Oklahoma’s Young Backs Seize Spring Opportunity With 'No Fear'

NORMAN — Brent Venables has made it known how he feels about the Sooners' run game over the past few seasons.

At least on paper, Oklahoma is set up to have a better rushing attack by sheer virtue of an improved and more experienced offensive line, more physically cable tight ends and a crop of new talent in the running back room.

Some of that has been tabled this spring, with Tory Blaylock missing all of March/April football dealing with an undisclosed injury. Xavier Robinson appeared to have suffered an injury (severity unknown) during OU's second practice during the media viewing window — he wore a boot and did not participate in the fourth practice when local media were allowed access.

So what is Ben Arbuckle left with now? He's intrigued by the talent able to perform this spring.

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"These guys come in, they’re hungry, they’re ready to work, they’re ready to burn, they’re ready to compete," Arbuckle said last week. "They don’t know what they don’t know. They’re just running without fear out there. And a lot of really good things happen whenever you just run without fear and put your head down and run through trash."

Arbuckle has already declared the new backs have "raised the level" of the room in their few months as Sooners. Freshmen backs like Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker have hit the ground running alongside Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.

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Specifically, the freshman duo of Hatton and Walker represent the overall optimism for Oklahoma trying to re-establish itself on the ground. With Hatton's blend of size, power and speed along with Walker's compact, physical nature coupled with quick feet, Arbuckle has been impressed with how they've acclimated to college.

"Those guys have done a great job of understanding what their assignment is, whether it’s in the pass game or in the run game or protection, they’ve done a really good job of it," he said.

Much of their development rests in the hands of new running backs coach Deland McCullough. Arbuckle recalled a "fun phone call" with McCullough following his appointment to Oklahoma. After exchanging pleasantries and family stories, the two got down to business.

"The biggest thing that I have really seen from him is his attention to detail and his unwavering effort to get these guys to run the ball violent," Arbuckle said. "It is a constant stressing point that we’re saying to these kids and trying to get them to understand and go."

Oklahoma Sooners, Deland McCullough — Oklahoma running backs coach Deland McCullough on the practice field. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

OU is only two weeks into its spring practice. The final product isn't in plain sight. The young backs have ample time to develop and prove themselves. Once fall arrives, the hope is that Blaylock, Robinson — perhaps both — will shoulder the load.

But at least to Arbuckle, their jobs will be better forged due to this new influx of talent pushing them to compete harder throughout the year.

"There’s some things they gotta understand a little better and get coached up on, but they raise the level of the room, because they come out there and they’re attacking every single day," Arbuckle said. "That’s fun to see and it’s fun to be a part of."