Redshirt freshman defensive end Frank Alexander entered this season prepared for his first taste of college football.

He got that taste in OU’s first game of the season against Chattanooga, but it would be six weeks before he would see the field again.

On the night of the Sooners’ victory over Chattanooga, Alexander was attacked and stabbed during an altercation at a Norman night club and was incapable of playing.

Alexander was “a victim and in the wrong place at the wrong time” according to head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops said Alexander’s progress the last few weeks has been very good and he is really coming on as an essential part of the defense.

“[Alexander] has really been a spark the last couple of days,” Stoops said. “It’s finally that we feel he’s in game condition, and I believe he can even play this week without the brace.”

Alexander’s impact has been felt already. Against Kansas State he had three tackles and forced a fumble on an important Wildcat possession.

“He’s made some nice plays,” Stoops said. “The sack and forced fumble ... was a big play for us,” Stoops said. “He is really starting to come on.”

After being stabbed, Alexander was taken to the emergency room and had extensive work done on his arm to repair the damage.

Alexander said he realizes things could have been much worse.

“I woke up in the hospital with my parents standing around me, and I know I had them real scared when they got that call that night,” Alexander said. “The doctors came in and told me that the cut was really close to my artery and if that had been hit I might not be here right now. I just thank the Lord that it wasn’t serious enough to take my life.”

The fight during which the injury occurred happened quickly, and resulted in an assailant cutting a muscle in Alexander’s forearm.

“I don’t really know how it happened, but I freaked out because a bottle hit me in the head first,” Alexander said. “Then my friend saw I was cut and there was blood running down my arm and he said I needed to go to the hospital, so we got out of there.

“I got to the hospital and they had to wrap my arm up in a shirt because of all the bleeding, and then they put me on anesthesia and I woke up the next morning.” Alexander said.

After learning what happened, the coaching staff became concerned for Alexander’s health and visited him in the hospital.

“When something like that happens, you’re just thankful that he’s OK and it’s not worse than it is,” Stoops said. “You know he’s going to miss a period of time, and you look at a young man’s life and that’s what matters. So as much as anything we just wanted to know that he was OK and going to be OK.”

When the coaches visited Alexander it made the freshman realize they still trusted him and cared for him.

“The coaches visited me and they just told me to get back stronger,” Alexander said. “They were there for me. They didn’t put anyone to follow me when I’m going out and it was really nice of them to do that.”

Senior center Jon Cooper said Alexander has maintained a positive attitude after the ordeal and still jokes around with teammates. Cooper said Alexander’s ability to look past what happened has helped improve morale in practice.

“He’s always had a great attitude about [his injury],” Cooper said. “He was always joking in the locker room when he had that big old sling on.”

Cooper said Alexander would even talk about what he was going to accomplish once he returned to the lineup.

“He’d say, ‘I’m going to come back and get a couple sacks’ when he’s joking about it with those edge guys,” Cooper said. “He’s had a great attitude about it and worked really hard to come back as soon as possible.”

Cooper added that Alexander hasn’t been hesitant to return to full-speed practice.

“I really don’t get to go against him too much in practice, but I see that he is a very physical player,” Cooper said. “He’s banging up against Trent [Williams] and Phil [Loadholt] and those bigs, and he’s holding his own.”