Oklahoma State Star Linebacker Injury Status vs. West Virginia Revealed
The Oklahoma State Cowboys were bound to be shorthanded defensively versus the West Virginia Mountaineers. Collin Oliver suffered a long-term injury earlier in the season. Linebacker Justin Wright has yet to make his return to the gridiron for a game.
Once again, offensive lineman Jake Springfield is out, too. However, in the most pressing news, Oklahoma State's defense will be without Nick Martin. The All-Big 12 linebacker and defensive superstar will leave a hole in the middle of the defense against West Virginia.
A season ago, Martin led the nation with 140 tackles. Heading into this week, he was top ten in tackles made across the nation. His impact will certainly be missed as the do-it-all linebacker is a staple in Oklahoma State's defense.
The Cowboys' injury report slowly growing continues to hurt the program as they've lost their two conference games played this season. Look for Redshirt senior Jeff Roberson to replace Martin in the starting lineup.
The linebacker corps of Martin, Oliver and Kendal Daniels looked like it was set to be one of the best in the nation, but the injuries have held the team's defense back significantly. Roberson has started in five games this season.
Arizona State transfer offensive lineman Isaia Glass will continue to start in place of Springfield. He's certainly talented enough to ensure the offensive line doesn't take a step back, though the position group hasn't been as good as expected thus far this season.
The Cowboys need a big victory over the Mountaineers to regain some of their footing in the Big 12 this season.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022