NORMAN — Taylor Tatum has had quite the impact since arriving at Oklahoma this summer. He built on that buzz in Friday's 51-3 win over Temple, especially after scoring his first collegiate touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

There's only been one real negative so far, OU coach Brent Venables said.

"(OU running backs coach DeMarco Murray) says he’s smiling too much," Venables joked during Tuesday's press conference. "So I’ll (at) some point in time (let) Taylor tell you about that."

More importantly, Tatum has put himself firmly on the coaching staff's radar.

While Gavin Sawchuk expectedly earned the start against the Owls, Tatum saw plenty of playing time. He was in the backfield to start OU's second offensive series and saw reps and a rushing attempt before veteran backfield mate Jovantae Barnes.

Tatum saw the bulk of the reps in the fourth quarter, ripping off runs of 35 and 19 yards, respectively, on the final drive before scoring from eight yards out. He finished with five carries for a team-high 69 yards (13.8 yards per carry) and the team's only rushing touchdown.

While it was the season opener against an inferior moment, Tatum clearly appeared to be in the top three at running back. He played 18 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, just one fewer than Barnes (19) and a handful fewer than Sawchuk (26).

Venables said Tatum could earn some playing time moving forward, too.

"He did well with his opportunity and will earn more of an opportunity," Venables said. "He’s been pretty good so far when it comes to... the ability to focus. The ability to starve the distractions, if you will. There’s a lot of them on a college campus being away from home for the first time... and (he's been able to) lock into the details. I can’t tell you where he is in regards to showing up and doing extra all the time. I don’t know where that is. I just don’t know that yet. Just such a small amount of time. But there’s a component of recovery, nutrition, sleep, extra film study, on your own or with your other teammates.

"But he’s been diligent so far in the things that we’ve asked him to do. And like I said, he shows up over here ready to compete every day. He doesn’t shy away from his opportunities.”

Venables didn't give a specific answer when asked about the timeline for Troy Everett's return, but said he's "close." The center has been out since the spring with a knee injury.

Nic Anderson is expected to be available "sooner rather than later" after missing Friday's game. During Monday's coaches show, Venables said Jake Taylor is expected to return, while Branson Hickman's availability is uncertain after he suffered an ankle sprain on Friday.

During the offseason, the NCAA permitted teams to use up to 18 active tablets for use in the coaching booth, sideline and locker-room areas to assist in coach-to-player communications during games.

The Sooners utilized iPads during Friday's game, with support coach Ty Hatcher using them on the sidelines. When asked the use of iPads on the sidelines, Venables had plenty to say.

"If you analyzed the iPads as opposed to no iPads, if you asked me, I’d rather not have them," Venables said. "The reason is because I think if you’ve got a good eye for what just happened, who’s in what spot, who wasn’t in the right spot, it gives you a potential competitive advantage on figuring it out. Doesn’t mean you’re gonna win or all of a sudden all of the bad things are gonna go away. But I do think it can be a competitive advantage without the iPads.

Venables also discussed Hatcher's role, as well as how the communication on the sidelines when it comes to the offensive side of the ball.

"(OU co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrel's) upstairs, so Seth’s talking to ‘em. And then Ty’s a good young coach and he’s helping in all kinds of ways. He’s also facilitating a conversation that’s taking place, making sure they’re on the same play and what have you and the read progression, things like that."

Venables also said he believes the tablets could potentially create further parity in college football.

Despite Anderson's absence and Jalil Farooq's foot injury early in the game, Pettaway's limited playing time was notable. The true sophomore played just 11 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Venables said Pettaway has been dealing with a hamstring injury that kept his status questionable heading into the game. However, with the wide receiver room dealing with injuries, Pettaway could see more playing time in the coming weeks.

“He’s fast. He’s got a good catch radius," Venables said. "He’s a really explosive player. He had a hamstring injury the last few weeks that just kind of kept him from being full speed. Even going into last week, we didn’t know what his availability was going to be. But he’s ready to go. He can play inside and outside both. So I think he’s got a chance to have a really good career when it’s all said and done.”

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