OU faces game without Granger

GLENDALE, Ariz. — University of Oklahoma sophomore defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger will not play in the Fiesta Bowl after being arrested Saturday night, accused of shoplifting.

According to Sgt. Mike Horn of the Tempe Police Department, Granger, 21, attempted to steal a jacket from a Burlington Coat Factory located inside Arizona Mills Mall.

Horn said Granger removed the anti-theft device and stuffed the jacket inside a bag. He exited the store by walking past the cash registers without paying for the jacket, police said. Store security stopped Granger and then phoned Tempe police.

Horn said Granger admitted to the offense before police booked him about 10:20 p.m. at the Tempe city jail on one count of shoplifting, which is a misdemeanor. Horn said Granger was “cooperative.”

Teammate and fellow defensive tackle Gerald McCoy bailed Granger out of jail for $500, Horn said.

A Burlington Coat Factory manager said the value of the jacket was about $75. The manager also said he believed Granger to be alone at the store.

Instead of letting him practice with the team on Sunday, coach Bob Stoops sent Granger home.

“One guy screwed up,” Stoops said Monday morning. “It changes nothing.”

Granger's absence means the Sooners will be without three defensive starters Wednesday against West Virginia.

Safety Lendy Holmes did not make the trip to Arizona with the team after failing to stay academically eligible.

Cornerback Reggie Smith is also out after breaking the big toe in his right foot during the Big 12 Championship.

“Oh, man, (losing Granger) hurts us up front and in the middle,” safety D.J. Wolfe said. “He's been tremendous for us all year. It's very disappointing. As a player, teammate, friend, you don't want a guy to do something of that nature.

“It's something you can tell them not to do, but you can't make them.”

This season, Granger (6-foot-2, 307 pounds) was a second-team All-Big 12 selection after collecting 35 tackles, 31/2 sacks and a team-best eight quarterback hurries.

Granger came to OU in 2005 out of Dallas' Kimball High School as the top-rated defensive tackle prospect in the nation, but redshirted his freshman year.

Granger worked his way into the defensive tackle rotation last season as a redshirt freshman before becoming a playmaking starter this year.

“This hurts because he was really becoming a great player,” said center Jon Cooper, who goes against Granger every day in practice. “We'll just have to go along as scheduled.”

Granger had teamed with McCoy, the Big 12 defensive freshman of the year, to form one of the best young defensive tackle duos in the nation.

The Sooners were counting on Granger to help slow West Virginia, which led by quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton has the fourth-best rushing offense in the nation averaging 293 yards a game.

“It's a big loss,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “You hate it for us. It's disappointing for him. It's very surprising. You hate it for him to make a foolish, foolish decision.

“I feel worse for the other guys. That's a letdown for them.”

The Sooners will replace Granger in the starting lineup with either senior Steven Coleman, junior Cory Bennett or redshirt freshman Adrian Taylor.

Those three backups have combined for just 27 tackles this year, although Coleman and Bennett both started last season before being supplanted by Granger and McCoy this year.

“It's not a big deal,” Stoops said. “Those other guys have played a lot of football, every bit as much or more than he has.

“I've seen other guys be difference-makers.”

John Helsley and Berry Tramel contributed to this report.