Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk, RB
It would have been wrong to put one and not the other. So we included both Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk here.
They came to Oklahoma together, and many of us in the media believed they would be the bell-cow backs for this season. Through two games, we all look foolish for that, as Marcus Major and Tawee Walker have been the workhorses in the backfield.
There’s still time for that to be rectified, and Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby somewhat agrees.
He spoke earlier this week about wanting to get the pair going.
In so few words, this team is better when these two are touching the ball because of the juice and explosiveness both have.
Sawchuk is the fastest back Oklahoma has and can hit the home run if he finds the right crease. Barnes has a blend of power and explosiveness that we saw as Eric Gray’s backup last year.
If Lebby intends to get them going, Saturday against Tulsa would be an ideal time, and not throwing them to the wolves against Cincinnati’s defensive front.