OU suffers yet another blow to its BCS title hopes

Oklahoma's path to the BCS national championship game just became more difficult with the news that star guard Tyler Evans has suffered a torn ACL.

The veteran offensive lineman and all-Big 12 honorable mention has a torn ACL will miss the 2012 season.

Because Evans played as a true freshman he does have a redshirt year available to him. But OU will not have his services this fall, which is a tough blow to a team that has BCS title aspirations.

The news comes on the heels of veteran starting center Ben Habern announcing last week that his career was over after deciding his lingering neck and back injuries weren't worth the risk. Evans and Habern had combined for 59 career starts. Promising redshirt freshman Dylan Dismuke also had his career ended prematurely this offseason after having to accept a medical exemption, while true freshman guard John Michael McGee left the team because of homesickness.

Junior Bronson Irwin will now likely step in for Evans, according to Sooners head coach Bob Stoops. Junior Gabe Ikard will shift to center, as he did many times last season, while sophomore Adam Shead will step in to replace Ikard. But because of the disruption of continuity, the offensive line now looks like a concern for OU heading into a season of high expectations.

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