Oklahoma DL David Stone 'Grateful' to Play vs. Georgia Despite Blowout Loss

ATHENS, Ga. — Just about everything went wrong for Oklahoma in Saturday’s 41-13 loss to No. 2 Georgia.

But David Stone’s presence and ability to compete was definitely a positive.

Stone, who dislocated his knee at Monday’s practice, played 29 snaps in the lopsided loss. He finished the day with two solo tackles and a 61.7 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade.

Right when he suffered his injury, Stone thought his entire season could be in doubt. And he certainly didn’t expect to take the field in Athens.

“I thought I would never play football again, if I’m being honest,” Stone said. “Never had an injury like that on the field, or off the field. So something like that happening, it was scary.”

As the week progressed, though, Stone gained hope that his injury wasn’t as severe as he initially thought.

The junior defensive lineman got an x-ray done on his knee on Tuesday before getting an MRI on Wednesday. Neither of those revealed any structural damage to Stone’s knee.

“I just knew if I had a chance to play, I was going to play,” Stone said. “In my head, I just wanted to be out there for my guys.”

Oklahoma Sooners, David Stone — Oklahoma defensive lineman David Stone pursues Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Stone didn’t fully practice between Monday and Saturday. Instead, he “shadowed” the Sooners’ healthy defensive linemen as they went through full-contact reps.

In the hours leading up to kickoff against the Bulldogs, Stone got fully suited up. He was listed as a game-time decision on the final SEC availability report of the week.

His coaches supervised him as he went through warm ups and ultimately decided that he was good to go.

“They wanted to see how I can hold up on blocks today,” Stone said.

Stone didn’t put together his best numbers or even stats as impressive as the ones he logged in Week 3 — he notched a career-high eight tackles in OU’s 14-6 win over New Mexico. And, of course, he would have preferred a different outcome than the 28-point drubbing delivered to the Sooners.

But Stone still walked off the field encouraged after getting the chance to play.

“I'm grateful I had the opportunity to get back out there, man,” Stone said. “Glory to God for that.”

As a captain, Stone already had the respect of his teammates and coaches heading into Saturday’s game. And his efforts against the Bulldogs solidified the belief that they have in the 6-foot-3, 319-pound defensive tackle.

“He talked to us last night and he poured his heart out,” quarterback John Mateer said. “He plays because he loves us, and he loves to play football. He knows that we're grateful for an opportunity to play this game. If it goes good or bad, we're grateful to step between the lines. And he showed that, like showed some perspective, and he's going to play for us and his team, and we all love him for it."

OU coach Brent Venables said, “He was determined to play… he’s a tough guy.”

Though pleased that he got to play, Stone said that his team has “a lot to learn” after losing by four scores in Athens. And the Sooners don’t have much time to dwell on the loss.

Oklahoma will have a bye week before facing No. 1 Texas on Oct. 10. Stone will get additional time to become even healthier because of the bye, but he also knows that he and his teammates must get to work quickly in an effort to save their season.

“We have the guys, we have the scheme,” Stone said. “I feel like it's just about the execution and playing with the right discipline and fundamentals. We have to go back to the drawing board to see what we can get better at on both sides of the ball.”

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