Injury Report: Trey Rucker, Dylan Smith ‘Good to Go’ in Waco

WACO, Texas — The Cowboys’ injury list is as long as Vincent Taylor’s outstretched arm on an opposing team’s field-goal attempt, but there is a dash of good news.

Safeties Trey Rucker and Dylan Smith are “good to go” for the Cowboys’ 2:30 p.m. kick against Baylor, according to Dave Hunziker, after the pair missed the Cowboys’ game against BYU last week. Outside of those two, however, the Cowboys will be without *takes deep breath* Dalton Cooper, Cameron Epps, Nick Martin, Collin Oliver, Ty Williams, Garret Rangel and Zane Flores.

Despite missing last week’s game, Rucker still leads the Big 12 in tackles with 69 this season. He’s reached double-digit takedowns in four of the six game’s he has played in, including a career-high 17 tackles against Arkansas in early September.

Smith, a 6-foot, 185-pound true sophomore, started the Cowboys’ first six games before missing the game in Provo with injury. He has 16 tackles this season.

Cooper, OSU’s starting left tackle, suffered a lower leg injury in Provo and will be out for a while. Expect Isaia Glass to fill in there. Glass and Cooper split time at left tackle early in the season before right tackle Jake Springfield went down with injury, forcing Glass to flip sides of the field. Springfield returned against BYU, but with Cooper now on the injury list, Glass will likely flip back over.

Epps, another safety with starting experience, was injured in Provo and announced via social media this week that he tore his ACL. Epps has started twice this season. He has 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and a PBU on the year.

Rangel started that BYU game at quarterback but left in the second quarter after being tackled and breaking his collarbone. In the week leading up to the game, Zane Flores reportedly had a surgery that put an end to his season. Rangel’s injury put Alan Bowman back behind center after Bowman had been pulled in two of OSU’s first three Big 12 games before Rangel outright took the starting job going to BYU.

OSU and Baylor kick at 2:30 p.m. from McLane Stadium in Waco. The game is on ESPN+.