Which important Texas players could recuperate from their injuries and play in next weekend’s mid-October Red River Rivalry game against OU after the bye week?
This week is a bye week for Texas football and the Oklahoma Sooners so they may relax and recuperate before their Oct. 12 Red River Rivalry matchup in Dallas. With a crucial stretch of games coming up in mid-to late-October, this is a nice chance for Texas to heal up at several important position groups that have been hurt on both sides of the ball after the first month of the season.
For Texas football to recuperate physically before Red River next week, there will be a bye week.
After the SEC opener last Saturday, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns will have a week off to address issues on both sides of the ball and make some essential adjustments. When Texas first emerged from the gates in the
Between being able to clean up some problems that popped up early in the game against Mississippi State on Sep. 28, and getting key players healthier, the bye week came at a great time for the Longhorns. It’s even bigger that the bye week gives Sarkisian and the Longhorns the extra week to prepare for Red River against OU.
Here’s a look at three key injury updates for the Longhorns during the bye week, and before Red River next weekend against Oklahoma.
Derek Williams Jr., S
Sophomore safety Derek Williams Jr. missed the last two games for the Longhorns due to a reported (per 247Sports) hamstring injury. Texas’s safety room has been pretty banged up early in the 2024 campaign, with key guys like Williams, sophomore Jelani McDonald, and freshman Xavier Filsaime missing multiple games each due to injury issues early this season
This season, Williams has made three appearances at safety for the Longhorns, starting one. In the massive double-digit victory on the road in Week 2 in Ann Arbor, he made his only start against the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines, when he recorded his first career interception and played a season-high 40 defensive snaps.
After the bye week and into mid-October, there has been no official word on Williams’ potential return to the defensive secondary starting lineup. Williams’ first live-game action as a member of the Longhorns’ secondary since the team’s victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in Week 3 would occur if he does make a comeback to the starting lineup for Red River versus OU on October 12 in Dallas.
