Oklahoma Sooners spring game proved all the talk about offensive improvement wasn’t just usual coach speak
Oklahoma’s rushing attack has been the highlight discussion of the offseason, and their spring game on Saturday proved that it wasn’t all talk
The Oklahoma Sooners have had plenty of struggles establishing a consistent rushing attack over the last few seasons. They haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2022. In 2025, they only averaged 118.5 rushing yards a game.
Brent Venables had had enough. A new tight ends coach, a new running backs coach, and a whole slew of new talent were added in the offseason to fix a “pathetic” ground attack. All spring long, the talk was on their new running game and how different it looked. That was just talk…at least until now.
The spring game was a resounding success on the ground, as the running backs stole the show. On a day full of highlights, there’s a lot more confidence in their room now more than ever.
Oklahoma Sooners run game “most explosive it’s been”
After the game, Venables was positively glowing when discussing the run game. Mere months after calling it “pathetic”, Venables couldn’t stop talking about it.
All three of the Oklahoma Sooners’ starting running backs rushed for a touchdown today. Lloyd Avant, DeZephen Walker, and Jonathan Hatton Jr. all took reps with the first team, averaging 6.3 yards per rush. Walker in particular was explosive and looked like he could be a key contributor as a freshman even in a crowded room.
Obviously, this was just a spring game. Caveats will be needed. However, considering two of their three main rushers were true freshman and the third was a transfer, those results are staggering compared to recent trends there.
I’m really intrigued to see what the room could look like when Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock return from injury rest over the summer. What has been a consistent weak link for the Sooners for years suddenly seems like a real, tangible strength. If they can improve and get more balanced offensively to take some off of John Mateer’s plate, the offense’s ceiling seems sky high.
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