Oklahoma RB Lloyd Avant Pleased — but not Content

NORMAN — Running back Lloyd Avant didn’t break any records in his Oklahoma debut, but he did live up to the praise he received throughout the offseason.

Avant, who transferred to OU from Colorado State in January, led the Sooners with 79 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in Friday’s 51-0 season-opening win against UTEP.

The Sooners badly need to become more efficient on the ground in 2026 after finishing 13th in the SEC in rushing offense a year ago. And with a one-game sample size, Avant looks like he can help OU do that.

“It was a great game,” Avant said. “Pregame, a little nervousness going on. But it was just another practice for me to go out, play the game, execute and just play with the guys that I love to play with.”

Of Avant’s 79 rushing yards, 56 of them came after contact. The transfer running back averaged 3.73 yards after contact per rush, the second most on the team behind freshman tailback Jonathan Hatton Jr., who logged 20 yards after contact on only three carries.

“Just run the ball hard,” Avant said. “Doing that consistently every play was just the mindset going into it.”

Eight Sooners logged at least one carry in their 51-point win. Transfer walk-on running back Ben McCreary had the second-most rushing yards with 40, while junior Xavier Robinson was close behind with 30 yards on seven touches.

OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is confident that Avant is the right man to lead the Sooners’ rushing attack.

“I thought Lloyd came out, played his butt off,” Arbuckle said. “I thought Lloyd was exactly who he's been since he's shown up here: consistent, hardworking, tough, reliable.”

Oklahoma could have picked its score, and Avant was a key part of the Sooners’ dominant offensive effort. But Avant and Arbuckle both know that the games will only get more challenging.

In Week 2, the Sooners will battle No. 16 Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines controversially escaped with a 13-12 home win against unranked Western Michigan in their opener on Saturday.

Even though Michigan’s season-opening performance was shaky, at best, its defense performed well overall. Western Michigan’s backs averaged only 2.9 yards per carry and finished the game with 132 rushing yards.

“The run game as a whole, I thought a lot of things that we've been emphasizing showed up today — it ain't good enough,” Arbuckle said. “Pad level, velocity off the ball, straining on certain things, receivers and perimeter blocking can all just be so much better, and we have to.”

Still, Avant believes that his Week 1 performance — as well as his teammates’ performances — sets the Sooners up well for future success on the ground.

“We can do better, but it was a great start to the season, and we're going to improve on it over the whole season,” Avant said.

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