Report: UTEP linebacker Jamie Irving will probably miss opener vs. Oklahoma

NORMAN — UTEP senior linebacker Jamie Irving was supposed to make his return to the field Saturday against No. 4 Oklahoma after taking a medical redshirt last season.

Instead, it appears unlikely that Irving plays after missing his second straight practice Wednesday with back spasms, the El Paso Times reported.

Irving recorded 79 tackles as a junior in 2010, but a shoulder injury forced him to miss what should’ve been his senior season. Now, because of the spasms,

Junior A.J. Ropati will start in Irving’s place if, as expected, he can’t play.

“It’s a lot of pressure. I have big shoes to fill for Jamie, but he’s been helping me out and all the linebackers have been phenomenal,” Ropati told the newspaper. Playing with the first team this fall “has helped me a lot. It’s been making me better as a player and as a teammate.”

Also from the El Paso Times — and UTEP writer Bret Bloomquist — is this story on sophomore receiver Jordan Leslie. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound wideout had 430 yards last season, and could break out this season.