NORMAN — When the Sooners' offense took the field Friday for its first drive of the season, it was Gavin Sawchuk taking his presumed place as the starting running back. But who was the second player to enter the backfield?

It wasn't Jovantae Barnes or Sam Franklin, the veterans who are listed at second and third on the depth chart, respectively. It was true freshman Taylor Tatum, who ran on the field as the starter for the Sooners' second drive.

In the fourth quarter, he had the backfield to himself. The final drive belonged to him, reeling off runs of 19 yards and 35 yards — OU''s longest run of the night — to help set the Sooners up inside the red zone. He capped off that drive with an eight-yard score, marking his first collegiate touchdown in the Sooners' 51-3 win over Temple.

Tatum finished with 66 yards on four carries, and also caught a three-yard pass.

"The crowd was definitely into it tonight," Tatum said. "The stadium felt even bigger when you’re on it, better than when you’re a recruit on the sideline looking in. So … you just have a burst of adrenaline. I haven’t been hit since last year, like November. So just getting hit again, getting live-action speed again was definitely a great feeling."

The late-game performance flashed the explosiveness that Tatum has shown since he arrived on campus this summer. But the first-quarter playing time showed that Tatum could be a real factor in OU's running game this season.

It was hard to project how much Tatum — the top-ranked running back in the 2024 class — would play for the Sooners in his freshman season. He didn't arrive until the summer, and he's competing with several veterans for playing time.

But his coaches and teammates have raved about his progress since the start of fall camp. And while there's a long season left to go, Tatum showed he could be ready to contribute now.

"I think really highly of Taylor," OU quarterback Jackson Arnold said. "He’s gonna get to see a lot more action throughout this year, too. I thought he played fantastic tonight. Was really good in open space. When we were using those two-back sets early on, he knew what he was doing, and that's what I appreciate the most. Those guys, they those young guys, he came into the summer. He comes in, he knows what he's doing. He's locked in, he's dialed in, he goes out, makes the right plays."

Venables confirmed that wide receiver Jalil Farooq will miss 6-8 weeks after he suffered a broken foot against Temple, which will require surgery.

Branson Hickman suffered a sprained ankle early in the first quarter and didn't return. Venables didn't specify when Hickman is expected to return. Offensive lineman Jake Taylor was dressed out for the game but didn't play.

"Jake was available, but he's missed a few practices and we wanted to work on his stamina if we could. We felt like tonight we would be able to do that. He'll be back and be ready to roll."

Veteran cornerback Woodi Washington also notably didn't play against Temple despite being available, but Venables said the coaching staff was being cautious.

"Woodi could have gone, but he was a little bit sore," Venables said. "Same with Eli Bowen. Could have played, but wasn't a game that you needed him to play. Just a couple of guys that we decided to hold in the last day or so."

In last year's Alamo Bowl, Walker was able to intercept a pass after Dolby tipped the ball in the air. That happened again in the first quarter against Temple.

Dolby met the Temple receiver as he caught it and managed to knock the ball up, and Walker was there to intercept it and force the turnover. It was one of the highlight plays of the night, and also one of six OU takeaways.

The funny thing? Dolby initially didn't realize Walker snagged it.

"On the pick, I got mad at first because I wanted to make the play," Dolby said. "I wanted to make the pick. And I didn't even know it was an interception at first but then I heard the crowd yelling and I saw Kani with the ball in his hands. So it felt really good. Me and Kani actually had in the Arizona game I had tipped the ball and he ended up getting his first pick. So it felt good. So we celebrated on the sideline and I told him I'm happy for him and proud of him and it was a good feeling."

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