Family of Austin Box attends OU Senior Day festivities

Among the 16 seniors honored before the game was Austin Box, who died in May and would've been a senior.

Box's parents, Craig and Gail Box, and sister Whitney carried Box's No. 12 jersey during the pregame senior day festivities.

“It was good to see them,” Sooners defensive coordinator Brent Venables said as he choked up a bit. “Obviously for them this is still part of the healing process. For them to be here, and for us to hopefully bring them some comfort, you're happy for that.

During the festivities, Craig Box approached defensive end Frank Alexander and complimented him on his season.

“We were short one of our brothers out there,” Alexander said. “It was real emotional. I had to fight it back, since we were about to play a game. But I felt like he was out there with us.”

Jamarkus McFarland wore Box's No. 12 during the game.

With Ronnell Lewis out with a sprained knee he suffered in the loss to Baylor, Alexander was on the field even more than normal in his final home game.

Alexander was knocked out briefly in the fourth with a shoulder injury but came back to finish with six tackles, including one for a loss to add to his league-leading numbers in the category.