Oklahoma Sooners just took way more than one loss in Week 2 against the Michigan Wolverines, as the initial injury report isn’t great
The Oklahoma Sooners have to figure out a way to bounce back, and it won’t be easy without star linebacker Kip Lewis.
There’s still no big update at the time of this writing, but it’s obvious things aren’t good. On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners lost embarrassingly to the Michigan Wolverines. They also lost linebacker Kip Lewis.
Lewis is one of the best players on the Sooners, and certainly one of the best on the defense. But on Saturday, he left the game. He came back in with a knee brace, and then was out again. He tried to continue going, but he just couldn’t. That alone affected the entire game for the defense, even though they still played well on that side of the ball.
“You lose a guy like Kip; he’s a good player, but I thought the other guys came in and we reestablished a rhythm, especially in the second half,” head coach Brent Venables said after the game. “He’ll [Lewis] miss some time.”
It’s next man up for the Sooners
Still, despite this, the defense played well. You can’t replace all of the things Lewis does for this team. He’s a leader, and he brings energy. Not to mention, he’s a bullet flying to the ball and at the quarterback on the blitz. But you also can’t sit and sulk about it. The schedule continues, and there is still work to be done.
“Kip’s an emotional and on-the-field leader, but the expectation is no drop-off,” linebacker Owen Heinecke said. “So, unfortunately, it’s next man up, and you’ve got to be able to perform. I think [James] Nesta did a good job stepping up in that situation.”
Now, they did lose, but the defense was still amazing in the second half. And without Lewis, the Sooners allowed just 75 yards to the Wolverines. That alone makes the loss even more staggering. But they have the depth at that position to still be fine, at best, there. The Sooners have to lock in and hunker down until Lewis gets back, if he can.
