A fantastic athlete who had a hand injury a few months ago was no longer with the sooners.

A fantastic athlete who had a hand injury a few months ago was no longer with the sooners.

LAWRENCE, Kansas — Danny Stutsman made every effort to persevere.

The junior linebacker returned to the field at the beginning of the third quarter of OU’s road game against Kansas on Saturday, having sustained an ankle injury in the last minute of the first half.

However, Stutsman only participated in one defensive play before limping off the field. He left for the remainder of the game this time.

The Sooners ultimately lost 38-33; thus, the loss of Stutsman was devastating. OU head coach Brent Venables had no comment when questioned about Stutsman’s availability going forward.

“Sorrow for Danny,” Venables murmured. He’s a fantastic player, so I’m sure it has some influence. No justifications, though. We failed to execute the necessary actions to win the game.

Many people believe that Stutsman is the mainstay of OU’s defense.

More: OU football report card: Sooners’ defeat to Kansas yielded many poor grades

Injured in the first half of OU’s 38-33 loss against Kansas on Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas, linebacker Danny Stutsman was assisted.
With 70 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss going into Saturday, the third-year Sooner has the second-highest numbers in the Big 12 conference.

On October 17, Stutsman was also included on the list of 100 players who were added to the Lombardi Award midseason watch list. Every year, the honor is given to the college football player who most closely reflects the principles of the late head coach Vince Lombardi.