Twenty yards down the Oklahoma sideline, Jeremy Beal jogged off the field, having just harassed Nebraska into another punt, and was greeted appreciatedly by defensive coordinator Brent Venables.

It was a case of one defensive end stepping up with the other in limbo late Saturday night.

This might be the story of the Sooners’ D-line, if not their defense in general, for a while.

“It’s a sprain,” OU coach Bob Stoops announced of English’s knee. “How long (English will be out), we’ll just have to see. I’ll let people know once they give me a number.”

Number of days or weeks? It is both a question and a concern for a defense already struggling with middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds sidelined the rest of the year.

Reynolds’ injury left freshman Austin Box to man the middle. Stoops said Box was “better” in Saturday’s 62-28 victory over Nebraska.

Fortunately for the Sooners, they’re in a little better shape depth-wise at end.

Beal made five tackles Saturday, but that didn’t account for his constant pressure of quarterback Joe Ganz, and the stability he brought to an OU run defense that sorely misses Reynolds.

Freshman Frank Alexander, meanwhile, stepped in for English and delivered more pressure, including the Sooners’ only sack of the night, plus a fumble recovery that led to OU’s final touchdown.

“The last three games, he has really impacted and gotten a great rush,” Stoops said. “That’s exciting to see.”

It’s the kind of production OU must get if English is sidelined for any period of time. The Sooners can probably survive next week’s trip to Texas A&M without him, but Texas Tech and Oklahoma State lurk Nov. 22 and 29.