Sooners fan favorite proves toughness by playing through gruesome thumb injury

During a time when fans sometimes question the toughness of college football players, there should be no doubts about Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke.

Heinecke left late in the first quarter of the Sooners’ 24-17 win against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday because of what the OU radio sideline reporters said was a bleeding thumb. Heinecke ended up not missing much time, but the injury was apparently a lot more esrious than just a cut on his thumb like initially thought.

Brent Venables reveals Owen Heinecke played through serious thumb injury vs. Auburn

“I think he had a fracture of some sort, something might’ve been sticking out of his skin, but you’re not going to keep him off the field. Great toughness,” OU head coach Brent Venables said postgame.

Heinecke’s effort alone during that play showed why he’s become a fan-favorite of Sooner Nation this season. He was blocked to the ground at the start of the play, but still managed to hop up and run down quarterback Jackson Arnold for the sack. Heinecke then briefly celebrated before realizing his thumb was hurt, but still stayed on the field.

Heinecke eventually went to the medical tent on the sidelines. Chris Plank then said on the radio that Heinecke went back to the locker room to likely get stitches in his thumb.

After returning with a cast on his left hand, Heinecke tallied three tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss in the game while dealing with the injured thumb. The Sooners have a bye week before hosting Kent State on Oct. 4, so Heinecke will get extra time to recover.

Heinecke started his football career as a walk-on for the Sooners after transferring from Ohio State, where he played lacrosse for a year. Now a redshirt junior, Heinecke has earned a spot as a backup linebacker and has emerged as a big-time contributor for the Sooners’ defense this season.

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