The Oklahoma Sooners opened the season in dominating fashion, defeating the University of Texas at El Paso Miners, 51-0. The defense had a solid performance in the opener, finishing with four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The Sooners led the nation in those two categories last season.
One of those sacks was from senior Adepoju Adebawore. In his first start, he had three tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. Adebawore had been battling with Danny Okoye all offseason for the starting role. The two had an "or" between their names on the depth chart. But when the Sooners went out for warmups, Okoye was nowhere to be found. He later appeared on the sidelines, in street clothes.
That had many wondering whether Okoye was injured, or if something
else was going on. Head coach Brent Venables spoke about Okoye's status moving forward.
"He'll be back," Venables said in his postgame press conference. "He'll be fine. We just decided to hold him."
That explanation should ease any immediate concerns surrounding the defensive end. Okoye entered the season with significant expectations after making progress during the offseason. Friday's game may have given Adebawore the first start, but it doesn't necessarily settle the competition going forward. Venables' decision to hold Okoye suggests the coaching staff still views him as an important part of the defensive line rotation.
That's a good problem for Oklahoma to have. Adebawore showed he can make an impact as a starter, while Okoye should return against the Michigan Wolverines after missing the opener. The UTEP game was never going to reveal everything about Oklahoma's defense. Michigan will.
When the Sooners travel to Ann Arbor next week, Venables could have both Adebawore and Okoye available, giving him two athletic edge rushers to deploy against a far more physical opponent. If both continue developing as expected, Oklahoma may not have to choose one winner of the position battle; it could instead have two legitimate contributors as the schedule gets tougher.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables gives update on Danny Okoye following the win over UTEP
