Texas' Caden Sterns, Josh Thompson, Jalen Green All to Miss Time with Injuries

Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman provided an injury update Monday with a trio of key defensive backs facing a significant stint on the sideline.

According to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Herman said that safety Caden Sterns will miss four weeks with a knee ligament sprain, while cornerback Jalen Green is out four weeks with a shoulder injury and corner Josh Thompson will miss "significant time" with a broken foot.

The Longhorns' secondary woes don't end there, as B.J. Foster and DeMarvion Overshown already missed Saturday's 36-30 win over Oklahoma State, though Herman said he was hopeful that pair would return for the West Virginia game Oct. 5, per Davis.

Nonetheless, having five players from one defensive unit battling injuries is tough to overcome, even if Herman is trying to stay positive:

It wasn't only the secondary that suffered losses.

"Marcus Tillman has a third-degree sprain to his MCL, which will require surgery," Herman said of the freshman linebacker, per Taylor Estes of 247Sports.com. "He will be out for the rest of the season."

For a 3-1 Texas team with Big 12 title and College Football Playoff aspirations, getting as healthy as possible before an October slate of games that includes tough matchups against West Virginia, Oklahoma (Oct. 12) and TCU (Oct. 26) will be key. 

To this point, Texas has been impressive in blowout wins over Louisiana Tech and Rice, a tough win over Oklahoma State and even in a shootout loss against LSU. But it has to be a bit concerning for the coaching staff that the defense has given up 68 points against LSU and Oklahoma State, especially with all of the injuries to the secondary.

That could loom large against Oklahoma in particular. The Sooners and Jalen Hurts are averaging 352.3 passing yards per game, seventh in the nation, and 55.7 points per game, second in the country. The Red River Showdown could very well be quite the shootout yet again this season. 

Given Texas' spate of defensive injuries, that style of game could favor Oklahoma. And losing that game just might cost Herman some sleep.