Oklahoma will be without its leading rusher against West Virginia on Saturday.
Head coach Bob Stoops said Monday that sophomore Keith Ford will be out for the next two or three weeks after suffering a slight fracture to his ankle in the Sooners’ win over Tennessee.
“He won’t play this week for sure. After that it’s a little unsure,” Stoops said, per SoonerScoop.com.
Ford left the field during the first half and had his ankle re-taped, but he eventually was taken out during the fourth quarter of the 34-10 win. Stoops said that Ford suffered a “small fracture” on a “non-weight bearing bone” in his ankle.
“It can be two weeks to three,” Stoops said. “You just don’t know for sure.”
Given the timetable offered by Stoops and the fact that No. 4 Oklahoma has a bye on the weekend of Sept. 27, it is possible that Ford will only miss two games – Saturday’s Big 12 opener with West Virginia and an Oct. 4 road matchup with TCU. If that comes to fruition, Ford would return for the Red River Rivalry against Texas on Oct. 11.
The Sooners’ offense has featured three different backs through three games this season, but Ford had received the most touches. On 34 carries, Ford has racked up 194 yards and five scores while also catching six passes for 100 yards and another score.
In Ford’s absence, impressive true freshman Samaje Perine (32 carries, 177 yards, 1 TD) and sophomore Alex Ross (21 carries, 132 yards, 3 TDs) will see increased touches for the 3-0 Sooners.
Stoops was confident that the 5-foot-11, 243-pound Perine could take over the role as OU’s feature back.
“We love him. He’s an excellent runner. Even when there’s not much there he finds a way to make something happen with his power.”
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Oklahoma running back Keith Ford out 2-3 weeks
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