Adding injury to insult, Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips will undergo back surgery and will miss the rest of the season, coach Bob Stoops said Monday.
Phillips started Oklahoma’s first four games as the defensive tackle in the Sooners’ 3-3-5 defense and made seven tackles, two of which were for a loss. He missed Oklahoma’s last two games, including Saturday’s 36-20 loss to Texas in Dallas -- a game Stoops expected him to play in.
Stoops said Monday the issue has bothered Phillips for the last few years and that it’s “not improving like they want it to.”
Oklahoma’s run defense has been up-and-down with and without Phillips. Notre Dame and Texas both rushed for over 200 yards against the Sooners, while West Virginia averaged about seven yards per carry on Sept. 7 in Norman.
Redshirt freshman Jordan Wade is expected to step in for Phillips, with junior Torrea Peterson also increasing his workload.