Oklahoma’s starting OTs are ‘highly questionable’ for Texas game

The Texas Longhorns defensive line should have an opportunity to go against backups for the Oklahoma Sooners at both tackle positions, as head coach Lincoln Riley said on Monday that left tackle Erik Swenson and right tackle Adrian Ealy are both likely to miss Saturday’s game in the Cotton Bowl.

“Swenson and Ealy, I would say both highly questionable for this game probably at best.” Riley said. “We’ll see how they progress here through the week. I don’t see either one of those guys out extremely long term, but they’re dealing with a little bit more than a bump or a scratch, too.”

Oklahoma hasn’t revealed the specific injuries for either player, but both missed the game against Kansas last weekend, forcing offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to once again trot out a different starting lineup, as he’s done in every game this season.

Graduate transfer RJ Proctor, who visited Texas before committing to Oklahoma, played at left tackle on Saturday, even though he spent his entire career at Virginia playing guard. Tyrese Robinson, who was considered a guard coming out of high school in the 2017 recruiting class, played right tackle.

So the Longhorns may be able to take advantage of those players on the edge, as they’re heavier than most tackles and lack the ideal length and movement ability to play outside.

They held up well enough against Kansas, however, as the Jayhawks only recorded one sack and allowed 7.24 yards per carry and four touchdowns on the ground.