Telling stat may explain Oklahoma's rushing game woes

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The Oklahoma Sooners were one of the worst rushing attacks in college football last season, averaging just 118.5 yards per game. Entering this season, the talk was about how they were trying to fix the ground attack.

The Sooners showed that in their first game. They ran for 170 yards on 4.4 yards per carry and two scores. However, they could not keep that momentum in Week 2 against the Michigan Wolverines. Oklahoma rushed for just 100 yards on 3.4 yards per carry.

That begs the question: what is the real issue with the rushing attack? Is it the offensive line, or is it something deeper? A certain stat might reveal the biggest issue. The Sooners' running backs average 22.1 carries per game over the last two seasons.

However, that number drops to 16.3 against Power Four opponents. In fact, the running backs have only had 20 or more carries just one time against a Power Four opponent. That was last season when they totaled 31 against the South Carolina Gamecocks, rushing for 171 yards on 4.3 yards per carry.

Despite it being a close game, the Sooners' running backs had just 13 carries against Michigan. For comparison, quarterback John Mateer had 13 carries. Running back Lloyd Avant led the way with nine carries for 35 yards. Avant averaged over six yards per carry in the first half; however, Oklahoma never committed to the run.

Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle admitted after the game that he should have called more running back runs.

"At the end of the day, I've got to be patient during the game and keep on handing that bad boy off," Arbuckle said.

If Oklahoma believes its running backs can be productive, it has to give the running backs enough opportunities to establish themselves. The UTEP game showed what the offense can look like when the ground game is working, while the Michigan game showed what happens when that element disappears.

The answer probably isn't as simple as giving the running backs 30 carries every week. Oklahoma still has a quarterback capable of making plays through the air, and defenses will adjust accordingly. But if the Sooners want to fix a rushing attack that has been a problem for multiple seasons, they may need to do more than improve the blocking.

They need to stay committed to the run when the competition gets tougher. Until Oklahoma can consistently do that against Power Four opponents, questions about whether the rushing attack is truly fixed will continue to follow the Sooners.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Telling stat may explain Oklahoma's rushing game woes

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