One of the bright spots in the 2022 season has been the emergence of the running game for the Oklahoma Sooners. Entering the season, there were question marks after [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag] left for the NFL and [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] was underutilized in 2021.
All of those questions have been answered nine weeks into the season as the Sooners boast the No. 16 rushing attack in the nation, averaging 217.5 yards per game. On Saturday, against an Iowa State team that allowed just 105 yards per game on the ground, Oklahoma was able to rack up 186 rushing yards. Eric Gray had his fifth 100-yard day of the season, and the Sooners used that strong rushing attack to help take pressure off a passing game that wasn’t hitting on all cylinders.
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Gray and the Sooners’ offensive line will be tested this Saturday against a Baylor defense that’s allowing only 3.42 yards per carry and 113.2 yards per game rushing. Led by defensive tackles [autotag]Siaki Ika[/autotag], [autotag]Gabe Hall[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaxon Player[/autotag] have a strong interior that will make life incredibly difficult for the Oklahoma Sooners on the ground.
“Yeah, I mean, they are. They’re really, really stout inside, have played really well,” offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] said on Monday. “You know, I think for us, it’s about being really efficient, being really good on first down, finding a sense of better third down situations and staying on the field to create as much stress as we can for them defensively. But they’re incredibly stout inside and playing well.”
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Last year, the Sooners ran for just 82 yards at 2.8 yards per carry against Baylor’s defense in the loss. They’ll need to be much better than that to help the Sooners’ offense stay out of long down and distance situations and sustain drives.
This is another week where a diverse rushing attack and the quick passing game can help keep the Bears’ defensive front guessing a bit. The use of jet motion to make the Baylor defense think a bit more can help the Sooners’ offense a step ahead.
Texas Tech ran for 146 yards on Saturday against Baylor, and the Bears allowed 217 yards against West Virginia a few weeks back. It may be tough sledding early in this one, but as the game wears on, the Oklahoma Sooners and Eric Gray will continue to create big runs on the ground, and the Sooners’ offense will have a chance to score some points.
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