Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love on Friday was announced as the winner of the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football, but, other than not enduring an SEC schedule, Love also had the monster advantage of avoiding the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Sooners at some point during the regular season faced both of the other finalists for the award in Missouri's Ahmad Hardy and Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy, and both were held well below their rushing average against one of the best run defenses in the country.
Sooners shut down Doak Walker Award finalists Kewan Lacy and Ahmad Hardy
Hardy arrived to Norman leading the FBS with 1,346 rushing yards in 10 games, averaging 134.6 a contest and coming off a 300-yard outing against Mississippi State the week before. Against the Sooners, Hardy had just 57 yards while averaging 3.4 a carry. Both were second-lowest totals during the entire regular season.
Hardy ultimately finished the regular season with 1,560 rushing yards, which was the second-most in the country and most among Power Four backs. His 130-yard game average was over double what he totaled against the Sooners.
Lacy finished the regular season with the ninth-most rushing yards in the FBS with 1,279, averaging 106.6 a game. Against the Sooners, though, he totaled just 78 yards on a whopping 27 attempts, averaging 2.9 a carry.
Love, who beat out Lacy and Hardy for the award and was a Heisman Trophy finalist, totaled 1,372 rushing yards while averaging 114.3 a game. Love was destined to join his fellow finalists with the task of trying to break free at all against the Sooners' defense, but he escaped the challenge.
For weeks, OU was projected to host Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Ultimately, the Fighting Irish didn't make the playoff, so Love's college career is likely over after Notre Dame pulled out of its bowl game. If not, performances against OU could have determined who really was the best running back in college football in 2025.
Despite taking on two of three best running backs in college football, the Sooners still finished the regular season with the No. 5 rushing defense in the country while giving up just 81.4 yards a game. Only one running back all season put together a 100-yard performance against OU and none during SEC play.
While Texas Tech, statistically, has the top rushing defense in the nation, with James Madison and Indiana next, a lack of challenges could be credited for skewed numbers. The Sooners, though, took on some of the best and prevailed.
Numbers reveal how elite OU's rush defense has been, but who it was against proves how for real the Sooners really are before going up against an Alabama team that has already struggled on the ground.