Brent Venables: Danny Stutsman 'pretty confident' he will play vs. Oklahoma State

Going into the final Bedlam meeting for the foreseeable future this weekend, Oklahoma is still trying to get linebacker Danny Stutsman recovered in enough time to play.

Stutsman suffered an apparent knee injury in the team’s loss to Kansas, and his availability is at least somewhat in question for the annual rivalry game against Oklahoma State.

“I feel good about Danny,” coach Brent Venables said on Tuesday. “He feels pretty confident. But we’ll see. May not be something that we don’t know till close to game time.”

Danny Stutsman has been a revelation on defense this fall.

The do-it-all linebacker has accounted for 73 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, an interception, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.

More importantly, he’s been the heart and soul of the defense.

If he can’t go, the Sooners will likely turn to redshirt freshman Kip Lewis, who has gotten considerable experience already this season.

“Really confident in Kip. As I’ve said before he finds the football, plays really hard,” Venables said. “Is a two-time defensive player of the year in the state of Texas from a great program. He knows how to play, knows how to compete. He’s really tough. So when he’s gotten his small window of opportunities he’s really delivered.”

Lewis has recorded 30 tackles, 0.5 tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery this season — a capable replacement if Danny Stutsman can’t go.

Mike Gundy reminisces on the rivalry

It didn’t take long this week for Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy to wax poetic about the past when it comes to the Bedlam rivalry.

Gundy pointed out that he believes the rivalry means less now than it used to.

“It didn’t bother me because we didn’t have social media, but it was a rivalry then,” Gundy said. “Like, [Brian] Bosworth spit in my face. I spit in his. It was actually a rivalry.”

As the quarterback at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy never beat Oklahoma in four tries, even with Barry Sanders to share the backfield with. Still, as he explained, the rivalry was more intense on and off the field back then than it is now.

“The summer before my sophomore year, I would go to parties in Oklahoma City and they would say, ‘Well, Bosworth and [Paul] Migliazzo and some of those guys were here,’ and I had to make a decision were we gonna have confrontation there and who was with me? Because, those guys, I can kick them in the shin and run like hell, but I’m not dumb. So, we had to make those decisions because what kind of frame of mind was Brian gonna be in at that point? I don’t know. Had he taken a Vitamin C and had a few drinks? Well, he might not be a guy that you want to talk to at that point. He’d get real red across his face,” Gundy said.

“So, it was a rivalry then. Now, it’s not as much anymore, unfortunately, because of the way it is, but it’s a very important game.”

Will this year’s contest live up to the storied history of the rivalry? Time will tell.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, with a broadcast on ABC.