The one negative for the [autotag]2023 Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] so far has been the running game. A season ago, this was a top-10 rushing offense in the country.
Through three games in 2023, it’s fallen all the way to a tie for 50th. The Sooners have yet to figure out who their lead back is this season and it looks like we’re heading toward a “hot hand” approach.
Early in the year, it was a combination of [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag]. That was partly due to the injuries of [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] this offseason.
In this past game vs. the [autotag]Tulsa Golden Hurricane[/autotag], Barnes and Sawchuk got the majority of the load but don’t look fully healthy just yet. Sawchuk told reporters he’s happy to be back playing.
“Glad to be back from it now,” Sawchuk said. “Glad to be back and start getting into a rhythm.”
Sawchuk said he’s 100% now and ready to go. But of course, you could tell he’s still playing his way back into shape, understandably so. They are going to need him and Barnes to get back to what they were a season ago, especially this week, because of the great defensive line they’ll be going against.
“They’ve got a great defense in general, not just the defensive line but everybody in general,” Sawchuk said. “All games are won at the line of scrimmage. Those guys are the most important on the field, blocking up front and creating holes for everybody else. I’m excited for it. It’s going to be a great game, a great challenge, a great team. Excited to go up there and be in their town and really be in their environment but excited for that.”
It’s been a trend under [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] where the running game kind of struggles early in the season before really finding its footing as the season goes along. The hope is this year is no different, and they figure it out sooner than rather later.
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