Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley was back addressing the media following the win against Texas. Here are the biggest takeaways from the 30-minute press conference.

Game No. 7: vs. West Virginia (11 a.m., Fox)

Take No. 1: Sermon a-OK; Calcaterra out; Barnes a question mark

A lot of housekeeping items to begin things. Nothing is wrong with running back Trey Sermon. Tight end Grant Calcaterra will miss Saturday’s game, and Robert Barnes is definitely in consideration for the four-game redshirt rule.

Start with Sermon. It seems astonishing that a healthy Sermon would get zero carries in a game, but that’s exactly what Riley said happened Saturday against Texas.

"He played I think the second-most snaps of any running back we had. It just kinda how it went... It's a competitive backfield right now," said OU's head coach. "We've had other very talented backfields in the last several years here, but I don't know that we've had one with as much depth as we currently have right now.

“Getting TJ Pledger back was great. That was a little bit earlier than we anticipated so having him back last few weeks has been great. Obviously the emergence of Rhamondre has been a factor. Kennedy's still a very good player with a lot of great experience. Trey's still a very good player with a lot of great experience. He'll have his other big moments for us.”

Riley compared it to times when CeeDee Lamb looked like the odd man out. Hey, it happens. But Sermon is fine, according to Riley.

Who isn’t? That’s Calcaterra, who missed Saturday’s game. A source told SoonerScoop.com it was a mid-week concussion, but Riley would not confirm what kind of injury is plaguing the OU tight end.

“Grant won’t play this week. Got an injury, won’t play this week,” Riley said. “We’ll evaluate him after.”

And Barnes was noticeably not suited out for the Red River Showdown. He’s played four games, so he is at the deadline.

“Robert is a potential redshirt,” Riley said. “We’ll kind of see how this thing unfolds. Probably gonna be one of those week-to-week things for us.”

Take No. 2: Preparing for Kendall

It’s West Virginia week, so we all assumed we would be talking about Riley coaching against former OU quarterback Austin Kendall.

That’s a bit on the back-burner when it was learned Kendall is questionable, at best, for Saturday’s game in his return to Norman.

Still, it’s not too common to coach against someone you recruited and had in your system for three seasons.

“In a broad sense, is it strange? Yeah, a little bit. Guy was recruited and was here with us for three years, so it definitely feels a little strange,” Riley said. “I've got to see bits and pieces of him. Obviously, had a chance to study him a little bit more this week. He's had some games where he's played really, really well.

“I thought he has been pretty impressive early on in a system with so many new pieces—coaching staff, players, everything—they've really done a nice job. He's made a lot of big throws. Made a lot of big plays. I'm sure he's champing at the bit to get back for this one. I would expect nothing less. I certainly hope he is healthy and always wish him the best.”

Take No. 3: Growing closer after rivalry win

It was a great win for OU on Saturday. But that cannot be the highlight of the season, and these next few weeks will tell us how the group responds after an emotional high.

If you ask Riley, he’s ready for another solid outing because of the camaraderie of the group.

“It'll tell you a lot about who we are as a team,” Riley said. “We probably learned a lot more this week than any week that we've have up to this point. It's either we just did it one game because we were playing Texas? Or are we really trying to make a difference here for the rest of the season? Because we did some things from a preparation standpoint just overall collectively as a team that was better than we've done all year.”

Plus one: Riley fine with referee’s control

Lincoln Riley with zero issues with the way Mike Defee handled the Red River Showdown.

“I thought it was fine. They've always done a great job. That crew has always been excellent,” Riley said. “They told us before the game they were going to try to really nip anything in the bud early just so the game could be about the game and not a lot of antics, which I was all for.

“Both groups ended up rushing together, and what do you think's going to happen? It's kind of one of those things that happens a little bit. And they made the decision to give everybody a personal foul, which I was fine with. He doesn't get a chance really to talk to the other teams, or really even the other coaches. I never talk to officials. The other coaches had to tell me when we got back in the locker room what they announced.

“We talked to the team before we went out and told them the scenario. I had no issue with it. He's taking control of the game and making sure it doesn't get out of hand, and it didn't. I mean, it worked. It was a pretty clean, hard-fought game. I think it's a lot of people making a big deal about nothing. His job is to control the game, and I thought he did a pretty darn good job of it.”