Why Oklahoma's Tory Blaylock Believes CFP Loss Will Fuel RB Room in Offseason

NORMAN — For Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock, the initial feeling after Friday’s loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff was pain.

But in due time, Blaylock knows that he’ll look back at his first season of college football with great pride.

“I'm still really proud of this football team and everything we accomplished,” Blaylock said. “I just wish we could have got it done.”

Blaylock, a true freshman from Atascocita, TX, led Oklahoma in rushing with 480 yards. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice, rushing for more than 100 yards in OU’s wins against Temple and South Carolina.

In a running back room with older players like Xavier Robinson, Jaydn Ott and Jovantae Barnes, Blaylock is the only one that played in all 13 games in 2025. Blaylock credits the veterans around him for allowing him to be productive in his first season.

“All those guys were so loving, and they just took me under their wing,” Blaylock said. “So just having people like that in my corner, man, it just means a lot.”

Blaylock battled through a lingering injury late in the season but still managed to appear in every game. Still, he made the most of his limited reps.

Blaylock finished OU’s regular-season finale against LSU with 42 yards, and that included a 21-yard rush that got the Sooners into Tiger territory. He totaled 72 all-purpose yards against Alabama in the CFP, and his most notable play came on a 12-yard reception.

In the long run, Blaylock believes that he’ll be better because of his late-season wounds.

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“I really just learned a lot about myself,” Blaylock said. “Really anything I would put my mind to, I could do. Doing extra time in the training room, doing whatever I could to get my body ready for this moment, and I feel like I did a pretty good job of getting back.”

Though Blaylock was a bright spot, Oklahoma’s run game has plenty to work on ahead of the 2026 season: The Sooners finished 13th in the SEC in rushing yards per game, averaging 118.5.

“Just focus on the little things,” Blaylock said. “Just come to work every day, put our heads down. We got a good group, very talented people, great coach. It's just some of the little things that are holding us back. So once we get those things cleaned up, we'll be better for next year.”

Blaylock and Robinson are both expected to be back in 2026. Robinson, a sophomore, ended his second year at OU with 421 yards and four touchdowns on 83 carries.

For a while, Friday’s loss will sting. Oklahoma led 17-0 before Alabama scored 27 unanswered points en route to a 34-24 win.

But Blaylock believes that the pain from a first-round exit will make the team — and specifically the running back room — better.

“Obviously, we wanted to be better for our seniors and for the people that are leaving, but we just want to be better,” Blaylock said. “We'll remember this moment for sure, but we're going to use it as fuel more than anything. I think this is just a start.”