Eric Gray's 2022 Among Top Five Player Seasons Under Brent Venables at Oklahoma
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Brent Venables is entering his fifth season as head coach at the University of Oklahoma. There is now a large enough sample size to start thinking of Venables' tenure at OU as an "era."
Which individual performances rank among the top five during Venables' time?
Starting with fifth on the list, Eric Gray's 2022 outing of 1,364 yards, 11 scores, coupled with 229 reception yards, wasn't just one of the best single-season performances by a running back under Venables, but one of the best in school history.
Gray's 2022 capped an interesting college career. Transferring from Tennessee, where he spent his first two seasons, Gray came to Oklahoma to be a plug-and-play complement to Kennedy Brooks and a versatile addition to Lincoln Riley's explosive offense.
Prior to his arrival in Norman, Gray put together solid numbers in Knoxville.
As a complementary back during his freshman season, Gray rushed for 539 yards on 101 carries (5.3 yards per carry) and crossed the goal line four times. He also added 13 catches for 115 yards and a score.
His sophomore campaign saw him become more of the feature back on a bad Volunteer team that would go 3-7. Despite the lack of team success, Gray rushed for 772 yards on 159 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. His 30 catches for 254 yards and two scores continued to build his status as a versatile skill player.
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His first season at Oklahoma pitted him on Riley's final tumultuous season that saw a quarterback change from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams and a 10-win regular season that appeared hollow in the moment.
Brooks, who had opted out of the COVID-19 season in 2020, returned as the feature back – relegating Gray to a complementary role once again. He put together a great season in his final year as a Sooner, finishing with 1,253 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Gray ended up third on the team in rushing with 412 yards and two scores. Williams was second on the team with 442 yards on the ground, coupled with six touchdowns.
After Riley exited, Venables came to Oklahoma with the task of not only maintaining the success the school had enjoyed since the early-2000s, but to return to its roots as a physically dominant team capable of competing in the SEC – a move that was to come a few seasons down the road.
The defense was the obvious unit that was to benefit from Venables' arrival. But it was Gray who had the most immediate impact. A defensive-minded coach always wants a strong running attack, and Gray more than provided that in 2022.
Gray exploded during his senior season, rushing for 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 6.4 yards per carry led the Big 12 Conference – his rushing total was fourth behind backs like Bijan Robinson and Deuce Vaughn.
Sadly for Gray, his best season in Norman mirrored his best outing in Knoxville. Venables' first year would result in the worst season at Oklahoma since the John Blake era. Little of that had to do with Gray's efforts.
Consistency was perhaps Gray's greatest strong suit in 2022. He rushed for over 100 yards in eight of the Sooners' 12 regular-season games that year. His 211 yards marked the 55th time a Sooner had crossed the double-century mark – Jovantae Barnes added No. 56 with 203 yards on the ground against Maine in 2024.
The only blemish on his 2022 resume was an interception thrown in the 49-0 loss to Texas when offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby employed a wildcat offense in the wake of Dillon Gabriel's concussion.
Gray finished with 1,593 all-purpose yards in 2022. That's good enough for No. 20 on the list of all-time all-purpose yardage in a single season. Gray finds himself sandwiched between Sooner legends and Heisman winners, Billy Vessels' 1950 season with 1,599 total yards and Steve Owens' 1969 season with 1,593 yards.
At a school with a deep history of rushing performances, Gray's 2022 stands with some of the elites. His 1,364 rushing yards landed him at No. 9 on the all-time list of single-season rushing totals at Oklahoma behind names like Billy Sims, Samaje Perine and Adrian Peterson.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahoma as Eric Gray's 2022 Among Top Five Player Seasons Under Brent Venables at Oklahoma.
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