Sooners Address Loss Of Travis Lewis

News9.com

NORMAN, Oklahoma – Just a few days after learning that OU's leading tackler Travis Lewis will miss eight weeks with a broken bone in his left foot, the Sooners are back to work at practice and Corey Nelson has some big shoes to fill.

Nelson has been named the replacement for Lewis who will miss about eight weeks of the season after fracturing the sesamoid bone in his big toe of his left foot. Head coach Bob Stoops said Wednesday the injury occurred while Lewis was participating in the Oklahoma drill.

There's no way around it, it's an incredible blow for us. I'm not going to deny that," said Stoops. "Travis is a great player so it definitely makes a difference, but Corey is the guy that has the ability to step up and play there."

"I've played will linebacker before, I know this position well, so I have to get ready and stay focused," said Nelson. "So I already knew that if someone went down, or if anyone went down, there's a linebacker just as good as us ready to take that spot."

Wednesday, Lewis was on the sidelined of OU's practice in a walking boot.

OU athletic trainer Scott Anderson says the injury does not require surgery, but that the treatment consists of rest and immobilization.

The Sooners seem to expect Lewis to miss the first four games of the season, but hope to have him back by the OU vs. Texas game on Oct. 8, but it all depends on how his foot heals.