Oklahoma football: Can the Sooners survive West Virginia without Keith Ford?

In the fourth quarter last night, Oklahoma’s starting running back Keith Ford was seen limping back to the locker room as OU was putting the finishing touches on a huge out-of-conference victory over the Tennessee Volunteers.

The team has not provided any update on his status, but there is this from WWLS’ Carey Murdock.

Now would be an inconvenient time to lose Keith Ford. He received a majority of the carries Saturday night, and Ford is looking like he could be OU’s featured back and he’s scored at least two touchdowns each game this season.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ backfield is deep. However, Ford has been consistent and it’s evident Oklahoma is doing a lot to involve him in the offensive game plan.

OU has dealt with major injuries at the running back position before, but this may be one of the most manageable situations.

Oklahoma has three players that are all fairly interchangeable. There isn’t a question Ford’s had the most success so far in 2014, but Alex Ross and Samaje Perine have excelled in their contributing roles.

Alex Ross wasn’t called on as much against the Tennessee Vols, but Perine has continued to be a workhorse for this offense.

Plus, this possibly opens the door for a running back lower on the depth chart to get time against the West Virginia Mountaineers, but let’s keep in mind, nothing is set in stone yet with Ford’s status and take a Facebook status update from a family member for what it’s worth.

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The Zack Sanchez injury last week looked worse than it did, and he was able to recover and play a pivotal role against Tennessee. Obviously these are two different situations, but there is hope.

The Oklahoma Sooners should be fine without Keith Ford for just a game. Though, if this upcoming weekend was the Baylor game, then maybe there would be more concern.

However, Oklahoma shouldn’t need Keith Ford to carry the team to victory in Morgantown, WV.

Not to disrespect the Mountaineers, but the Sooners are skilled enough, especially on defense, to go toe-to-toe with a West Virginia team who struggled against Maryland this weekend.

The Oklahoma Sooners will travel to West Virginia for the first time since their thrilling 2012 win over the Mountaineers. If Keith Ford can’t go, he’ll have an extra week to recover before the Sooners head down the road to Fort Worth for a date with the TCU Horned Frogs on October 4.

Give us your thoughts in the comments. Can the Sooners live without Keith Ford in the backfield for a week?

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