Okoronkwo prepared to play with cast on right wrist
Oklahoma senior defensive end/linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo wore a cast on his right wrist Tuesday evening when he entered the team meeting room to conduct interviews leading up to Saturday’s Bedlam game.
Okoronkwo was asked about it, looked down and shrugged it off.
“It’s just a precaution,” he said, before moving his arms behind his back. “It’s all good.”
Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said the Sooners would look at possibly taking it off or trimming it down at least before the game, depending on how the thumb that was injured earlier in the season reacts.
“It’s gonna be kind of how his range of motion and all that comes back with it,” Riley said. “And trying to find the balance between protecting it, not letting it get worse, but also being as functional as it can.”
Riley: Gallimore, Romar “close”
Oklahoma absolutely needed the added depth on the defensive line of Du’Vonta Lampkin and Amani Bledsoe since conference play began, especially since they’ve spent time without starting defensive tackles Matt Romar and Neville Gallimore.
Romar hasn’t started since Big 12 play began after he left the Tulane game early. Gallimore played sparingly against Kansas State and then wasn’t dressed out against Texas Tech last week.
“I don’t know yet,” Riley said Wednesday night when asked about the duo’s status for Saturday. “I think we’re close. Neville’s probably a little bit closer than Romar.”
Sooners look to keep road success going
Since Riley’s arrival in 2015, Oklahoma has been excellent on the road.
The Sooners are 12-0 in true road games during that span, which of course coincides with Baker Mayfield’s time starting at quarterback as well.
Riley said he isn’t sure what’s changed since before that — though it’s not like Oklahoma struggled mightily on the road before that. The Sooners were 13-2 on the road from 2012-14.
“That whole team just really embraced kind of that road mentality and really just enjoyed it,” Riley said of the 2015 Sooners. “Kind of had a chip on our shoulder, kind of, ‘us against the world,’ type of mentality the whole year.
“It’s just kind of started that way, and I think we gained some confidence in the way that we can play and play in and embrace those environments, and we’ve been on a good run with it.”
Okoronkwo ready to face OSU for final time
Oklahoma State “Cowboy Back” Keenan Brown hasn’t touched the ball much this season, with just two catches for 40 yards.
But Okoronkwo hopes he gets a chance to match up with Brown on Saturday.
The pair were high school teammates at Alief Taylor High in Houston.
Okoronkwo said Tuesday he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to Brown yet but planned on calling him later in the week.
There was a time Okoronkwo thought he and Brown would be college teammates.
Okoronkwo was committed to Oklahoma State before flipping to the Sooners late in the process.
“I love challenges,” Okoronkwo said of facing the Cowboys.
“The storyline of me having been committed there — that makes it more fun.”