Brent Venables Gives 'Frustrating' Injury Update for Oklahoma

The Sooners have been plagued with injury early and when a lot of those players will return is a mystery, including for the head coach.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables gave as much of an injury update as he could Tuesday during his weekly news conference ahead of the Sooners’ Week 3 game against Tulane. 

OU has been plagued with injuries this season – and it’s only Week 3. Even as recently as Monday night on his coach’s show, Venables announced offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his bicep. 

Hatchett already had to step up Week 1 because of an injury suffered to someone else in Week 1. Starting center Branson Hickman has played only 10 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus, after leaving in the first quarter of the Sooners’ season opener against Temple because of an ankle injury. He was suited up Saturday night but did not see the field at all against Houston. When he went down against Temple, Hatchett had to move from guard to center for the night. 

Hickman started 33 games in three seasons at SMU, where he transferred from this past season to presumably take over OU’s center job. He was an All-AAC Second Team member last season. 

“He was a little better (Monday) than he was last week,” Venables said. “We’ll see. I’m literally not being evasive. I don’t know. We’re hopeful. And we really are. We could use a guy that’s started 35 games in his career. But he’s closer.” 

Hickman isn’t the only offensive lineman OU may or may not have for its last test before SEC play starts against Tennessee on Sept. 21. Right tackle Jake Taylor was listed as OU’s starting right tackle on the initial depth chart before Week 1 but hasn’t touched the field yet this season. Again, like Hickman, his status against Tulane is questionable.

“I’m hopeful,” Venables said. 

Venables also said backup center Joshua Bates was playing Saturday with "one arm" but "did some good things."

"He's a little better today than he was even this last weekend from a health standpoint," Venables said.

Health isn’t just an issue on the offensive line either.

At receiver, the Sooners have already lost Jayden Gibson for the whole season because of injury during fall camp and Jalil Farooq for 6-8 weeks after foot surgery because of an injury Week 1. Returning star wideout Nic Anderson hasn’t appeared in a game yet. Venables also added that Jaquaize Pettaway, back last week from a hamstring injury, missed all of last Wednesday’s practice thanks to "something going on with his knee" and was “kind of available for the game” against Houston. 

“He missed a lot of good work,” Venables said of Pettaway missing practice. 

These injuries have forced the Sooners to embody the “next man up” mantra. Venables said freshman offensive tackle Daniel Akinkunmi is getting healthier from a foot injury and has been able to practice. Freshmen like Akinkunmi, Eugene Brooks and Eddy Pierre-Louis can get chances on Saturdays because of all the injuries taking out guys higher on the depth chart. Akinkunmi and Brooks are still working with the scout team, especially as Akinkunmi gets back into football shape. 

Venables mentioned redshirt freshman Logan Howland as another younger guy earning reps on the o-line because of injuries. Bates, a redshirt freshman, also started his first college game on Saturday. 

“Those guys, they’re gonna have to play,” Venables said. “They’ve played a little bit, not as much as the first group of guys. But you look at the initial depth chart, they’re either 3s or 4s when we had everybody available. They’ve moved up. Not necessarily from anything else but just by chance because of the circumstances.” 

And ahead of next week's showdown with Tennessee, Venables and the Sooners will be subject to divulging the Sooners' full injury picture on the SEC's weekly mandatory "availability report."

Outside of those Venables has already announced will miss an extensive amount of time, the status and return time for any other player on OU’s injury report is still rather unknown. As frustrating as it is for the Sooner faithful, especially after such a poor offensive performance, to know when potential answers to problems could return, try being the man in charge of fixing it all. 

“That’s not a popular answer, but it’s definitely not popular in our offices, I can promise you,” Venables said. “Try to be the (athletic) trainer that comes in there and he’s Dr. Death giving us the report everyday. He gets challenged pretty good, ‘What does that mean? Is he going today? Is he gonna be available this week?’ And a lot of it they don’t know. But if anyone else is frustrated as far as who’s gonna be available this week, you gotta get in line.”