Lincoln Log: O-Line Battles, COVID Issues Press Into Oklahoma's Game Week Preparations
NORMAN — It’s game week in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Sooners added an unexpected home game, as they will now host the Tulane Green Wave to open the season after Hurricane Ida rocked coastal Louisiana.
For OU head coach Lincoln Riley, he said that the change in venue doesn’t really mess up the week of preparation at all, and the players can now focus 100 percent on the task at hand — preparing for the Green Wave.
Still, there are position battles aplenty as the Sooners enter the first game week of 2021.
Offense Line Starters
Tyrese Robinson was named the starting right tackle as the Oklahoma Sooners take on Tulane on Saturday
John E. Hoover / SI Sooners
Last week Riley mentioned that him and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh had started to settle in on a few combinations along the offensive front.
“I think we’re getting pretty close,” Riley said about finding the o-line starters during his press conference on Tuesday. “We’ve started to mess around with a few different lineups, but I think it’s certainly starting to narrow.”
Riley said he was confident that Tyrese Robinson, last year's starter at right guard, would start against Tulane at right tackle, that 2020 UCLA transfer Chris Murray would get the nod at right guard, and that Marquis Hayes would resume his role as the starting left guard.
From there, Riley said that Andrew Raym and Arizona transfer Robert Congel are still battling for the starting spot at center. Riley also identified Tennessee transfer Wanya Morris, two-year starter Erik Swenson and sophomore Anton Harrison as the three guys battling for the left tackle spot.
Regardless of who gets the start against the Green Wave, Riley said that the offense would be willing to continue to rotate to try and find the best starting five.
“I think we’ll try to play a few different lineups in this first game to get everybody out there on the field and kind of see how they do in a game situation," he said.
Keeping Up With the Jones'
Mykel Jones celebrates his touchdown catch in the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
A familiar face should have returned to the sidelines at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium this weekend.
Mykel Jones, a former 4-star wide receiver from the 2016 recruiting class, returns to Norman after transferring to Tulane ahead of the 2020 season.
Unfortunately, Jones retired from football after he was unable to recover from a knee injury he suffered in last year's season finale against the Memphis Tigers.
Still, Riley said he looks back fondly on Jones' time with the program.
“He was great,” Riley said. “He was a coach favorite, he was a player favorite. Just kind of one of those guys who was always for the team.”
During his OU career, Jones hauled in 495 receiving yards on 33 catches, finding the end zone once for the Sooners.
Last year for the Green Wave, Jones caught 14 balls for 154 yards and one touchdown.
“He made us better during his time here,” Riley said. “I’m glad to see that he’s doing well.”
95 Percent
Lincoln Riley said COVID safety protocols are still very much in place as OU prepares to kick off the 2021 season
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The rise of the Delta variant has placed COVID right back in the middle of college football again this season, but the Oklahoma Sooners are doing their best to mitigate the risks.
Riley confirmed on Tuesday the vaccination rate inside the OU program.
“I definitely feel better relative to last year,” Riley said. “We’re 95 percent-plus vaccinated. The staff is basically entirely vaccinated, so I think you feel better because there is some degree of protection.”
Last season, Riley described a day-to-day worry about players testing positive or being placed into close-contact quarantine, but the vaccine has alleviated some of that stress.
Still, if an outbreak does happen in a program this season, the consequences will be much steeper.
The Big 12 has decreed that there will be no rescheduling this season due to COVID. If a team does not have the minimum number of players to field a team, they will forfeit the game. Simple as that.
So while the vaccine does make it much more likely that the team will be able to play week-in and week-out, Riley said things can change at the drop of a hat.
“This Delta variant is obviously, it’s a serious deal,” Riley said. “Maybe some of that degree of security or comfort that we felt there for a while has started to be diminished a little bit.”
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