Oklahoma OL Creed Humphrey: "Our Job Is To Keep Our Distance"
Look no further than last Saturday for evidence that COVID-19 has the potential to utterly decimate a roster.
The Sooners were missing no less than 20 players on the two-deep roster for their tilt with Missouri State, a game that Oklahoma nonetheless won by a 48-0 tally.
However, that situation illustrates the gridlock that college athletes face: on a collegiate campus where many students pay no mind to the acute threat of COVID-19, student-athletes have to be all the more vigilant. A positive test or a contact trace means they'll miss game action.
How difficult, then, is the life of a student-athlete? As they attend classes during the day and interact with the rest of the student body, it's nearly impossible to completely immunize themselves from contact with the virus.
However, Oklahoma offensive captain Creed Humphrey says that he and his teammates simply have to roll with the punches, and there's no easy way to handle any of it.
“We were kind of expecting it," said Humphrey. "We’re at a college. Kids are going to do what they want to do."
Humphrey, the Sooners' standout center, anchors an offensive line that lost a starter last week due to COVID-19. Anton Harrison was set to become the first true freshman since 2015 to draw a start on Oklahoma's offensive line, but was one of the myriad inactives when game time rolled around.
The situation further underscores the reality that student-athletes don't lead lives consistent with those of typical college students.
"We’re not going to be able to go out to restaurants, things like that, things that we normally do," said Humphrey. "Our job is to keep our distance as much as we can.”
"Wearing a mask isn't that hard," said H-back Jeremiah Hall.
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