSU in Baton Rouge, La., will begin at 6 p.m.