Oklahoma State University Athletics
Orie Lemon: Back Where He Belongs
September 08, 2010 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 8, 2010
Oklahoma State senior linebacker Orie Lemon may have the most talked about knee in Stillwater.
During the week leading up to the Cowboys' highly anticipated season opener against Georgia last season, Lemon tore his ACL during practice and missed the entire 2009 campaign.
Entering the '09 season, Lemon had been projected to be one of the most important players on defense after an impressive junior season in which he finished second on the team with 90 tackles, tied for third with eight pass break ups and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.
At the time, Lemon being sidelined seemed like a gigantic loss for the Cowboys. But it may have been a blessing in disguise.
A year ago, Donald Booker played great football in place of Lemon at middle linebacker so there was no real loss of production at the position. Had Lemon played during '09, the Cowboys would have graduated him, Booker and other senior linebackers Patrick Lavine and Andre Sexton. That's a lot of experience to lose all at once.
As terrible as ACL injuries are, Lemon's allowed him to redshirt last season and return this season as the only Cowboy linebacker with starting experience.
OSU does have a few linebackers with playing experience in Justin Gent, Tolu Moala and James Thomas, but none of them have any starting experience. Even though he is a year removed from playing football and has not played a game in second-year defensive coordinator Bill Young's system, Lemon is still looked upon as the leader of the linebackers.
“I have to have a leadership role because we've got a lot of young guys out there right now,” Lemon said. “I have to lead them in the right direction because we're gonna need them to play come September 4th.”
Young has not had the opportunity to coach Lemon in an actual game, and, after jokingly calling Lemon a 'wuss' for not playing last season, he quickly offered the senior praise and admitted he is eager to finally have an opportunity to have Lemon play for him during games.
“He's a great young man,” Young said. “He's fun to be around. He always has a smile on his face. I think this time off has really shown how important football is to him, and we look for awful big things from him.”
During last season, Lemon did gain a new appreciation for the game of football after his injury forced him to watch from the sidelines.
“Whenever you have (football) taken away from you and you've never had it taken away before, you don't know how much you miss it until it's gone,” Lemon said. “But I found more love that I didn't think I had for the game when I was away from the game.”
Just because Lemon couldn't practice or play with his teammates didn't mean he wasn't trying to continue to get better. Young said Lemon would attend all the meetings with the defense and the linebackers. As soon as he was cleared, he began hitting the weights to gain his strength back and began trying to get back into peak physical condition.
He also took on the role of cheerleader in 2009. Because the sidelines at Boone Pickens Stadium are so narrow, the coaching staff worried about having Lemon on the field during games because a player could easily come crashing into his knee.
But Lemon insisted he be out there with his teammates and coach Mike Gundy relented.
Now that he is back playing with his teammates, he hopes he can leave a lasting legacy at OSU for himself and also help the Pokes continue to have success in football.
“I've been here four, going on five years now, and I want to leave a great impression,” Lemon said. “'Orie Lemon was a great player as a defensive player,' that's my goal.
“First of all, I want to win, that's all I'd like to do, no matter what, no matter how it goes, I just want to win.”
If Lemon is to have a great season, it will all come down to how his knee holds up. Young said he hasn't seen any signs of trouble from the knee at all.
Lemon has fielded countless questions about his knee from coaches, teammates, doctors, media, fans, family and friends. When asked how his knee feels, he just smiles.
“My knee is 110 percent healthy,” Lemon said. “It feels just like old times.”
