On the first drive of the game, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] was in as the starting running back. They tried a direct snap it to him and he fumbled the ball. He recovered the fumble but recovered it for a big loss. The next play, they set up a great little screen pass, but he dropped it on what could have been a big gain.
Not the start Sawchuk wanted. Fast forward to the end of the game.
With around 11 minutes to go in the game, Sawchuk kickstarted the Sooners go-ahead scoring drive with three runs for 23 yards. Then with 3:15 left in the 4th Quarter, the Oklahoma Sooners were up one point and at the [autotag]UCF Knight[/autotag]’s 30-yard line.
Sawchuk’s number was called again. Sawchuk took the handoff, hesitated for a second, burst through the hole, and found the end zone to put the Sooners up eight. It’s the longest run by a Sooner running back all season.
It’s what the team had been missing all season. Sawchuk hadn’t looked like himself up to that point, but for a few seconds, we saw that burst we saw last year in his impressive Cheez-It bowl performance.
He told reporters after the game it was good to get some game reps. “It felt good to just be out there,” Sawchuk said. “Great team win. Hard-fought victory. Anyway, it was just amazing to be out there. Be in that atmosphere and be with the guys.”
Sawchuk finished with 10 carries, 63 yards and one touchdown. The Sooners are going to need him to be big for them the rest of the season. Seems like all season, we’ve said the Sooners have to find that lead guy.
They may have found it.
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