Texas football vs. OK State full injury report Big 12 title game

The Big 12 Championship Game is the final time the Texas football program will compete in a game in this conference before leaving for the SEC in 2024. No. 7 Texas (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) is a heavy favorite against the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 2 at AT&T Stadium.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are slightly over a two-touchdown favorite against the Pokes this weekend in the Big 12 title game. A win over Oklahoma State also keeps the Longhorns alive in the College Football Playoff conversation.

On the other hand, head coach Mike Gundy and the Pokes would love nothing more than to keep the Big 12 title with a team that is sticking around in the conference beyond this fall.

Both Texas and Oklahoma State have experienced their fair share of injuries this season. But neither team is too banged up at key positions, especially considering how late it is in the campaign.

Here’s a look at the full injury report as No. 7 Texas faces No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, on Dec. 2, with the kickoff time set for 11 a.m. CT.

Texas football injury report vs. Oklahoma State

Jalen Catalon, S (Questionable)

Jonathon Brooks, RB (Out)

Austin Jordan, DB (Out)

Ryan Watts, CB (Probable)

In his Thursday press conference on Nov. 30, Sarkisian said sophomore defensive backs/special teams gunner Austin Jordan is out due to an injury, and redshirt junior boundary corner Ryan Watts should be good to go. This comes after Sarkisian listed Watts as “questionable” after suffering an upper-body injury in the win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders last weekend in his Monday press conference.

Watts left the game due to a back injury after the first play from scrimmage for the Red Raiders on Black Friday. The injury looked scary when it first happened, but Watts was able to walk off the field under his own power.

True freshman cornerback Malik Muhammad took most of the snaps at boundary corner for the rest of the game in relief of Watts against Texas Tech. Muhammad was great in his reps at boundary corner last week, including a beautiful play where he snatched the ball from a Tech receiver for his first career interception.

Regardless if Watts is able to go against Oklahoma State this weekend, we should still expect to see Muhammad and redshirt junior cornerback Gavin Holmes rotating in the game.

Another key injury in the secondary for the Longhorns involves senior safety Jalen Catalon. The Arkansas transfer re-aggravated an upper-body injury during Texas’s win over the Iowa State Cyclones on the road in Ames on Nov. 18.

Catalon hasn’t played any defensive snaps for the Longhorns since he suffered the injury against Iowa State a couple of weeks ago. We don’t have a firm update from Sarkisian regarding Catalon’s injury status heading into the Big 12 title game.

Texas has continued to rotate senior Jerrin Thompson, true freshman Derek Williams, redshirt sophomore Michael Taaffe, and senior Kitan Crawford at safety in Catalon’s absence due to the injury.

Redshirt sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks is out for the rest of the season due to an ACL tear he suffered against the TCU Horned Frogs on Nov. 11. True freshman CJ Baxter Jr. and sophomore Jaydon Blue have taken most of the carries at running back in Brooks’ absence in the last few weeks.

Oklahoma State injury report vs. Texas

De’Zhaun Stribling, WR (Out)

Jason Brooks Jr., OT (Doubtful)

Talyn Shettron, WR (Out)

Elijah Collins, RB (Questionable)

Justin Wright, LB (Out)

Oklahoma State’s injury report is a bit longer than Texas’s. Gundy’s squad is down a few starters, namely offensive tackle Jason Brooks Jr., linebacker Justin Wright, and wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling.

Stribling was one of Oklahoma State’s leading receivers early this season before he suffered an arm injury against Iowa State in Week 4. He’s expected to miss the rest of the season for the Pokes.

Also in the receiving corps, Oklahoma State has missed redshirt freshman wideout Talyn Shettron since their Week 8 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers due to an injury.

Oklahoma State has relied upon the trio of Leon Johnson, Rashod Owens, and Brennan Presley to pick up the pace with a few others in the receiving corps who have been missing time late this season.

Defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo and the Pokes have found other answers at linebacker to make up for the absence of senior former Tulsa transfer Justin Wright. The linebacker trio of Collin Oliver, Xavier Benson, and Nickolas Martin have done a great job for Oklahoma State’s defense this season.