Oklahoma began fall training camp with a running back room that was as deep and talented as any team in the country, bolstered during the offseason by the addition of Cal transfer Jaydn Ott.
ESPN rated Ott as one of the top three players coming out of the Transfer Portal prior to the 2025 season and the No. 1 running back. That acquisition alone was expected to significantly boost the Oklahoma running game, which also added dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, who logged over 800 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground last season at Washington State.
Now a third of the way into the 2025 season, the Oklahoma offense definitely is much improved over a year ago. But that improvement is largely due to Mateer, who not only has accounted for 1,405 of the Sooners' 1,721 offensive yards this season, or 82% of the offensive production, but also leads the team in rushing yards.
Oklahoma offense in crisis with Mateer out and run game still broken
Mateer and surprising true freshman Tory Blaylock have accounted for 369 of the Sooners' 501 rushing yards this season. No other running back has more than 45 yards in four games. Now with Mateer out of action for multiple weeks after surgery to repair a throwing hand injury, the Oklahoma rushing attack is going to face even more pressure to produce.
Oklahoma was credited with just 32 rushing yards in its win over Auburn. That was the fewest rushing yards by a Sooner team since 2012, when Oklahoma managed just 15 yards on the ground against Notre Dame.
Through five games, Oklahoma ranks 100th out of 134 teams in rushing yards, averaging 125.2 per game and 3.5 yards per attempt. That's a far cry from the prolific Sooner offenses that averaged nearly 250 rushing yards per game and close to 7.0 yards per carry in 2018 and '19.
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise for Oklahoma this season has been the disappearing act by Ott. One fan suggested in jest that the highly touted Cal transfer must have gone into the witness protection program when he arrived in Oklahoma.
Ott didn't get a carry against Auburn and had cameo-like appearances in each of the Sooners' first three games, and surprisingly, little to show for it. His first carry in an Oklahoma jersey resulted in a three-yard loss. In three games, Ott has a grand total of 17 rushing yards on nine carries, an average of 1.9 per attempt.
Blaylock has emerged as Oklahoma's RB1 with senior Jovantae Barnes in the No. 2 spot. Barnes is the best pass blocker of the of the Sooner running backs, but he has not been all that effective running the ball with just 45 yards on 19 carries this season.
OU has two other reserve running backs, sophomores Xavier Robinson and Taylor Tatum. Robinson, who has shown promise. Robinson emerged late last season with 233 yards on the ground and a 4.8-yard average. Tatum was the No. 1 running back recruit in the 2024 class and averaged 5.0 yards per carry in 56 attempts last season, but has not seen the field yet this season.
Oklahoma is averaging just 125 rushing yards per game, which ranks 100th nationally and 12th in the SEC. With Mateer out of action for a few weeks, the OU passing game, which currently ranks 21st in the nation (305 yards per game), is sure to be impacted. But it could even potentially help the pass offense if the Sooners could run the ball more productively.
Michael Hawkins Jr., who will take the QB reins while Mateer is out, started four games a year ago, completing 63% of his passes for 783 yards and also ran for 204 yards, but he is not John Mateer, either throwing or toting the rock, which means if the Sooners are going to continuing their winning ways while Mateer is on the sidelines, they are going to have to find a way to step up their running game.
The problem is, the Sooners are entering the time in the season when the remaining games are all against SEC opponents, which are known to be especially strong upfront.
It will be especially telling to see how the Sooners are able to run the football in their next game, at home against Kent State on Oct. 4, a week ahead of the Red River Rivalry with Texas. Kent State ranks 133rd out of 134 FBS teams in rushing defense, yielding an average of 256 yards per game.
If Oklahoma is not able to run effectively against that defense, the sledding is going to get really rough rest of the way. Entering Week 5 of the season, eight SEC teams, including the Sooners, ranked in the top 25 in rushing defense.
Even though the Oklahoma run game has been widely inconsistent and low producing in the first four games, Sooner wide receiver Deion Burks believes things are going to get better in that area.
"The running game is going to get going," Burks said this week. "We'll see what the boys do. They're great at practice. They're deep, actually. I'm not worried about the running game."
Burks may not be worried about it, but Sooner fans are a bit nervous on the matter, knowing that the most difficult part of the schedule is straight ahead.
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