By Jake Trotter
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.