NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – Pryce Macon wasn’t sure how to take it at first. After finally breaking into the starting lineup in his fifth season at Oklahoma, his coaches were approaching him about a new position.
With injuries starting to add up, they asked Macon to try defensive tackle – even if he was outweighed by 30 pounds or more by the players he was trying to replace.
“Actually, I thought it was a joke at first. But I found out they weren’t playing with me,” said Macon, who is 6-foot-1, about 250 pounds and didn’t get into a game last season.
“I’m a little undersized, but I figure it’s just another chapter. I’m just excited to play.”
Coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday that Casey Walker will miss his fifth straight game due to injury. Fellow defensive tackle Daniel Noble is doubtful and Ronnell Lewis also likely will be out when the Sooners visit Texas A&M (5-3, 2-2 Big 12) on Saturday. Lewis had been playing at defensive end and linebacker before injuring his right knee two weeks ago.
Oklahoma (7-1, 3-1) had a disruptive tackle combination last year, but Gerald McCoy became the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft and Adrian Taylor still isn’t back to 100 percent after breaking his ankle during the Sun Bowl in December.
Macon and fellow defensive end David King are getting a tryout at defensive tackle, while Lane Johnson and Tavaris Jeffries are moving from offense to defense to see if they can help on the front line. Jeffries was a starting guard on Oklahoma’s offensive line that had similar injury problems last year, while Johnson was down the depth chart at tight end.
“Obviously, depth is going to help you rushing the passer up front if you have it,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “We don’t right now and so we’ve got to be creative in finding other ways to create that pressure.”
The Sooners had their first sack-free game of the season at Missouri two weeks ago, but Venables said the bigger problem in Oklahoma’s first loss was the Tigers rushed for 178 yards, including 97 in the fourth quarter.
Colorado had 76 yards on 24 carries in its 43-10 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday night, when Venables relied more on blitzes than just counting on his tackles.
“We’re helping them because we’re pressuring and we’re moving them, and I think when they’re moving, they’re pretty good,” Venables said. “But they held up nicely and they did some good things in the run game, so I thought they played well.”
Macon has spent the last two games rotating in at defensive tackle and says he expects to stay at the new position until his teammates get healthy again. It’s still early, but he’s already figuring out ways he can use his speed to force fancy footwork by opposing offensive linemen, and learning the consequences when he doesn’t use the right technique.
“I feel like a little bowling ball in there. Sometimes, I get pushed around like a pinball,” Macon said. “It’s just one of those things. You’ve just to fight through it. The teams needs me to do it, so I’ve got to do it.”
For Jeffries and Johnson, the moves provide a chance to get on the field. Jeffries got passed by when tight ends Gabe Ikard and Eric Mensik transformed into starting offensive linemen this year, and he wasn’t in the rotation of five interior offensive linemen.
Johnson was behind Trent Ratterree, James Hanna and freshman Austin Haywood at tight end before he got to test out his new position on Saturday night against Colorado.
“We think it may fit him better, and you know what? In just a week’s time, we kind of think it does,” Stoops said. “He’s a big, strong guy, athletic, plays hard. So, this may be a good fit for him.”
Oklahoma still ended up with only one sack against the Buffaloes, coming on a blitz by cornerback Jamell Fleming. Linebacker Tom Wort had four quarterback hurries, the second-most on record at Oklahoma.
“That was one of the things we wanted to work on was getting into the backfield, in front of the quarterback’s face and actually putting some hits on the quarterback,” Macon said. “We did a better job of at least getting in the backfield and trying to be disruptive.”
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