When Justin Broiles hyperextended his knee against West Virginia on Nov. 12 in Morgantown, he thought for a few moments he might’ve played the last down of football of his career.
The sixth-year senior’s mind manically raced as medical personnel tended to his knee, until he suddenly found comfort in his faith. Broiles even thought back to past injuries he suffered, including a broken fibula, to show himself he could get through that moment.
“I definitely jumped off the deep end a little bit,” Broiles said. “Just because you see so many knee injuries and things of that nature. I knew I couldn't even move it at that moment in time, I was trying to stay poised… The more and more I thought about it I was like, ‘Dang, it’s all good because it’s all God.’”
As he was helped off the field, Broiles was confronted by nearly the entire defense as his teammates tried to keep his spirits up. While the Oklahoma City native said the encouragement meant a lot in hindsight, he was trying to get people away from him at that moment to “keep everybody focused on the standard.”
When the X-rays came back negative on Broiles’ knee, there was no chance he was going to miss the last home game of his career against Oklahoma State. Broiles worked his way back to go through senior night festivities and help secure a 28-13 Bedlam victory as he recorded five total tackles, including one for loss.
Some players would be emotional about returning from injury on a senior night to defeat their in-state rival, but not Broiles. Immediately after the game, his focus turned to Texas Tech (6-5, 4-4 Big 12), Oklahoma’s (6-5, 3-5) final opponent of the regular season.
“To be honest man, (it was just) another game,” Broiles said. “I know it sounds cliche, but that's just really my approach there. Of course, it felt a little better (against Oklahoma State), but in the end we were just trying to win the game. Whether it was O-State or whoever we play, the mindset is still the mindset… keeping it black and white, it’s football. We won the game, of course winning is always fun but as soon as we won I was like, ‘What’s next?’”
Redshirt fifth year defensive back Justin Broiles before the game against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa on Oct. 29.
However, securing OU bowl eligibility for the 24th straight season was important to Broiles, and for the program's future. The Sooners safety describes himself as a “bigger picture guy,” and he sees making a bowl game as an important step in the process.
“It's growing pains,” Broiles said. “What we’re going through right now, it doesn’t affect me because I see the bigger picture than right here. If you know anything about (head coach Brent Venables), you know he’s building a foundation.
“Sometimes you have to strip the studs down all the way to the bottom just to build a solid foundation. Everybody's got their own opinion, but everybody in this building understands we’re laying the foundation for something special and that’s all that matters.”
Broiles has been impressed with Venables in his first season as a head coach. He pointed to the little things, including a sign inside Oklahoma’s Everest Indoor Training Center that reads, “Formula for excellence.”
“That's how you lay that foundation and you change the mindsets and you change the attitudes of this program,” Broiles said. “To me, it’s not just scheming, It's the underlying stuff that not only will make great football players, but it will make great men, make great husbands and great business owners… that’s the stuff that’s going to carry over in life.”
During the pregame festivities before Bedlam, Broiles, running back Eric Gray and tight end Brayden Willis received the Don Key Award, which has been referred to by coaches as the “highest honor an OU football player can receive while playing for the Sooners.”
Broiles admitted there will most likely come a time after the season when he’ll have a moment to reflect on his injury and his last game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. However, for Broiles now, it’s all about preparing to face the Red Raiders at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock.
“That's how we build this program, from a ‘What's next?’ mentality,” Broiles said. “Being grateful for the present moment but always striving to get better. Everybody is digging, and can't wait to get back to that film, watching what we could have done better, how we could have made that game that much better on all sides of the ball. So I'm pretty sure it will probably hit me after the season, but right now my mindset is Texas Tech.”
