The Oklahoma Sooners offense has problems that go beyond the quarterback. Sure, inconsistent play in the passing game has an impact on the number of defenders an offense will face around the line of scrimmage, but even when the Sooners have had favorable boxes, it hasn’t helped.
Oklahoma ran for over 200 yards in week one against Temple. OU rushed for just over 180 yards against Tulane, buoyed by Jackson Arnold’s near-100-yard day. But against Houston, the Sooners ran for just 75 yards on just 2.58 yards per carry. OU hit rock bottom against Tennessee when they averaged 1.1 yards per carry on 24 attempts. Yes, you read that right: 1.1 yards per carry.
Take the quarterback run game and sacks out of the equation, and the numbers look slightly better. It amounts to 17 carries for 37 yards. It’s still not good or even average, but it improves to 2.17 yards per carry. It’s a far cry from what this offense expects of their running game.
So far, Oklahoma’s averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, helped by Arnold’s big day against Tulane. However, that’s the lowest yard-per-carry average for a season since 2010, when the Sooners averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt.
With a rushing average that low, one would think the Sooners struggled offensively. But what did Oklahoma have going for it that season? Landry Jones was cooking, throwing for 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns. Ryan Broyles had 1,622 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. They had DeMarco Murray, who ran for 1,214 yards, 15 touchdowns, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
That 2010 team went 12-2, beat Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, and Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.
This 2024 team has been a far cry from 2010, but there’s still time to turn some things around. Adjustments can be made, and the Sooners have already made a big one, inserting Michael Hawkins into the starting lineup. But the true freshman displayed his passing prowess. They didn’t try Tennessee deep, but Hawkins showed his passing ability on several throws to Jaquaize Pettaway, Bauer Sharp, and Zion Ragins. He had a good command of the offense. His speed is a threat in the running game and will put pressure on defenses.
If Oklahoma can find a more consistent passing attack, it will force teams to respect the pass and back a player out of the box against the run.
The Sooners had a lot of success running outside. Deion Burks ran a couple of jet sweeps for 18 yards early in the game, but the Sooners never went back to it. Jovantae Barnes had a 17-yard run on an outside zone play. According to Pro Football Focus, when the Sooners ran outside to the left, they gained 27 yards on two carries. But Oklahoma seemed intent on trying to establish the inside run game. They weren’t effective. When they ran between the tackles, Oklahoma gained just 17 yards on 13 carries, according to PFF.
Tennessee’s really good up the middle and the Sooners seemed content to run into the teeth of the defense.
Certainly, offensive line continuity has been an issue. The constant reshuffling due to availability hasn’t given them an opportunity to mesh, but playcalling and execution haven’t helped the run game either.
A lot of the issues have been in the run-pass option game, where Jackson Arnold struggled to make the right decisions with the football.
The run-pass option takes advantage of how a defense is aligned and allows the quarterback to make a choice based on what the defense does post-snap. If there are six or fewer players in the box, or near the line of scrimmage, it’s favorable for the Sooners and they need to run it. Arnold’s been choosing to pass in those instances. When there are more than six defenders in the box, that’s when OU should throw it, and Arnold’s been giving it to the running back in an unfavorable matchup for the offensive line. There have been opportunities to create yardage in the run game, but if the quarterback doesn’t make the right choice in the RPO game, it’s going to be difficult on the run game.
At his weekly press conference, Brent Venables indicated the Sooners would be cutting back on the number of RPO-based play calls. It won’t go away completely, but the Sooners are certainly going to scale back on and may return if Michael Hawkins Jr. proves more efficient in the RPO calls.
The Oklahoma Sooners are going to get more direct in some of their run calls, taking some of the guesswork out of it.
The Sooners have a tough task this week against an Auburn Tigers‘ defense that is allowing just 118.8 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. But the Sooners will need to find their rushing attack if they want to have more offensive success against the Auburn Tigers and better support their young quarterback.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners have to find more consistent running game
