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Sooners lose OL Jones for season
Sophomore is third OU lineman lost in last two days.

Jarvis Jones
 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 11/11/2009  2:26 AM
Last Modified: 11/11/2009  7:54 AM

 NORMAN — Injury bombshells keep rocking the Oklahoma football program.

On Tuesday, Bob Stoops announced that yet another starting offensive lineman, sophomore Jarvis Jones, is out for the season. Stoops said Jones has a fractured heel.

A day earlier, Stoops said senior Brody Eldridge, the starting left guard who had been an All-Big 12 performer at fullback and also was a key blocker at tight end, was out for the year with a shoulder injury (Stoops on Tuesday amended that to say it was Eldridge's neck).

Defensively, Stoops also said Monday that senior end Auston English was out for the year with a tendon injury in his left foot and was scheduled for Tuesday surgery.

"(Head trainer) Scott Anderson has never seen a fractured heal," Stoops said. "The tendon Auston English is having operated on later today, he's never seen that tendon ever happen in all those years of training. We've never had Brody's situation.

"We've had a lot of odd situations or injuries. It's really unusual."

Jones' injury is the fifth season-ending ailment to a starter — the fourth on offense — so far. Tight end Jermaine Gresham, quarterback Sam Bradford, Eldridge and Jones have all been taken out of action.

"That's hard, when you don't have those guys on the field that have been there, that have played it a bunch, who are ready for the situation," Stoops said. "Auston, I just feel horrible for those guys. And Brody Eldridge, gollee, he's just been an incredible guy, a leader,
the toughness, sacrificing being a tight end to being on the interior line, you just really hurt for those guys. The last thing he wants is to be sitting on the sideline. He wants to be playing. And both of 'em in their senior years, it's disappointing for them also."

Stoops said he didn't expect true freshman Josh Aladenoye or junior college transfer Jeff Vinson to be used during the Sooners' last three games. Vinson is listed as the second-team left tackle on the depth chart released Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said he expected tight end Eric Mensik to contribute at tackle "in an emergency deal. . . . As big as he is, he doesn't have the greatest leg strength that you want and he's had some injuries with his hip and back. For a big person, it's not really his truest forte.

"We're at the point we need to knock on wood and stay where we're at. We don't want to lose anyone else and manage and get through the season and end up on a positive."

The preseason began on a sour note when freshman linebacker Tom Wort went down with a torn knee ligament. Coaches said they expected Wort to be a regular contributor. Just days after that, senior linebacker Mike Balogun was declared ineligible. Gresham also went down with a knee injury in the preseason.

Starting wide receivers Ryan Broyles and Brandon Caleb, starting running back DeMarco Murray and starting left guard Brian Simmons also have missed a combined eight games with various injuries. Caleb is still nursing a sore ankle this week and hasn't been cleared to play, and Simmons, with a bad knee, is "still a couple weeks away," Stoops said. Freshman guard Tyler Evans has been hobbled by an ankle injury as well.

The Sooners, who host Texas A&M this week, are 5-4, unranked for the first time since 2005, then they finished 8-4. This year, Stoops said, is "obviously" more frustrating than that season.

"You're constantly moving parts," he said. "You've got more and more players that aren't able to play."

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/13/2009 9:30:54 PM)
Just a season of one diaster after another. Go sooners
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Steff M, Claremore (11/11/2009 8:15:35 AM)
When a starter goes down you can expect a coach to announce it and reporters to ask questions about it. I think it's safe to say that, although our o-line would have been weak, even if healthy, and our receiving corps is much depleted compared to last year, injuries are the main problem. Specifically Sam and Gresham, with Gresham maybe being the biggest of those two. Along with a lack of depth that could PARTIALLY be put on recruiting mistakes by the coaches or simply losing the recruiting war on some of the top tier talent. Not much you can do if a kid doesn't want to come except go with plan B or C or D, etc. Now it's hitting the defense? As a coach you'd almost have to sit back and laugh at this point.
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Pepito, Norman (11/11/2009 6:16:30 AM)
In this firestorm of unrest, the coaches have but one cover. Injuries. Expect the rest of the season press conferences to focus on a depleted roster. Very little will be made of the fact that OU was pretty awful in the first game against BYU and things have gotten progressively worse. But that would suggest coaching issues.
 

 
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