The Oklahoma Soonerswill face the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs for the first time as an SEC member on Saturday. They might have to do so without one of their star players.
Defensive tackle David Stone was injured in practice on Monday
. Head coach Brent Venables gave a positive update at his weekly press conference, saying Stone may not miss any time, although it's too early to tell. That means players like Trent Wilson might have to step up.The sophomore is a former four-star recruit who has three tackles and half a tackle for loss in his career. Still, Venables sees a potential star in Wilson.
"He's all fired up," Venables said. "There's a play; we had a little five-man front, and he jumped the rock, was in the backfield, wreck shop... That play,
to me, that's what his best football looks like. If you do it once, you can do it over and over and over. Our job, his job, and our job is to get him to play that way consistently... He's super coachable. He responds well. He takes responsibility. He's not thin-skinned... When you are willing to hear the truth, and you receive it the right way, and then you're coachable, and you are willing to put the work in, good things happen. They are happening in real time for Trent Wilson."
Whether Stone plays or not, that development could matter for Oklahoma beyond Saturday. The Sooners need their defensive line to remain deep and productive throughout SEC play, and Wilson appears to be one of the players Oklahoma believes can help make that happen. Georgia could give him his biggest opportunity yet to show Venables' confidence is warranted.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables praises Trent Wilson's rapid development
