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Oklahoma Receiver Downgraded to Doubtful for Matchup With Mississippi

The Sooners are closer to taking the field without Deion Burks as Brent Venables' team prepares to take on No. 18 Ole Miss.

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks celebrates after scoring during the first quarter against the Temple Owls
Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks celebrates after scoring during the first quarter against the Temple Owls / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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Deion Burks was downgraded from questionable to doubtful for Oklahoma's contest with No. 18 Mississippi on Thursday's SEC Availability report.

Burks was labeled as “day-to-day” earlier this week by OU (4-3, 1-3 SEC) coach Brent Venables, but he hasn’t featured since OU’s Week 4 defeat to Tennessee. 

Running back Gavin Sawchuk is also a doubt for the contest, as he was again labeled as doubtful for the contest.

Sawchuk is tied for fifth on the team in rushing, having carried the ball 20 times for 42 yards this year. Tuesday, Venables said that Sawchuk strained his quad in the lead to last week’s 35-9 defeat to South Carolina, which led to the redshirt sophomore getting no snaps against the Gamecocks. 

Otherwise, the injury situation is largely unchanged for the Sooners. 

Receivers Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson and Jalil Farooq are all still out, as are defensive backs Gentry Williams and Kendel Dolby and offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett. 

Ole Miss is monitoring a key injury as well as the Rebels look to get back to .500 in SEC play. 

Star wide receiver Tre Harris is questionable for this weekend’s contest. 

Harris has caught 59 passes for 987 yards and six touchdowns this year for the Rebels, averaging 16.7 yards per catch. He is Ole Miss’ clear leader in receptions, yards and touchdown catches. 

Cayden Lee is second on the team in both receptions (27) and receiving yards (429), and Antwane Wells Jr. is second on the team with four touchdown receptions. 

Defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen was again listed on the availability report, though he is probably for the weekend. 

Umanmielen is third on the team with 3.5 sacks, and he’s totaled 13 tackles on the year for Ole Miss’ defense. 

Kickoff between the Sooners and the Rebels from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is slated for 11 a.m., and the SEC bout will be broadcast on ESPN. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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