Injury Update: Hanson Practicing, Morris ‘Excited to Get Chris Barnes Back This Week’

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STILLWATER — It sounds as if the Cowboys are trending to get some guys back soon, but just how soon remains a bit of a mystery.

Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris listed a few injury updates at his regular news conference on Tuesday.

The first came when Morris was asked about his receiving corps.

“Excited to get Chris Barnes back this week,” Morris said.

Barnes went down with an apparent shoulder injury in the Oregon game and missed the Cowboys’ game against Murray State this past weekend. Barnes went through warmups for that game but ended up not going, and the Cowboys didn’t need him in truth, as they still won 59-0.

A transfer from Wake Forest, Barnes has caught seven balls in his first two games as a Cowboy, gaining 87 yards on those receptions.

OSU starting right guard Joseph Hanson also went down in that Oregon game and didn’t play against the Racers this past weekend.

Morris said on Tuesday that Hanson has returned to practice. Hanson played 122 offensive snaps across the Cowboys’ first two games.

He started 13 games across three seasons at Coastal Carolina and was named to an All-Sun Belt second team last season. With him out, the Cowboys moved Johnny Dickson III from left guard to right guard and replaced him with Desmond Magiya.

Morris again noted that North Texas transfer tackle Braydon Nelson and tight end Oscar Hammond are practicing. Neither guys has played this season because of injuries suffered in fall camp.

Nelson started all of UNT’s games at tackle last season, and Hammond transferred to OSU from North Texas ahead of last season but missed the entire year with injury.

On his radio show last week, it sounded like Morris was targeting a return for Nelson after OSU’s bye (which is after this week’s game against West Virginia). But in his rundown on Tuesday, it sort of sounded as if Morris was leaving the door open.

“Hanson is practicing right now,” Morris said. “Braydon Nelson is practicing right now. Oscar Hammond’s practicing a little bit right now.

“So, hopefully be able to get some guys back going into conference.”