Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables delivers painful news on one of their best players

The Oklahoma Sooners had a weird night in their first-ever game as an SEC team. Sure, they won 51-3, and the scoreboard may look like a dominant win, but the team did struggle in certain areas.

Their third down offense was bad, like really bad. The starters went 0/9 on third down. The run game started slow and the offense collapsed several times against a poor Temple Owls defensive line. So, yes, there are certainly some things to work on.

But nothing tops the devastation of the injuries they had. Center Branson Hickman, is a guy who has warranted some attention and likes to Kansas City Chiefs center and former Oklahoma Sooners center Creed Humphrey, and rightfully so. Hickman didn't return to the game.

And, they had a starting wide receiver, a guy who a veteran and potential NFL-drafted wide receiver Jalil Farooq broke his foot. He caught an amazing pass from Jackson Arnold that went for 47 yards and then was never seen again.

Farooq ended up breaking his foot will have surgery, and will be out for 6-8 weeks.

"Hate it for him, he had a really good camp," Venables said after the game. "We will see how all works out. We do have a good group of young players there as well. We have a good receiver room. At some point, we can't just keep taking hits. But we feel good about the guys who can pick up the slack."

This is just a devastating injury for the Sooners, as they were looking for some experience in the wide receiver room, and some guidance to help Arnold out in his first full season.

Farooq is also a senior, and a guy that was looking to potentially pick up some draft stock. This injury doesn't mean he won't play at all in 2024, but it certainly doesn't help his case for any awards or recognition.

Related: Halftime observations for the Oklahoma Sooners' first game against the Temple Owls