Oklahoma 2020 Report Card: Offensive Line

SI Sooners Publisher John Hoover and Deputy Editor Ryan Chapman look back on the 2020 season, handing out position-by-position grades for every position group

Author:
Ryan Chapman
Publish date:
Jan 16, 2021 8:00 AM EST

Hoover's Grade: C

As well as Oklahoma’s offense performed in 2020 — sixth in the nation in scoring at 43.0 points per game, 11th in total offense at 494.7 yards per game — this might have been the most disappointing unit on the entire OU team in 2020.

They allowed 2.18 sacks per game (62nd in the nation) and only averaged 4.72 yards per carry (43rd nationally), and too often were the cause of drives stalling because of penalties (as a team, OU was 106th with 7.27 penalties per game, and 107th with 67.09 penalty yards per game).

This despite returning all five starters from 2019, led by captain, three-year starter and co-captain Creed Humphrey.

Adrian Ealy was mostly good at right tackle, Erik Swenson and Anton Harrison shared time at left tackle to both give Swenson a break and to prepare Harrison for the future, and guards Marquis Hayes and Tyrese Robinson were always somewhere between adequate and good but seldom great. Humphrey, too, didn’t have his best season. Still, that unit started every game together this season.

In addition to Harrison (nine games), freshman Andrew Raym got ample snaps (nine games), and after finally getting his eligibility restored by the NCAA, UCLA transfer Chris Murray got to play (five games), and all seemed to grade well.

Bill Bedenbaugh and Lincoln Riley have higher standards for offensive line play, so expect improvements in 2021 — or expect changes.

Chapman's Grade: C+

By Bill Bedenbaugh's standards, no unit on the 2020 Oklahoma Sooners disappointed more than the offensive line.

From the inability to get the run game going without Rhamondre Stevenson, to the penalty struggles from the right side of the line which killed drives and took points off the board, the o-line just never seemed to gel.

The unit was pretty steady in pass protection all year long though, and center Creed Humphrey and right tackle Adrian Ealy both felt they had a good enough season to declare for the NFL Draft.

If the Sooners truly hope to bring home their eight national title in 2021, Bedenbaugh will have to not only replace the two best players from the line, but he will have to figure out what to do at left tackle.

Another spring will surely do youngster Anton Harrison a lot of good, but the play of Harrison and Erik Swenson this season was below the standard Oklahoma has set over the past few seasons.