Zach Butler/The Daily

A cloud of uncertainty settled on the OU defense after junior middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds went down with a torn ACL against Texas.

The coaching staff was concerned about replacing Reynolds’ on-field production as well as his emotional leadership.

But against Kansas, senior Nic Harris shifted from strong safety to middle linebacker.

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Harris provides exactly what the Sooners need, a leader who can step up and play when it matters.

“No question, you’ve got kind of a rotation there per se to say ‘Hey, here’s a couple different scenarios that could happen. How would we be?’ Venables said. “I feel much more comfortable in that regard.”

The decision to move Harris wasn’t officially made until two days before kickoff last week.

“The only reason was because we wanted KU to think there would be some opportunities [in the middle],” Venables said. “But it wasn’t until Thursday that we said this is going to work. We still worked our ones and twos. A lot of it too was dependent upon Quinton Carter and how his development looked during the course of the week and his consistency.”

Carter, a sophomore, stepped into Harris’ usual safety spot and led the team with 10 tackles.

“I think he’s proven that we’ve got more depth at safety and we can count on him,” Venables said. “Obviously you’re looking at a year from now as well. That’s huge for us. There’s much less uncertainty now of what he is capable of doing.”

As for Harris, he said he just needs to keep focusing on film and working hard in practice to learn the position better.

“Just making sure that I get some more film work in [is important],” Harris said. “It’s not going to be perfect; I understand that. Nobody is, and the more time you spend, the better you are.”

Harris adds some versatility to the defense with his ability to shift back and forth between safety and linebacker.

“I just do whatever coach asks me to do,” he said. “If he wants me to work at safety, he wants me to work back there. That’s what I’m going to do.”

The defensive transition was made easier by the play of senior defensive back Lendy Holmes, who has also stepped up to help fill Reynolds’ leadership role.

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Holmes intercepted two passes, deflected two passes and recorded eight tackles against Kansas.

“Just making plays, especially when they count [was important],” Holmes said. “I just got my hands on the ball and just came up making plays.”

For his performance, Holmes was rewarded Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

He leads the team with three interceptions and ranks fourth on the team with 42 tackles.

“Lendy had a great game and made big plays to get us off the field,” Harris said. “That’s exactly what we need.”