It has been an eventful week for defensive tackle David Stone and the Oklahoma Sooners.
In the previous matchup against New Mexico, he cemented himself as one of Oklahoma’s most valuable players by posting a career-high eight tackles and two for loss. Just two days later, Stone injured his knee in such a gruesome incident that he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to play football again. It began a long journey back to the field. Thankfully for him and OU, however, he was able to accomplish that goal as No. 2 Georgia routed Oklahoma 41-13 in Athens for the Sooners' SEC opener on Saturday.
But just days earlier, in the first practice of the week, the probability of playing did not cross Stone’s mind. As he laid on the ground in intense pain
just after the injury, multiple visuals sent him into shock.
“It was scary,” Stone said, reminiscing about the event. “I remember hitting the ground, and it felt like time froze. Honestly, I remember looking around and see my teammates, and they’re all staring at me, and I look down at my legs, and I feel it. My knee cap was in my quad almost… I was in so much shock. I was like, I can't cry in front of my team mates.”
OU defensive tackle David Stone details his injury on Monday in which he dislocated his kneecap and still played today — and played well.
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) September 27, 2026
He said there was no way he wasn’t going to play today. pic.twitter.com/DJyM4JkHeW
Stone immediately left practice to get an MRI. The results of his tests showed there was no significant structural damage. But he was facing some challenges: a dislocated kneecap, a bone bruise, a few strained ligaments. Still, he saw a window of opportunity.
“I just knew that if I had a chance to play that, I was gonna play,” Stone said. “Like that was in my head, like whether or not I had something torn or anything like that, but I just wanted to be out there for my guys.”
After learning it was possible to play, Stone spent the next few days on the sidelines, shadowing his coaches' teaching and going through the schemes on his own. He was determined to be ready to take the field if given the chance. Everything that he could do without putting on pads and going through contact he performed with the best of his ability.
By Saturday, Stone wrapped his knee in a sleeve, put on a brace, and ran out of the tunnel with his team, ready to go. It was the first time he had worn pads all week. Though the team didn’t accomplish their goal on the scoreboard, Stone netted two solo tackles in the loss to Georgia (4-0, 2-0 SEC). Now, Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1 SEC) can move forward knowing they have their anchor on the defensive line and that he will do anything to be out there for his guys.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU's David Stone discusses injury and return to play against Georgia
