An overview of OU's interesting, confusing RB room through 4 weeks

Coming into the 2023 season, Oklahoma’s running back room appeared to be a source of strength.

That’s not to say it still couldn’t be. But through four weeks, the Sooners’ backfield has arguably been the most confusing position group on the team. Playing time has been sporadic and inconsistent for the four main running backs, and the efficiency has left a lot to be desired. Before the season, OU running backs coach DeMarco Murray said the Sooners were looking for a starter, and so far that hasn’t come to fruition.

The offensive line has played a role, too. The Sooners are still cycling through options, particularly at left guard, and the unit hasn’t graded out well when it comes to run blocking. But for now, let’s focus exclusively on the Sooners’ running backs.

Here’s an overview of the Sooners’ running back room through four weeks, along with questions moving forward:

(Note: All snap-count data comes from Pro Football Focus).

Rushing yards: 631 (157.75 per game)

Rushing attempts: 158 (39.5 per game)

Yards per carry: 4.0

Touchdowns: 9

— Statistically, the Sooners have been a middle-of-the-pack rushing offense this season. The Sooners are tied for 65th nationally in rushing yards and 85th in rushing yards per game.

— Compared to last year, when the Sooners’ rushing offense was one of the best in the country, this year’s team is lagging behind. Last year through four weeks, the Sooners averaged 231.3 rushing yards per game and scored 12 rushing touchdowns. The real kicker — last year’s Sooners averaged just over 40 rushing attempts per game through the first four weeks, roughly the same as this year’s pace.

— While the nine rushing touchdowns look fine, there’s some important context needed. The main four running backs — Tawee Walker, Marcus Major, Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk — have combined for only five rushing touchdowns. Dillon Gabriel has two, and Jackson Arnold and Kalib Hicks both have one.

— The Sooners recorded season lows against Cincinnati in rushing yards (103) and rushing yards per game (3.1). Yes, it was the Sooners’ first conference game and their first matchup against a Power 5 opponent, and Cincinnati’s run defense has been really good. But keep this in mind: the Sooners’ 3.1 YPC would’ve been by far the lowest of any game last season.

Tawee Walker: 34 carries, 172 yards, 5.2 YPC, 2 TDs, 5 receptions, 52 yards, 91 total snaps

Marcus Major: 32 carries, 133 yards, 4.2 YPC, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 41 yards, 101 total snaps

Jovantae Barnes: 28 carries, 122 yards, 4.4 YPC, 4 receptions, 19 yards 65 total snaps

Gavin Sawchuk: 10 carries, 26 yards, 2.6 YPC, 2 receptions, 9 yards, 22 total snaps

— Statistically, Walker has been the most impressive running back. He leads the team in carries, touchdowns, receptions, total yards and yards per carry. However, he’s second on the team in snaps behind Major.

— Walker also has the highest overall grade from Pro Football Focus (75.1). The rest of the grades — Major (74.7), Barnes (68.4), Sawchuk (63.2).

— Although most expected Barnes and Sawchuk to see more carries and snaps, the snap-count totals aren’t necessarily the most intriguing this about this backfield. It’s how the snaps have been distributed.

Major, Walker and Barnes all saw 15 snaps or more against Arkansas State. But against SMU, Walker led with 43 snaps, followed by Major (25), Barnes (6) and Sawchuk (6). It was the Barnes-Sawchuk show against Tulsa as they combined for 52 snaps to just 11 for Walker and Major. And here are the offensive snap counts for Cincinnati: 41 for Major, 26 for Walker, zero for Barnes and Sawchuk.

— What makes it more interesting is Jeff Lebby’s repeated emphasis on riding the “hot hand.” Through four weeks, Walker has been the best running back. But when asked about the running back rotation against Cincinnati, Lebby attributed Major’s heavy involvement to his practice performances throughout the week. And while Major saw the majority of the work, Walker was still the more effective running back on Saturday.

— Sawchuk, who suffered a hamstring injury in fall camp, hasn’t looked quite as explosive as he did in last year’s Cheez-It Bowl in his limited time on the field. However, that could also be a product of not seeing a ton of snaps.

1. Do the Sooners keep rotating running backs on a per-game basis?

For the most part, it appears the Sooners have separated the four into duos — Walker/Major, Barnes/Sawchuk.

Outside of the Arkansas State game, the coaching staff hasn’t been particularly interested in playing more than two running backs in the same game. That was particularly clear against Tulsa, when Walker saw only six snaps despite rushing 21 times for 117 yards against SMU the week before. Then, Barnes and Sawchuk saw no playing time against Cincinnati after dominating the backfield touches against Tulsa.

It’s a tough spot. It’s hard to give three or more running backs a ton of carries in the same week, particularly since Jeff Lebby’s offenses don’t typically utilize packages involving more than one running back.

However, running backs rely a lot on rhythm, and it’s hard to find momentum individually with inconsistent snaps.

2. Can the Sooners find answers before the Texas game?

The main undercurrent of everything is that the Sooners’ running game simply needs to be better, whether that means settling on a No. 1 guy or continuing to spread the playing time around.

That’ll be particularly true against Texas, which currently ranks 18th in rushing defense.

While Dillon Gabriel has statistically been one of the nation’s most efficient and productive quarterbacks, the Sooners will need their running game to be effective. And the Sooners only have one more opportunity to sort through the running back room before they meet the Longhorns in Dallas.

Based on the first four weeks, Walker looks the most ready to be the No. 1 guy. However, it's hard to forget Barnes and Sawchuk's performance in last year's bowl game, when they both rushed for over 100 yards. Sawchuk, in particular, looked like the most explosive running back heading into 2023.

It should be interesting to see how this weekend shakes out against Iowa State and whether the Sooners can find answers.