a bruising, high-motor linebacker who once anchored OU’s defense
In the 2002 season, Lance Mitchell was a tone-setter for Oklahoma, starting every game and leading the Sooners with 124 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, three sacks, six passes defended, and four forced fumbles[3]. He was a consensus All-Big 12 first-team pick and was repeatedly described as a stalwart and main leader of the defense, with the kind of intensity and downhill violence that doesn’t always show up cleanly in box scores[2][4][12].
