Oklahoma Loses Holieway, Carr for Rest of the Season

There was no way the good news could outweigh the bad for No. 1-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday.

The good news was that the Sooners got past 12th-ranked Oklahoma State, 29-10, to run their record to 9-0 and keep alive the Nov. 21 showdown against No. 2 Nebraska.

The bad--make that awful--news was that junior quarterback Jamelle Holieway and senior fullback Lydell Carr suffered season-ending knee injuries.

“We lost two great football players today,” said Coach Barry Switzer, who said Holieway will have surgery and Carr’s knee will be placed in a cast.

“We have to pull together as a team. This obviously will affect our football team. We’ve got some young and inexperienced players who are talented, and I believe in them and they believe in themselves.”

Holieway, 28-1 as the Sooner starter, leads Oklahoma in rushing with 919 yards. The two-time All-Big Eight quarterback had 123 yards Saturday before leaving the game in the fourth quarter after a short gain.

Carr has been a workhorse at fullback throughout his career. He had 30 yards in 3 carries Saturday, giving him 673 yards this season. He was hurt on Oklahoma’s first series.

Red-shirt freshman Charles Thompson, who has scored nine touchdowns in extensive backup duty, will take over at quarterback. Switzer said Eric Mitchel, who moved to halfback this season, will return to quarterback and back up Thompson.

“He is a talented player, but he is not Jamelle Holieway,” Switzer said of Thompson, who has 514 yards rushing this season.

“I don’t know how to react,” Thompson said of Holieway’s injury. “It’s just hard to explain. I can’t predict how I’ll feel. Hopefully, I’ll get in there and things will happen for the best.”

The new fullback will be Rotnei Anderson, who led all rushers with 191 yards in 30 carries, but fumbled 3 times.

“We are a beat-up football team right now,” said Switzer, who surpassed Bud Wilkinson as Oklahoma’s winningest coach with his 146th victory. Now in his 15th season, Switzer is 146-25-4.