After the Oklahoma Sooners’ midseason switch at offensive coordinator—replacing Seth Littrell with co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley as the play-caller—the most noticeable shift has been in their rushing attack. Early in the season, Oklahoma’s ground game lacked momentum, forcing their two young quarterbacks to carry the offensive load. But in recent games, the Sooners have turned things around by leaning more on their run game, yielding impressive results.
In their Week 9 matchup against Ole Miss, Oklahoma tallied 208 sack-adjusted rushing yards against one of the country’s top rushing defenses. The following week, they recorded their first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, with running back Jovantae Barnes amassing 203 yards on 18 carries against Maine. Over their last two games, Oklahoma has rushed for a total of 589 yards on 102 attempts, averaging 5.77 yards per carry—figures that would rank ninth nationally if sustained over the season.
Jovantae off to the races 💨@vontaeeb | https://t.co/2B1epX5T2C pic.twitter.com/a7m1mPtPgf
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 2, 2024
More Zone Runs, More Production
One of the subtle shifts in Oklahoma’s offensive scheme under Finley has been an increased reliance on zone runs, especially inside zone plays, which jumped from 33.6% to 47.9%. Outside zone runs, in contrast, have almost disappeared from the Sooners’ playbook, with more emphasis placed on counters. This tweak has paid off, elevating Oklahoma’s rushing success rate and helping them establish a more balanced offense.
Against Ole Miss, the Sooners primarily initiated successful drives with passing plays. In the following game against Maine, they aimed for a more run-oriented approach to maintain control, though only two of their successful first-half drives began with running back carries. Despite facing a lower level of competition with Maine, Oklahoma’s rushers forced the same number of missed tackles—six—as they did against the tougher Ole Miss defense.
Rushing Attack Key Against Missouri
As Oklahoma heads into a must-win matchup against Missouri, their reinvigorated rushing game will be crucial. Missouri’s defense, which has allowed an average of 190.7 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry in SEC play, has been susceptible to high-yardage rushing attacks. Notably, Missouri’s defense conceded a season-high 271 rushing yards in their recent game against Alabama, signaling potential vulnerabilities the Sooners can exploit.
Though Oklahoma is missing two starting offensive linemen this week, they’ve managed to produce on the ground without them in recent games. For the Sooners to emerge victorious against Missouri and secure bowl eligibility, they’ll need this new, balanced offensive approach to continue thriving.
