All week long, we've talked about how many injuries have piled up on the Oklahoma Sooners' roster while, conversely, the Texas Longhorns have only improved their overall roster health after the bye week.
Just a day before the Red River Rivalry kicked off, things only seemed to get worse for OU, and on Friday's availability reports, things actually improved even further for the Horns.
That included the addition of defensive back Eli Bowen to Oklahoma's report, listing the veteran cornerback as "questionable" after not including him on reports earlier in the week. Meanwhile, veteran tight end Nick Townsend was finally off the Horns' injury list, adding even more depth to Texas's receiving corps.
The pain OU was feeling on the injury front, especially compared to Texas, could be summed up with one number: snap count. If Bowen missed action on Saturday afternoon, the Sooners would be missing players with a combined snap count of 808. The Longhorns? They're only certain to be without three players, who have combined for 65 snaps this season.
Latest Texas Longhorns availability report vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Townsend had been down for the count since suffering a knee injury during Texas's second-half comeback victory over Ohio State. Now, the big-frame tight end would be available for quarterback Arch Manning to connect with during the rivalry matchup.
- Nick Townsend, TE, available
- Hollywood Smothers, RB, available
- Justus Terry, DL, questionable
- Kaliq Lockett, WR, out
- Jordan Coleman, OL, out
- Zion Williams, DL, out
Beyond Townsend's return, the Horns would also have running back Hollywood Smothers back in the rotation after the star in the backfield had missed the game against Tennessee to ensure his complete health.
Latest Oklahoma Sooners availability report vs. Texas Longhorns
Meanwhile, the Sooners were looking worse for wear as it got closer to game time, especially with Bowen's status extremely up in the air alongside fellow defensive back Jacobe Johnson, who had been ruled "out" in the team's initial report.
- Jack Van Dorselaer, TE, probable
- Eli Bowen, DB, questionable
- Eddy Pierre-Louis, OL, doubtful
- Fred Hinton, OL, out
- Michael Fasusi, OL, out
- Jacob Johnson, DB, out
- Trynae Washington, TE, out
- Trell Harris, WR, out
- Taylor Heim, LB, out
Also, notably, which you probably picked up on looking at OU's injury list, is the fact that three offensive linemen were expected to miss the Red River Rivalry, putting an undue burden on an O-Line that had already greatly struggled to protect quarterback John Mateer through the first four games of the season.
Ultimately, the status of any of these players could technically change at the drop of a (golden cowboy) hat, but for now, the Longhorns are as close to complete health as any team this far into the season.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables can't seem to keep his team healthy, and it's going to spell trouble for the Sooners at the Cotton Bowl this afternoon.
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