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    OU’s R Mason Thomas will miss 1st half vs. Auburn

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    OU's R Mason Thomas will miss 1st half vs. Auburn

    Mason Young
    Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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    NORMAN — Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables confirmed Tuesday that starting defensive end R Mason Thomas will have to sit out the first half of Saturday’s game against Auburn.
    Thomas was ejected for targeting in the second half of the Sooners’ 42-3 win over Temple last Saturday in Philadelphia, after a hit on Owls quarterback Evan Simon.
    By NCAA rules, if a player is called for targeting in the second half of a game, they are also suspended for the first half of the next game.
    Teams are allowed to appeal the targeting call, and OU did in Thomas’s case, but the Sooners’ appeal was unsuccessful.
    “Put your face to their face, the quarterback, they’re going to call it most of the time,” Venables had said in his Temple postgame press conference.
    Thomas, who led the OU roster with nine sacks last season — and had two in the Sooners’ win at Auburn last September — is a big loss going into his team’s 2025 Southeastern Conference opener.
    However, OU has good depth at defensive end with fifth-year Florida State transfer Marvin Jones Jr. and third-year players Taylor Wein and P.J. Adebawore leading the way.
    Second-year rush ends Danny Okoye and Wyatt Gilmore provide added numbers. Gilmore registered his first career sack against Temple and Okoye is expected back on the field this week after sitting out the Temple game for undisclosed reasons.
    Venables is confident that the group can stand up to Auburn’s physical offensive line, even without Thomas.
    “We’ve been playing a bunch of guys, and Danny will be back here this week,” Venables said. “So, guys gotta hold it down, but I’ve got no doubt they will.”
    mason.young@tulsaworld.com
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    Mason Young
    Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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