Run the Ball…effectively and efficiently.
Oklahoma left some meat on the bone in the running game against Arkansas State. The yardage total on the ground looks good at 220 yards, but it could have been even better.
Saturday allows Oklahoma to turn things up in the running game against the Mustangs. SMU had a defensive run-stuff rate of 38 percent, which is in the 37th percentile. They slowed Louisiana Tech in week one, but again, the Sooners aren’t the Bulldogs.
That run-stuff rate is exploitable for Jeff Lebby’s run-first offense. To actually execute that, it will be on the shoulders of the offensive line and the running backs to use their vision and athleticism to gash this team.
One area they can improve upon from a week ago is yards after contact. In 2022, [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] averaged 3.43 yards after contact per attempt. Against Arkansas State on Saturday, only [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] averaged more than three yards per carry after contact for the Sooners.
It’s important to get the yards that are blocked as a running back. But for this team to take its running game to the next level, they’ve got to make things happen for themselves.
Improved elusiveness could unlock another level in the Sooners’ rushing attack.