Ben Arbuckle’s play-calling is holding back Oklahoma’s breakout star

Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson has been on the verge of becoming a star the past two seasons, but it seems his offensive coordinators and limited opportunities are the only things capping his limits.

Robinson was the MVP of the No. 13 Sooners’ 34-26 loss to No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday in Norman and the biggest reason why his team still had a chance to win it until the end. And he made his impact essentially as a role player coming off the bench who took over to be the leading scorer.

Even Brent Venables can’t deny Xavier Robinson needs more carries for Sooners

Robinson, a sophomore, led the Sooners with a career-high 109 rushing yards on only nine carries, averaging a monstrous 12.1 yards an attempt. His numbers were inflated by a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put OU within five points. He then scored again on the Sooners’ next drive to give his team a 26-25 lead late in the third.

"I thought that was what got us back in the game the second half,” OU head coach Brent Venables said. “He ran with good toughness and power, and I think, as you saw, the stadium gets excited, and certainly the team does too. They feed off of that.”

Despite that spark he provided Saturday and after averaging 5.3 yards on 11 carries against South Carolina last week, Robinson still didn’t garner double-digit touches from offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. After finding the end zone twice in the same quarter, Robinson touched the ball just four more times in the fourth. And it’s not as if the Sooners were ever down enough to abandon the ground game until their final possession.

The Sooners barely even attempted to get the run game going in the first half, though, with just nine carries for 16 yards at halftime against the No. 99 rushing defense in the country. Quarterback John Mateer actually led the team with 13 rushes despite averaging a measly 1.3 yards a carry. Yet, Arbuckle kept trying the QB run game while Robinson succeeded almost every time he touched the ball.

Ben Arbuckle’s questionable game plan turns Oklahoma fans against him

Venables will rarely out an assistant publicly to the media, but it was clear postgame that he disagreed with Robinson’s usage, even if he minced his words when asked if Robinson should have gotten more carries.

"Well, I mean, I think that — I think with the success he had, I think that's, you know, something that's fair,” Venables said.

Arbuckle and running backs coach DeMarco Murray at least quit trying to force feed a host of backs, but with guys like Robinson and Tory Blaylock in the backfield, it’s clear the Sooners’ talent isn’t what’s influencing the run game woes, it’s who’s in control.