Oklahoma football: Five best things we learned from Big 12 Media Days

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 29: Oklahoma Sooners fans wait to enter the east side of the stadium before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks October 29, 2016 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 29: Oklahoma Sooners fans wait to enter the east side of the stadium before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks October 29, 2016 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 02: Joe Mixon
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 02: Joe Mixon

It’s the University of Oklahoma. We always have a running back to step up.”

Those are the words of Baker Mayfield, who knows how important establishing the run game is to the success of the Air Raid offense.

The Sooners may not have one or two super backs the quality of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon to rotate and rely on this season, but they do have a stable of talented running backs who will be competing for playing time and sharing the wealth, which will give the OU offensive coaches multiple options and make it more difficult to key on any one player.

“I’ve been impressed with their consistency and their focus,” said Orlando Brown, who anchors one of the best offensive lines in the country heading into the 2017 season. Everyone’s really approaching it with the mindset that each wants to be the No. 1 back. You can tell that by the way they’ve been grinding.”