If there's one position the Oklahoma Sooners couldn't afford another injury, it was right tackle, but ...
OU starting right tackle Derek Simmons left the Red River Rivalry against Texas late in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury after getting rolled up on.
Derek Simmons exits Red River Rivalry in 1st quarter
Derek Simmons is headed to the locker room.
— Travis J Davidson (@TravisSkol) October 11, 2025
Here he is with a heavy limp up the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/cdpHTnOxHG
The Sooners were already thin at the spot. With Simmons sidelined, Luke Baklenko, the third stringer, filled in at right tackle on Saturday. Logan Howland is Simmon's usual backup, but Howland was not available because of an injury of his own. Beyond Baklenko, the Sooners don't have any other healthy tackle with experience or even listed on the depth chart with Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor also injured.
Simmons, listed at 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds, transferred from Western Carolina this offseason as a redshirt senior. He missed Week 1 with an injury, then took over as the Sooners' starting right tackle. Baklenko transferred from Stanford this offseason.
On the left side at tackle is freshman Michael Fasusi in just his fourth career game after missing two games with an injury. The rest of OU's starting offensive line against Texas included Heath Ozaeta at left guard, Jake Maikkula at center and Febechi Nwaiwu at right guard. Only Nwaiwu and Ozaeta played in last year's Red River Rivalry.
The Sooners' O-line has one of its biggest tests of the season so far against Texas' pass rush. The Longhorns entered Week 7 with 11 sacks and averaging 2.2 a game. And not only do the Sooners need to keep quarterback John Mateer upright to win, but they also have to protect Mateer after returning from surgery on his right hand just 17 days ago.