Texas Football: 3 key injured Longhorns players heading into bye week
![Jalen Catalon, Texas football. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Jalen Catalon, Texas football. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f3523e6b6d55b77e71a53c6d98c9b91fc610c7c51316f84d796a406b4c1bc28a.jpg)
The unfortunate last-minute loss for No. 3 Texas football last weekend to the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners saw multiple players in the Burnt Orange come up with injuries. Texas lost a couple of key starters on each side of the ball to injuries in the loss on Oct. 7 to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at the Texas State Fairgrounds.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns were already dealing with a handful of injuries coming into Red River against the Sooners last weekend. Redshirt junior boundary corner Ryan Watts and junior tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders both suffered injuries in Texas’ 40-14 win over the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks on Sep. 30.
Injury updates for key Texas football players after the loss to OU
Sanders played against the Sooners but was limited due to the ankle injury he suffered in the win over Kansas the previous weekend. But Watts was inactive due to the lower-body injury he also suffered against Kansas.
Watts and Sanders joined sophomore interior offensive lineman Cole Hutson and redshirt freshman edge rusher/defensive lineman Kris Ross among the players on the Longhorns’ injury report last week. A few more injuries for the Longhorns in the loss to Oklahoma last weekend added to the players recovering heading into the bye week.
Here are three key injury updates for Longhorns players heading into the bye this week.
Jalen Catalon, S
After taking eight defensive snaps against Oklahoma in the first half, senior safety and former Arkansas transfer Jalen Catalon suffered an injury. Catalon’s injury sidelined him for the rest of the game against Oklahoma.
In his absence, true freshman safety Derek Williams Jr. got more defensive snaps in Red River. This resulted in Williams taking 49 defensive snaps last weekend, the second-most in any game for the true freshman this season.
In his Monday press conference on Oct. 9, Sark said Catalon is “day-to-day” after suffering the injury last weekend vs. Oklahoma. It sounds like he should be available for Texas coming out of the bye next weekend against the Houston Cougars on Oct. 21.