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OUDAILY
The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
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Redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas celebrates with redshirt freshman safety Bryson Washington during the game against Western Carolina on Sept. 11.
OU secures 76-point shutout Sooners’ defensive coordinator keeps pressure on Speed D MASON YOUNG
@Mason_Young_0
Wanting to keep a shutout intact, OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch needed to motivate his Speed D to finish. A threat did the trick. Western Carolina (0-2) was moving the ball against No. 4 Oklahoma (2-0) better in the second half than it had in the first, when the Sooners held the Catamounts to 68 yards. So OU’s defensive coordinator told his players they’d run extra in practice Monday if they allowed their FCS opponent to score a touchdown. He wanted them to keep their foot on the gas after watching them relent during the second half of their season opener against Tulane. Twenty-three minutes later, sophomore cornerback Joshua Eaton tackled the opposing ball carrier to cap a mercifully shortened 12-minute fourth quarter. The play put the finishing touches on OU’s dominant 76-0 win over Western Carolina on
Sept. 11 in Norman, which is Grinch’s second shutout since coming to Oklahoma in January 2019. “That was motivation for those older guys to help those younger guys out,” Grinch said afterward of his ultimatum. “Tonight was a pretty good opportunity for a lot of guys, and (I’m) happy for those guys that they took advantage of it, almost to the man.” Grinch’s other shutout came against FCS foe Missouri State in OU’s 2020 season opener, and Western Carolina proved an even less challenging opponent than the Bears. But after OU’s defense dragged through the second half against Tulane, allowing 21 points, it needed a chance to prove itself. The Sooners did that and more, as veteran and rookie defenders shined under the lights of Gaylord FamilyOklahoma Memorial Stadium’s first night game of the season before a sellout crowd of 83,538. Six of the Catamounts’ first-half drives ended in punts, while the other two resulted in turnovers on downs. OU sacked opposing quarterback Rogan Wells three times in the first two quarters, and senior noseguard Perrion Winfrey delivered 1.5 of those himself. He already has two sacks this season after posting
just 0.5 last fall following his transfer from Iowa Western Junior College. “He’s in better shape,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “He’s better mentally, he’s just in a much better place and I think we’re seeing some of the results here. He looked like he played quite a bit better tonight from his game one performance. … When you’ve got a guy who can push the pocket and create disruption in the run game it makes life tough, and it does free up other guys on the edges to really be aggressive.” As Winfrey and crew kept bringing pressure, WCU’s mistakes piled up in the second half. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Jordan Kelley and freshman defensive end Ethan Downs forced fumbles. Those turnovers were recovered by sophomore linebacker Shane Whitter and redshirt freshman safety Bryson Washington — two players who showed glimpses of improvement after frustrating Grinch in the past. “In Shane’s case ... I expect more from him,” Grinch said. “He can run, he has a lot of the skill sets that we look for in a linebacker and particularly the ability to use speed and be elite that way. Same thing, Bryson is one of the fastest guys on our team. They’ve got to practice that way and ultimately they’ve got to play that
way, and it’s trending in the right direction, but by no means is it something that is quote-unquote fixed, but it’s certainly the right steps.” Freshman linebacker Danny Stutsman, a former three-star prospect who has drawn rave reviews since arriving on campus this fall, also impressed against WCU. He finished with a team-high eight tackles — seven solo and 0.5 for loss — and a forced fumble. Stutsman left during the fourth quarter with an apparent injury and tweeted after the game he’ll get a CT scan on his arm Sunday, but Riley said he doesn’t believe any injuries suffered in the game were serious. Stutsman has since deleted the tweet. One defensive series after Stutsman’s departure, Washington picked off Western Carolina backup quarterback Carlos Davis on WCU’s second to last drive. All but the Catamounts’ final possession ended in a turnover or punt. They produced only 178 total yards to OU’s 624 and carried -4 rushing yards into the second half. “The whole week of practice, we just practiced finishing, finishing, finishing,” Winfrey said. “Every play, every rep, just going in and doing what we need to do, just focusing on
the fundamentals and realizing that everything else will come. So it’s just good to have a shutout. We wish we could have kept the rushing yards at negative, but maybe next time.” Grinch also said the week’s preparation in practice forecasted better results after warnings of slip ups preceded OU’s matchup with Tulane. He added he’s “still not over” his unit’s shortcomings against the Green Wave but is slowly moving on after its dominance against Western Carolina. Speed D will need to sustain strong preparation ahead of next Saturday’s clash with Nebraska, reigniting the Sooners and Cornhuskers’ historic rivalry. By then, perhaps Grinch won’t need to threaten his players to finish. “As long as you play the call, 11 guys doing the same thing, we’re gonna be alright,” Grinch said. “And obviously, that wasn’t the case, certainly at the level it should have been a week ago, and so again, tonight was better, and (we’re) on to the next week. We’re gonna make sure that we’re doing things the right way over the course of Monday through Friday so we can play at a higher level next Saturday than we did this Saturday.” masyoung@ou.edu
Students lack ample mental health resources Annual 12-session limits pose additional stress factors ALEXIA ASTON @alexiaaston
Several students reported the University Counseling Center’s 12-session limit and small professional clinical staff is restricting their ability to seek counsel amid mental health challenges exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic. The center is a resource available to OU students, faculty and staff, according to a university spokesperson. Services include individual counseling, couples’ counseling and group counseling. Its 12-session limit on individual counseling is meant to “ensure new patients have access to care when they need it.” Currently, the center is funding 14 full-time professional clinical staff, four doctoral interns and four practicum students, according to the university spokesperson. The center is “actively working” with the university to increase staffing and resources to reduce wait times for patients. Over the last two years, three additional counselors have been hired and university leadership is currently exploring options to fund two additional positions, which will move
the center to the “nationally recommended ratio of counselors per student,” according to the university spokesperson. The American School Counselor Association recommends schools maintain a ratio of 250 students per school counselor and that school counselors spend at least 80 percent of their time working directly with or indirectly for students. According to most recent enrollment statistics, the ratio at OU is 1,197 students per counselor. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic increased anxiety and depression in many college students, according to a study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study surveyed 419 first-year students and found moderate to severe anxiety increased from 18.1 percent before the pandemic to 25.3 percent after it began. It also found moderate to severe depression increased from 21.5 percent to 31.7 percent. Religious studies and public and nonprofit administration junior Ezra Koenig began using the center’s services during October of his freshman year because of a difficult time in his life and the confidentiality the center provided. “Whenever I was first seeking counseling services, I had a rough transition period from high school to college, and I was dealing with a bad roommate situation,” Koenig said. “I was
also suffering from trauma from being a part of a religious group for so long and also an abusive ex. Dealing with that and also overworking myself led me to have a nervous break my freshman year.” Limited by the center’s 12-session cap, Koenig said his time with counselors resulted in “band-aid fixes” on pending issues, as he could only attend sessions once a month. National research shows the average patient needs five to seven sessions to “resolve psychological issues,” according to the OU spokesperson. The length of treatment varies from person to person, according to the American Psychological Association. Recent research indicates that, on average, “15 to 20 sessions are required for 50 percent of patients to recover.” Koenig’s therapist informed him on his 10th session he was nearing his 12-session cap in May and asked if he wanted to request additional sessions. With plans to begin testosterone therapy, Koenig feared a potential setback in his treatment as he needed a letter from his therapist verifying his gender dysphoria to begin testosterone therapy. During the same time, Koenig said he was beginning to come out to his parents as a transgender man and was uncertain of how his parents would react. Due to his transition and
plans to come out, Koenig’s request for additional sessions was approved. “My fear was like ‘Oh my god, if I don’t get this letter, this will set me back a couple of months, even up to a year of going through my transition process,’” Koenig said. “Thankfully, through very strenuous circumstances … they approved my sessions.” According to the university spokesperson, additional sessions are provided based on the patient’s “presenting issue, their progress toward their therapy goals and whether they have access to community resources due to having health insurance.” Patients who do not have the ability to access community care will be considered for additional sessions. Facing similar limitations due to the center’s 12-session limit, biology junior Isabel Harmon began utilizing the center’s services her freshman year as she sought support through moving from Arkansas City High School in Arkansas City, Kansas to OU — a school with about 25,000 more students. Harmon said she chose the center’s services due to its on-campus convenience and affordability. For nearly two years, Harmon attended counseling sessions once a month for support through her college transition and her work in see UCC page 2