KELLY: ‘Positive’ MRIs could mean quick returns for Moore, Green

By Hunt Palmer

A pair of scary injuries from Saturday produced fairly positive news on Sunday.

Center Braelin Moore suffered an ankle injury that head coach Brian Kelly said did not require surgery, and tight end Trey’Dez Green sprained his MCL. Both will miss some time, but neither injury is considered season-ending.

“MRI’s were positive,” Kelly said. “We didn’t get the true sense that we have a high ankle sprain with Braelin. There was nothing that gave us that sense this is a tightrope procedure and he’s going to be out for four weeks. He’s going to be day-to-day.”

Kelly added that Moore would try to do some work at practice on Tuesday. Sophomore DJ Chester will fill in for Moore as he did on Saturday.

“We’ll see how (Moore) feels,” Kelly said. “He felt better (Monday). So, I think we’re going to list him as questionable. That could change to probable as we go through the week.”

Green’s return could be a bit slower, but Kelly seemed optimistic on Monday.

“The good news is it’s a sprained MCL,” Kelly said. “So, as you know, those are injuries that you can come back from and rather quickly. We’ll see where he is. We’ll list him as questionable and work our way through the week and see how he feels at the end of the week.”

Green left the field under his own power in the second half and was seen on crutches during the fourth quarter.

Senior Bauer Sharp and junior Donovan Green will handle the tight end duties in Green’s absence. Sharp led Oklahoma in receiving a season ago, and Green was Texas A&M’s “Top Newcomer” as a freshman in 2022. Neither possess Green’s freakish size-athleticism combination, but both are veteran players play with physicality and can help in the passing game.