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Happy 4th of July and Happy 20th Birthday to OU RB Joe Mixon

By Chip Rouse

Dec 31, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs against Clemson Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware (10) during the first quarter of the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs against Clemson Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware (10) during the first quarter of the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports /
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Today is the Fourth of July, the 240th birthday of the United States of America and the day celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is also the birthday of Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, his 20th.

Oct 24, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the third quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the third quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Mixon made his collegiate debut in 2015, after sitting out all of the 2014 season with a suspension, which he received after being charged with striking a female student in the face.

The 6-foot, 1-inch, 226-pound Mixon was the lightning in the Sooner backfield last season to Samaje Perine’s thunder, and the explosive pair combined for a total of 2,252 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in helping lead Oklahoma to its ninth Big 12 championship as well as a spot in the College Football Playoff.

A five-star recruit out of the San Francisco Bay area and rated as the No. 1 running back in the nation coming out of Freedom High School in Oakley. Calif., Mixon accounted for 753 ground yards and averaged almost seven yards a carry in the Sooner’s high-powered offensive attack a year ago.

What makes the speedy and shifty Mixon especially dangerous is his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, which creates an added potentially lethal weapon in offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense. As a redshirt freshman last season, Mixon caught 28 passes for 356 additional yards and four touchdown passes.

In his very first game as a Sooner, against Akron in the 2015 season opener, Mixon caught a pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield and turned on the jets in a 76-yard scamper to the end zone, the longest TD reception ever made by an OU freshman.

Mixon’s best game last season came in a 63-27 Oklahoma win over Texas Tech. He ran for 154 yards, averaging almost 10 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns. He also had a 136-yard rushing performance in the Sooners championship-clinching victory over Oklahoma State.

With all the fireworks he displayed last season, and with even more exciting things expected from Mixon in his second full season at OU, it might not be all that surprising to some Sooner fans to learn that Mr. Lightning in Oklahoma’s dynamic thunder-and-lightning run game was born on the 4th of July.

Happy 20th birthday, Joe!

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