Texas Longhorns Get Major Derrek Cooper Injury Update Before Ohio State Game

The Texas Longhorns looked to be in danger of not having freshman running back Derrek Cooper available for Saturday's matchup against No. 1 Ohio State.

Cooper suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the season-opening win over Texas State before returning to the sideline in a boot. He finished with just two carries for six yards in his collegiate debut.

However, there's now hope that he could play against the Buckeyes.

Derrek Cooper Game-Time Decision vs. Ohio State

Texas Longhorns running back Derrek Cooper during an official visit | @derrekcooper.jr - Instagram

Cooper will be a game-time decision against Ohio State as he recovers from the ankle injury, per reports from Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.

Despite this designation, Inside Texas reports that Cooper is not expected to play on Saturday night.

The Longhorns won't release an injury report since it's a non-conference game. Availability reports will begin once SEC play kicks off for Texas.

Even if Cooper ends up playing, Texas will still lean on its two-headed attack at running back of Hollywood Smother and Raleek Brown, who combined for three touchdowns and 143 yards of total offense in the season opener.

That said, Cooper could still be used during goal line situations due to his impressive 6-1, 212-pound frame. Even if he was fully healthy, the bulk of the touches were going to go to Smothers and Brown anyways but Steve Sarkisian has made it clear that Cooper has earned playing time in this offense despite being a true freshman.

Steve Sarkisian Said Derrek Cooper Would Wear Boot for "Foreseeable Future"

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The doubt surrounding Cooper's availability for the game stemmed from Sarkisian's comments two days after the win over Texas State.

"Derrek's in a boot," Sarkisian said. "He'll be in a boot for the foreseeable future."

That's the last thing Texas fans wanted to hear. Understandably, it created some immediate concern about Cooper's status for the rest of non-conference play, but it appears the boot was more precautionary than anything.

If Cooper is unable to play against Ohio State, the Longhorns will likely lean on a combination of Michael Terry III, James Simon and Ryan Niblett at the RB3 spot.

But in such a big game, don't expect these three to have any major depth role. There's a notable gap between Cooper and the fourth-best running back on the roster.

The Longhorns will need Smothers and Brown to be at their best, which means being more efficient against Ohio State than they were against Texas State.

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