Texas Longhorns DB Derek Williams Jr. leaves Oklahoma game with injury

Texas Longhorns safety Derek Williams Jr.’s return to the field may have been short-lived.

The second-year safety left Saturday’s game against the Oklahoma Sooners early in the third quarter and needed help getting off the field. Williams missed the last two games with a hamstring injury suffered in the Longhorns’ win over UTSA on Sept. 14 and was not released from the injury report until Saturday’s game.

Early in the game, Williams got going by forcing a fumble in Sooners territory. Quintrevion Wisner rushed for a 43-yard touchdown on the very next play, extending the Longhorns’ lead to 21-3.

A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Williams has made seven tackles in three games this season and recorded an interception in a win over Michigan on Sept. 7. Last season as a freshman, the 6-2, 195-pound defensive back recorded 42 tackles and two passes defensed in 13 games.

Williams was one of many four-star recruits in Texas’ 2023 recruiting class. His high school honors included a state championship and an invitation to the 2023 Under Armor All-America Game.

Midway through the third quarter, the Longhorns lead the Sooners 21-3 and are looking to avenge their loss in the Red River Rivalry last season.