Houston star DT Ed Oliver in heated incident with coach Major Applewhite
HOUSTON -- All-American defensive tackle Ed Oliver got into a heated discussion with Houston coach Major Applewhite just before halftime of the Cougars' game against Tulane on Thursday night.
Applewhite approached Oliver, who has missed four consecutive games with an injured knee, on the Houston sideline before halftime and removed the lineman's jacket off of his shoulder. Oliver could then be seen shouting at Applewhite as the team walked toward its locker room at halftime.
ESPN's Laura Rutledge reported that Applewhite confirmed the dispute was about Oliver wearing a long, black jacket on the sideline. Applewhite told Oliver, who is in street clothes while inactive for the game, that the jackets were reserved for active players only.
Oliver was restrained by Houston director of sports performance Rod Grace while shouting at Applewhite on the way to the tunnel.
Oliver, who last season became the first underclassman to win the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman, is widely considered to be a potential top-five pick next spring.
He has 51 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss this season, but recently fell from No. 2 overall to No. 7 on Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest Big Board after missing a month of action.
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