OU-Kansas State: One big thing
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 Conference in rushing. No, not this year. That’s just an annual fact of college football. In each of Lincoln Riley’s three years as head coach, OU has led the league at 218, 247 and 240 yards per game.
This year — well, the sample size is small, but after one game, the Sooners rank seventh in rushing yards per game out of the eight Big 12 teams that have played a game. This despite playing arguably the worst of the league’s eight opponents.
After gaining just 124 yards (on an average of 3.5 per carry), Riley called the Sooners’ results in the run game versus the Bears “a little bit worse than OK” and he said it’s going to take a more concerted effort on everyone’s part — the running backs, the H-backs, the offensive line, the receivers, the quarterback and even himself as the play caller — to do a better job running the football on Saturday against Kansas State.
A couple things should help.
Junior T.J. Pledger “is the starter” at running back, Riley said, after missing the opener due to COVID-related measures. Riley had praised Pledger throughout the preseason as the Sooners’ best back in practice, only to have him sit out Game 1.
“He’s been our best, most consistent back,” Riley said Thursday.
And Anton Harrison — a true freshman, but still listed as the starter at left tackle on Riley’s two-deep before the opening game — is expected to be back as well. That frees up All-Big 12 Adrian Ealy to slide back over to his more natural position at right tackle. Also, Stacey Wilkins — who had been widely projected to start at left tackle and was listed as Harrison’s backup — is expected to return. Another true freshman, Andrew Raym, could be back at left guard.
And tight end/H-back Brayden Willis, who sat out two weeks ago, also should return.
Then again, struggling in the run game in Week 1 might not be an issue in Week 2. That’s life in the year of COVID — this week, the issue could be somewhere else entirely, depending on who’s not playing.
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