Oklahoma will be without defensive tackle Jordan Phillips for the rest of the season, dealing a major blow to a front seven that was undressed by rival Texas in his absence.
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Phillips will undergo surgery Tuesday o address a chronic back issue, head coach Bob Stoops said.
In four games this season, Phillips had seven tackles with two tackles for loss (1.5 sacks), but the redshirt sophomore's value was never going to be reflected on the stat sheet. At 6-foot-6 and 324 pounds, Phillips was the anchor of the Sooners' new 3-3-5 defense, securing the middle of the line and creating room for the OU linebackers to operate.
With Phillips in the lineup, OU allowed 113 rushing yards per game. But on Saturday, the Longhorns gashed the OU defense for 255 yards on the ground.
Stoops said Monday he did not foresee major changes in the OU defense in Phillips' absence. Redshirt freshman Jordan Wade started against UT and had two tackles.
Oklahoma was already without outside linebacker Corey Nelson, who suffered a torn pectoral muscle against TCU, for the crux of its Big 12 schedule. After delaying surgery to be on the sideline with his teammates for the Red River Rivalry, Nelson will go under the knife Tuesday.
With the balanced Baylor offense, Kansas State and its emerging running quarterback Daniel Sams, and in-state rival Oklahoma State still to come -- all away from Norman, Okla. -- Stoops has major work to do on defense for OU to push for the conference championship.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
