Oklahoma football suffered another tough injury break ahead of their huge clash against No. 18 Ole Miss. Head coach Brent Venables' embattled program is looking to snap a two-game losing streak following lopsided defeats to Texas and South Carolina.

Unfortunately, the 4-3 Sooners will most likely be without wideout Deion Burks. The junior receiver, who transferred from Purdue over the offseason, has been downgraded to doubtful for the matchup, via On3's Pete Nakos. The loss is a tough hit to Oklahoma football, as the Sooners already have four wideouts unavailable for the the game.

Oklahoma not trending towards bowl game 

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks (6) warms up before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brent Venables currently sits at 20-13 overall in middle of his third year in Norman. In their first year win the SEC, Oklahoma is 1-3 in conference with some very tough games remaining on their schedule.

A 5'9 receiver from Inkster, Michigan, Deion Burks has recorded 27 receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. The last time he saw action was against then No. 7 Tennessee on September 21 where he suffered a soft-tissue injury. Oklahoma was undefeated and ranked 15th in the country heading into that matchup.

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A lot has changed for Venables and his program since that 25-15 loss in Norman. The Sooners has been through a quarterback crisis over the past few weeks between sophomore Jackson Arnold and freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. The struggles on offense led to the recent firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.

To makes things worse, the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Sooners as four of their last five games come against ranked opponents. Following their trip to Oxford and a home game against Maine, Oklahoma faces a brutal three-game stretch. This starts with a matchup against former Big 12 rival No. 21 Missouri. After that reunion comes showdowns with No. 15 Alabama and then at Death Valley against No. 8 LSU.

The Sooners are looking at the possibility of posting another losing season under Venables. Especially coming off a year where they went 10-3, this would squash a lot of the momentum the program was gaining under the first-time head coach. The offense still hasn't recovered from losing star quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the transfer portal this offseason to the current No. 1 Oregon Ducks.

With Burks presumably out against Lane Kiffin's Rebels, OU starting QB Jackson Arnold will have little help heading into a hostile environment this Saturday. But with the recent decision to not redshirt the year, this season just became all the more important for the Atlanta native.