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Oklahoma expected to be without key offensive weapon for Red River Rivalry, per report
By Mark Kern
Published:
Oklahoma has had its struggles on the offensive side of the ball this season, and a lot of that has been due to injuries. According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Sooners could be without Deion Burks in Saturday’s Red River Rivalry against Texas.
Burks has been the best receiver for the Sooners this season, as he leads the team with 26 catches for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Sources: Oklahoma leading wide receiver Deion Burks is not expected to play against No. 1 Texas this weekend. Burks tops No. 18 OU in receptions (26) and yards (201). He’d been listed as questionable. pic.twitter.com/jMy3ge8igu
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 10, 2024
Burks was already listed as questionable for the Wednesday night availability report, but it will be a monstrous blow if he cannot suit up. The Sooners already listed 4 additional receivers as “out” for Saturday’s rivalry matchup.
If he is unable to go, it would be a really tough loss for an Oklahoma team that hasn’t been able to throw the ball very well anyways. The Sooners are currently ranked 118th out of 133 teams in passing, averaging only 169.2 yards.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins is now the starter for the Sooners, as he took over during the game against Tennessee. In Oklahoma’s win 2 weeks ago against Auburn, Hawkins was 10-of-15 for 161 yards.
The Sooners were underdogs last year against the Longhorns, but they were able to get the 34-30 win in a thrilling game. However, this figures to be a much more difficult task. Oklahoma is currently a 14.5-point underdog per bet365, and its only the third time since 1978 in the Red River Rivalry that the Sooners have been a 2-touchdown underdog.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be on ABC.
