Once again, the earliest RBs were a disaster

For the second year in a row, Oklahoma’s running backs were literally all over the place.

It’s not that there wasn’t talent. There was. A lot.

But just like in 2023, the depth chart was a mess. There was no hierarchy, no pecking order, no discernible pattern from one week to the next as to who would start, who would play, and who wouldn’t.

Last year it was Jovantae Barnesso Major frameso walking tawee in and out of alignment before Gavin Sawchuk he ultimately took over as RB1 for the final five games.

This year, Sawchuk started as a starter but was supplanted by Barnes for five games and Barnes emerged as the Sooners’ most consistent running back. After Barnes’ season-ending injury late in the Maine game, the freshman Taylor Tatum He had two starts even though he was a fellow rookie. Xavier Robinson who has clearly become OU’s best running back. Then in the bowl game, Sawchuk started again.

Injuries were the obvious reason for some of By Marco Murray crawl. But he also continued to turn to healthy players who weren’t effective: Sawchuk was never active all season, for example, and Tatum continued to get opportunities even though he had recurring problems with loose balls.

Barnes had the best overall streak (17 carries for 70 yards vs. South Carolina, 16 carries for 67 yards vs. Ole Miss, 18 carries for 204 yards and three touchdowns vs. Maine) but then sprained his ankle and didn’t play again.

Robinson had the most promising showing (nine carries for 56 yards at Missouri, 18 for 107 and two touchdowns against Alabama), but then he only had 10 carries at LSU and just six against Navy.

Murray’s reasons for the endless game are his own. head coach Brent Venables He doesn’t allow his assistant coaches to speak to the media, so any questions about Murray’s thought process will go unanswered.

For example, Robinson’s sudden and spectacular late emergence made it difficult to understand why he didn’t play in six of the first seven games and didn’t get his first college carry until the Maine game in Week 10, but it was Robinson himself who said that He wasn’t quite ready for the big stage when the season started and eventually took on the role.

One of OU’s most successful running backs in the program’s proud history, Murray has understandably high standards. He is demanding and demanding of his players. For example, Walker fell out of favor at OU last year, but then transferred to Wisconsin and was the Badgers’ top running back in 2024. Daylan smothers He never saw action as a freshman under Murray, then transferred to North Carolina State and rushed for 571 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Realistically, one shouldn’t have expected much from Murray’s backline in 2024. Oklahoma’s entire offense was a disaster this fall. A group of promising receivers was ravaged by injuries, and five new starters on the offensive line never made much headway in their development. That set the quarterbacks back. Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins and it also affected backfield production.

Barnes topped single-game charts with his 203 yards against FCS Maine, and Robinson’s 107 against Bama was the Sooners’ only other 100-yard performance (Arnold ran for 131 against the Crimson Tide).

FCS transfer Samuel Franklin He had hopes of cracking the lineup, but finished with just 132 rushing yards on 18 carries and contributed five pass receptions for just 18 yards. He also lost a fumble, but averaged a team-high 7.3 yards per carry.

Sawchuk, who closed last year with five straight 100-yard performances, finished this season with just 128 rushing yards and one touchdown on 39 attempts, along with eight receptions for 28 yards. Sawchuk averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.

Robinson had 233 yards and four touchdowns on just 49 rushing attempts in five games. He also caught 13 passes for 119 yards and unofficially led the team in broken tackles, and he did it without a fumble. Robinson averaged 4.8 yards per attempt.

Tatum showed plenty of flashes with the ball in his hands, rushing for 278 yards and three touchdowns on just 56 carries and catching five passes for 41 yards and another score. But he was often a problem in pass protection, and ball security (he turned the ball over four times and fumbled three) is an area where he needs to make major improvements. Tatum averaged 5.0 yards per carry.

Barnes ended up leading the team in rushing with 577 yards and five touchdowns on 122 carries. Barnes also caught 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. He ran hard as always, but later in the season he developed the ability to make defenders miss. Barnes had 139 total touches and no turnovers, and averaged 4.7 yards per rush.

OU’s last 1,000-yard rusher was Eric Gray in 2022, when the former Tennessee transfer (and now New York Giant) finished with 1,366 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

A legitimate passing threat should create more opportunities for OU’s running backs in 2025, and an all-back offensive line will obviously be a big help against another demanding schedule. Will Robinson’s upward trajectory continue? Will Tatum hold on to the ball? Will Barnes or Sawchuk finish their careers strong?

Next year it will likely be DeMarco Murray again who decides all that.