Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: Examining the makeup of the 2018 Sooners

By Sixto Ortiz

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 15: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the Kansas State Wildcats October 15, 2016 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 38-17. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption ***
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 15: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the Kansas State Wildcats October 15, 2016 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 38-17. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption *** /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Rodney Anderson #24 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after scoring a 41 yard touchdown in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game agains the Georgia Bulldogs at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Rodney Anderson #24 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after scoring a 41 yard touchdown in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game agains the Georgia Bulldogs at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The running backs

A lot of people forget that the Oklahoma offense is predicated on balance; the Sooner attack does not exclusively rely on the passing game to score points and keep opposing defenses guessing.

In 2017, the Oklahoma offense passed for 5,065 yards but ran the ball for 3,049. So while the offensive balance favored the passing game when all was said and done, it’s clear the running game was a critical piece of the Sooner offense. And that’s by design.

Why not? The Sooner rushing offense was stocked with talent in 2017, and much of that talent returns in 2018 for an encore. Rodney Anderson, finally free from the injury bug that forced him to miss two full seasons, put together a stellar 2017 campaign (1,161 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns) and will hopefully enjoy even more success in 2018.

Sophomore Trey Sermon, a bruising running back, is expected to add to his 2017 success (744 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns). And even though junior Abdul Adams elected to transfer, that means senior Marcelias Sutton and some incoming star power may enjoy a bigger role in the Sooner rushing attack.

The departure of fullback Dimitri Flowers is expected to have an impact. The versatile Flowers could run, catch and block well and was an integral part of the Sooner offense. Then again, Oklahoma has managed to replace plenty of fullback production over the years, so there’s no reason why redshirt senior Carson Meier can’t pick up the slack. Given Flowers’ prowess, however, there may be a drop-off here.

Speaking of newcomers, the Sooners have some intriguing talent joining the fold in 2018, and chances are some or all of these newcomers will see the field in 2018. Redshirt freshman Kennedy Brooks turned some heads during the April Spring Game, and incoming freshman T.J. Pledger has the coaching staff excited as well.

Bottom line: The Sooner running back cupboard is well-stocked with talent. With the offensive emphasis possibly shifting ever so slightly to the running game ,as Riley exploits the speedy wheels of expected quarterback starter Kyler Murray, the Sooner run game will become even more key to offensive success in 2018.

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