Will Oklahoma Finally Get Its Running Game Going Against Kent State?

The Sooners have been inconsistent on the ground to begin the 2025 season, and Saturday's contest against Kent State will give them a chance to be creative.

Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle knows that efficient rushing is necessary for the Sooners to keep their perfect record intact.

OU’s offense has been miles ahead of where it was in 2024. The Sooners are averaging 31.3 points per game through four contests, helping them start 4-0 with ranked wins over Michigan and Auburn.

Where the No. 5-ranked Sooners haven’t been consistent, though, is on the ground.

OU is 12th in the SEC in rushing, averaging 125 yards per game.

“You have to be efficient to efficiently run the football to win games,” Arbuckle said.

While running the ball hasn’t been the Sooners’ offensive strength, their running backs have shown flashes of brilliance. True freshman Tory Blaylock has 179 yards on the year, and he broke out for 100 yards and two touchdowns in OU’s 42-3 win over Temple. Running backs Jovantae Barnes and Xavier Robinson have both scored touchdowns while playing backup roles to Blaylock.

But the ground game hasn’t been a sure thing — and that’s where the bye week comes in.

“I think we identified a lot of things that we can get better at,” Arbuckle said. “Excited for the way that our guys have bought into everything that we’ve talked about, especially the last week and a half, two weeks or so.”

The lack of consistency in the run game doesn’t only fall on OU’s running backs; the offensive line is responsible for creating gaps for the backs to run through.

As a team, Oklahoma logged a dreadful 41.7 run-blocking grade against Auburn, per Pro Football Focus. That was their lowest grade of the season in that category, well below their previous low mark (52.2).

Per offensive guard Febechi Nwaiwu, the Sooners’ linemen spent much of their time improving in that area during the open week.

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“We focused a pretty good amount (on it),” Nwaiwu said. “We've gotta get better in all aspects of the game, and run game is for sure one of the top things that we really focused on this week.”

It’s also worth noting how beaten up the line was for the Auburn game.

Nwaiwu and center Jake Maikkula played through injuries. Freshman tackle Michael Fasusi played only nine snaps before sitting out for the rest of the game.

Aside from the injury to center Troy Everett — which is season-ending — Nwaiwu said the unit is the healthiest it has been in a while. Because of that, he believes that they’ll have more success opening holes for Blaylock, Barnes and the other backs.

“We're all just excited to finally be a unit and be all as one,” Nwaiwu said. “I think we are getting a lot of our guys back.”

Week 6 isn’t another bye for OU, but it will almost certainly be an opportunity for the Sooners to give their starters rest.

Kent State (1-3) hasn’t defeated an NCAA Division I FBS opponent since 2022, and the Golden Flashes have been outscored 176-73.

Because of the disparity in talent that will very likely lead to a large disparity on the scoreboard, Oklahoma should get the chance to play backups at every position.

In a league as good as the SEC, it’s vital to find an identity on the ground. And Saturday’s game against the Golden Flashes could reveal the Sooners’ best paths to success in the run game.

“It’s something that we have high urgency on,” Arbuckle said. “Ready to get rolling with it.”