Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas Ruled Out of Alabama Game

The Sooners' all-star defensive end has been a disruptive force this season, but he strained a quad returning a fumble for a touchdown two weeks ago at Tennessee and can't play today.

Oklahoma defensive lineman R Mason Thomas | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Oklahoma will go to battle today without one of its best weapons.

R Mason Thomas, the Sooners’ All-SEC defensive end, has been ruled out of Saturday’s football game against Alabama.

Thomas, a senior from Fort Lauderdale, FL, sustained a strained quad muscle in his right leg while returning a fumble for a touchdown two weeks ago in OU’s victory at Tennessee.

Thomas led the Sooners in quarterback sacks last season and leads OU with 9.5 sacks so far this season.

He’ll be replaced in the lineup by more snaps from junior P.J. Adebawore as well as redshirt freshman Danny Okoye. OU fans can also expect more snaps from Marvin Jones Jr. and Taylor Wein, who have been co-starters this season.

Thomas’ absence from Saturday’s game was announced in the SEC Pregame Availability Report.

Sophomore defensive tackle Jayden Jackson has been on the report all week and is listed as a game-time decision. 

Cornerback Gentry Williams, who wasn’t on the initial report released Wednesday, has been ruled out of Saturday’s clash as well.

The No. 4-ranked Crimson Tide (8-1) are a 5 1/2-point favorite over the No. 11 Sooners (7-2) in OU’s first game in Tuscaloosa since a dramatic victory in 2003 when OU was a member of the Big 12 Conference.

According to Pro Football Focus, Thomas has posted the highest overall defensive grade of any Sooner, with a grade of 84.0. He has made 19 career starts as a Sooner defender.

Wein, a redshirt sophomore from Brentwood, TN, has emerged as a pleasant surprise for the OU defense this season, leading the Sooners and ranking fourth in the SEC with 11 tackles for loss. He ranks sixth on the OU defense with a PFF grade of 78.6.

Okoye and Adebawore have seen their workload increase in recent games, according to PFF. 

The 6-4, 261-pound Adebawore, from Kansas City, has exceeded 20 snaps in four games this season, including three of hi last four, with a season-high 25 snaps against both Texas and Tennessee. He has posted a PFF overall defensive grade of 67.8 this season.

Okoye, from Tulsa, has played 67 defensive snaps so far this season and has been in double digits three times, including two of his last three. He played a season-high 17 snaps at South Carolina, then played 11 two weeks ago at Tennessee. Okoye’s overall PFF grade of 80.0 is the team’s fifth-best.