The overlooked reason why Jovantae Barnes can’t come off the field for Oklahoma

There's been a recent outcry about why Oklahoma running back Jovantae Barnes has been getting such a bulk of snaps for the Sooners despite the emergence of freshman Tory Blaylock and expectations of Jaydn Ott, plus Xavier Robinson and Taylor Tatum also deserving carries. It's easy to look at the stats and scratch your head, but Barnes is an asset to Ben Arbuckle's offense beyond his own rushing totals.

As Action Network's Collin Wilson recently pointed out, Barnes, listed at a stout 6-foot and 211 pounds, has been excellent in paving the way for the Sooners' run game, even if he's not the one tallying all the rushing yards. According to Wilson, Barnes has the fourth-highest grade on PFF for blocking among running backs through two weeks.

And there's evidence to back up Barnes as a necessity on the Sooners' offense.

Sooners need Jovantae Barnes for John Mateer's run game

This was the Sooners' first touchdown against Michigan on Saturday. Wide receiver Deion Burks has exceptional speed, but he still wouldn't have scored on this jet sweep without Barnes being ahead of him. Watch No. 2.

Another look at the hole Barnes created.

On play 3 in this thread, it was 4th-and-1 with Barnes as the lead blocker, and he hit the last guy to give quarterback John Mateer the extra step he needed.

This play was maybe Arbuckle's best call of the night. By the fourth quarter, Michigan had realized Barnes' ability as a blocker. With Michigan bringing the heat, instead of using Barnes as extra protection, he was a decoy to slip out wide open in the flats. Barnes also nudged the edge rusher enough to slow him down just enough to give Mateer the time he needed.

Watch play 9.

Just before the first half ended, Barnes was also used as a decoy, but also had a key block to give Mateer the start he needed to get to the end zone. Mateer's vision and cut also deserves a lot of credit here.

Play 13.

Arbuckle proved against Michigan that Mateer will be more vital to the Sooners' run game than any running back. Mateer led OU with 74 yards and two TDs on 19 carries as QB1. Barnes and Blaylock both rushed for 24 yards, while Barnes got six carries and Blaylock got nine.

Arbuckle will eventually have to take some of the load off Mateer because his body can't take that beating every game throughout an SEC schedule, but it's still a solid bet that Mateer will lead the Sooners in rushing at the end. Mateer's instincts and run ability deservedly get a lot of credit for this part of the offense, but it doesn't succeed the way it did against Michigan without a running back like Barnes.

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