History Shows That Oklahoma Rushing Woes Rarely Last Consecutive Seasons

There's a common thread among Oklahoma's poor rushing seasons that also played into their improvement the following season.

Oklahoma running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. rushes in the spring game. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

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The running game is often reliant upon external factors.

Sure, if you have Adrian Peterson, you won't need the early 1990s Dallas Cowboys offensive line to run behind or a Hall of Fame signal caller to make defenses think twice about their attack. Special talents at running back often take care of themselves.

Oklahoma feels comfortable about their running back room heading into 2026, but a super talent like Peterson does not reside there — at least as far as we know.

2025's output was "pathetic" according to Brent Venables. It will take the whole village to build the Sooners' run game back to where it belongs — something that the program has accomplished in the past.

Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Just how pathetic was 2025? You have to go all the way back to Bob Stoops' debut in 1999 to find the last season without a single Oklahoma back rushing for more than 500 yards. This was the true air-raid era of Oklahoma under Mike Leach's play calling, which explains the lack of a singular back who produced at a high level.

In 1999, Michael Thornton led the team with 383 yards on the ground. Quentin Griffin was a true freshman who finished with 285 on the ground. Seth Littrell rushed for 231 yards and Reggie Skinner added 283 yards.

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That means there have been 25 straight seasons where OU has had a functional running game. Even in seasons like 2001, when the offensive line struggled, the injury-plagued season of 2009 and even the shortened COVID-19 season of 2020, when the Sooners' best back was suspended for half the schedule.

And of all seasons where Oklahoma couldn't rely on a running game — it was 2025. The year in which OU finally announced itself as a legitimate SEC program after its abysmal debut in 2024. The year OU was able to ride a hot November streak into the College Football Playoff.

Tory Blaylock led the team with 480 yards on the ground, followed closely behind John Mateer's 431 and Xavier Robinson's 421 yards. Considering that all three players dealt with injuries that either affected their play on the field or outright denied their availability, the numbers don't appear as jarring.

Robinson has proved himself. His 107 yard, two touchdown performance against Alabama in 2024 and his 2025 outings against Ole Miss and Tennessee give Oklahoma a sense of his abilities when he's near full health.

Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Blaylock has the talent and has flashed in his lone season in Norman. Now, Oklahoma has the added optimism of freshman backs DeZephen Walker and Jonathan Hatton Jr., who both impressed during the spring.

It would appear that the Sooners' running game woes have less to do with the talent carrying the ball and more to do with those external factors. Health is indeed a question for both returning running backs, but the Sooners are optimistic that maybe they'll have luck on their side. In previous poor rushing seasons, the Sooners have tended to rebound.

Leach's 1999 air raid gave way to Mark Mangino's balanced offensive approach in 2000. OU still passed the ball a great deal during their national championship run, but a more experienced offensive line helped Griffin rush for 800-plus yards on the ground — providing the Sooners' offense with a weapon it did not have the previous year.

In 2009, when OU's title chances were dashed within the first month of the year due to injuries, a young offensive line and an equally young quarterback struggled their way to an 8-4 campaign. Oklahoma's running game was good with backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown rushing for over 700 yards each, but the explosive balance of the previous two years had gone away.

Oklahoma Sooners running back DeMarco Murray (7) is tackled against the Texas Longhorns during the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The next season, a more experienced offensive line helped lead a more balanced attack, highlighted by Murray's 1,214 yard season.

It stands to reason that a more experienced offensive line in 2026 will help Oklahoma get back on track with its ground game. It's happened before, and with Venables' emphasis on its improvement, 2026 should visible upgrades to its rushing production.

The problem hasn't been talent — it's been a combination of bad injury luck coupled with poor offensive line recruiting in the early 2020s that didn't negatively affect the offense until 2024 and 2025. Throw in the SEC shift and you have what the Sooners have experienced on their ground attack.

OU will have talent and experience on the offensive line. They will have fewer new faces on the offense as a whole. Everything is leading to either a balanced and potent rushing attack for Oklahoma or a singular back to get the job done week in and week out.