Oklahoma's Ben Arbuckle on the RB Rotation, Why He 'Can't Take Tory Blaylock Off Field'

Oklahoma’s rushing attack has sputtered all season, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry — among the worst in the SEC — and the struggles continued in Dallas against the Texas Longhorns.

Following the disappointing loss, Ben Arbuckle remained confident with his running backs, particularly Tory Blaylock.

Oklahoma Sooners, Tory Blaylock — Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

"That running back room has a lot of talent in it," Arbuckle said. "Tory's been consistent with that all year."

Blaylock has been a nice surprise as a true freshman. The Sooners came into 2025 with an experienced and talented running back rotation featuring upperclassman Jovantae Barnes and transfer Jaydn Ott and younger backs Xavier Robinson and Taylor Tatum who seemed ready to burst into larger roles as sophomores.

In recent weeks, Robinson has seen an increased role. Against Texas, he clocked in for 20 snaps. Per Pro Football Focus, that's the second-most snaps he's played all season — he managed 24 against Temple.

Barnes didn't see the field in the Cotton Bowl due to a minor injury suffered in pregame, per Brent Venables on Tuesday. Ott has been a non-factor and Tatum has yet to play in 2025 — Venables also mentioned he's been dealing with "one thing after another" in terms of injuries.

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Along with losing to your rival school, the Red River Rivalry brought more questions and headaches concerning the running game.

Ott, who played a season-high 29 snaps against Kent State, appeared to have built enough trust in recent practices to earn a few early reps against Texas. Following a missed block on linebacker Anthony Hill and a dropped pass on a screen that was blocked well, Ott left the game never to return.

With Barnes' pregame injury, the responsibility fell on Blaylock and Robinson. Both ran hard, but often ran hard directly into the backs of their offensive linemen who were being pushed back by the stout Longhorn's defensive line.

It appears that it's going to come down to one of three things for the Sooner rushing attack: John Mateer goes supernova on the ground, the offensive line improves or the running backs take a step and overcome a lackluster run-blocking offensive line.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jaydn Ott — Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Arbuckle continued to praise work ethic and consistency in practice when asked about a the continuing lack of the Sooners big offseason portal addition in Ott.

"It comes from a game-by-game basis," Arbuckle said. "With Jaydn, it's not neccesarily what hes doing wrong, it's what other guys are doing right. There's something about, especially, with the way Tory plays and practices every single day."

Another blemish from the loss in Dallas came on the late first-half drive that ended in Mateer’s second interception. Oklahoma, appearing content to settle for a field goal while draining the clock, showed little urgency as it reached scoring range. After a screen pass to Isaiah Sategna and a 20-second lapse before calling timeout, OU substituted Robinson for Blaylock, triggering Texas substitutions and forcing officials to hold the snap with just 10 seconds left in the half.

Oklahoma Sooners, John Mateer — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The lackadaisical end of the half bled into OU's rough second half, prompting questions on who is making the calls to substitute running backs in game.

"We have a personnel meeting every day and we determine who are going to be the first few running backs in," Arbuckle said. "In game, it's me and Coach (DeMarco) Murray. We stay true to our rotation unless I get on the headset and say 'Give me this guy here.'"

Arbuckle doubled down on his confidence in Blaylock, citing his consistency in both practice and games.

"He's a guy you can't take off the field," Arbuckle said.