NORMAN — There's been one noticeable player missing in the middle of Oklahoma's defense this season.

That'd be Dasan McCullough.

McCullough has yet to this season after suffering a foot injury before fall camp. But after missing the first five games of the year, the junior linebacker is expected to be available this weekend.

That can't be overstated, considering the Sooners are playing No. 1 Texas (2:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC).

"He’s going to have to play a role," OU coach Brent Venables said Tuesday. "He’s practiced for a few weeks now and gotten progressively back into it. Excited where he is right now and the additional playmaking that he can bring to the table. He’s long, he’s athletic, he loves to compete. He’s got natural instincts. Toughness."

McCullough's return would be a huge boost for OU's defense. He's been one of the casualties of OU's laundry list of injuries, which is expected to continue against Texas.

He was also a significant part of Oklahoma's defense last season. He recorded 30 tackles and four tackles for loss while logging 276 snaps despite missing three games, per Pro Football Focus. While he primarily played at the cheetah position last year, he mostly worked at linebacker during the spring and offseason. His versatility could come in handy, particularly with starting cheetah Kendel Dolby out with an ankle injury.

Coincidentally, one of McCullough's best games of the season came against Texas, when he had five tackles and a TFL.

"He did some things well in this game a year ago," Venables said. "He did some things that he’s gotta be better this year. But he gives us another active playmaker at a position we lost one of our best players in Kendal Dolby a few weeks ago to a broken leg. And so this is a great opportunity for him, in a role. How big of a role? That remains to be seen. But it’s good to have him back."

One of the most noteworthy parts of Venables' press conference came towards the end, when he was asked about both Oklahoma and Texas entering the game off of bye weeks.

The bye week was a much-needed break for the Sooners, but it didn't solve every issue.

"I was hoping we were going to get all our receivers back and (Kendel) Dolby and Gentry (Williams) but I don’t think that’s going to happen," Venables joked.

It's consistent with what Venables said during Monday's coaches show. Venables said the Sooners would monitor Deion Burks over the next couple of days, while Andrel Anthony is feeling great following another procedure. But it sounds like Anthony, Nic Anderson and Jalil Farooq are all unlikely to be available this weekend, leaving the wide receivers corps short handed.

Add in Williams, who's only played 19 snaps this year, and the injury report is likely going to be length when it's released on Wednesday.

It's been a breakout season for the junior safety.

He leads the team in solo tackles (24) while adding 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles. Per PFF, he is the team's highest-graded defensive player and has the highest coverage grade on the team.

Venables attributes Spears-Jennings' breakout to his work ethic and his continuity in the system.

"He's worked really hard," Venables said. "Football's a developmental game, and this is his third year in the same system with the same coach and the same verbiage, with a group of guys around him. It's just a comfort level for Robert. Understands more, has progressively played more, which has lended into his confidence that he's gotten through the work and through the success and through the failure for that matter. But how he's leading. Jis toughness, how he handles adversity is different this year than in the past, and that just comes from maturation.

"A natural part of the process that he's had some real stick-to-it-ness to him. Comes from, I think, his mom, having a military background, I really believe that. He's a real level-headed guy, he's got great self-awareness. And he shows up with a consistent mindset, more so now than ever. And so now he's got a consistent level of play to show for it.”

One positive, when it comes to injuries, for the Sooners comes at offensive line.

The Sooners have played five different starting groups on the offensive line as they've struggled with injuries. But the Auburn game was the first time the preferred starting five played together for nearly every snap — Michael Tarquin, Jacob Sexton, Branson Hickman, Febechi Nwaiwu and Jake Taylor.

With no additional injuries, the Sooners were able to rest up during the bye week and go through practices with that group. That's huge in preparing for a Texas defensive line that ranks inside the top 25 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss.

"It definitely helps," Venables said. "And we've got to be better there. We targeted people for the most part pretty dang good (against Auburn). Protection was pretty good against an aggressive, diverse front in what we saw last week. We did some good things. Not enough of them, not that it's always on the offensive line, it's not just coaching speak, it's the truth, even against Tennessee at times.

"You're always looking for a bottom-line result and the bottom-line result hasn't been good enough but having another week where they're back together, really two weeks and preparing helps with communication, confidence, all those things that particular unit needs."

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