Horning: Sooners can take step by turning up their rushing game

As Oklahoma embarks on its second game of the season, let’s put the opponent into context.

If you’ve listened to Sooner coaches this week, their praise for SMU might have appeared more authentic and less coach-speaky because it was.

This should be helpful, too.

SMU received three first-place votes in the American Athletic Conference’s preseason media poll, but Tulane and UTSA received more and were chosen to finish one, two.

The Mustangs appeared at least on par with that prediction in their opener, topping Louisiana Tech — chosen to finish fourth in Conference USA behind Western Kentucky, Liberty and Middle Tennessee — 38-14 in a contest not nearly that close. The Mustangs led 31-0 at the half.

It would appear, SMU, unlike Arkansas State, is a real team.

“They’ve recruited well, have really attacked the [transfer] portal, have excellent skill guys on offense that they’ve been able to develop …,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Quarterback Preston Stone is somebody I have a little bit of familiarity [with]. [I] recruited him when I was at Clemson. A really excellent player. Can run and throws with great accuracy.”

So perhaps the Sooner defense will be tested. But let’s pretend that test gets passed, because there’s another one that may be more interesting and more important down the line and here it is.

Can OU run the ball?

If the Sooners play defense this year, they’ll be a much better team, of course, but if they’re going to win a conference title and threaten more, they’re going to need a running game.

Also, their run game against Arkansas State was astonishingly so-so, while SMU’s run defense against Louisiana Tech was outstanding.

Nonetheless, Venables offered great credit to his offensive line’s week one run blocking.

“They played with great passion and intensity … you could say they led the way,” he said. “They had a sense of desperation to them, [a] great focused intensity about them.”

Yet, even if that’s what Venables saw, the Sooners still averaged just 4.5 yards per carry, which might be fine as a conference number, but no biggie against the worst team on the schedule, a team they topped 73-0.

Meanwhile, SMU held Louisiana Tech to 28 rushing yards on 24 carries, a 1.2 average.

The run game figured to be an issue for OU this season.

The kind of, sort of conventional wisdom was Jovantae Barnes would step in as the new guy in the wake of Eric Gray’s departure, kind of like Kennedy Brooks stepped in two years ago and Rhamondre Stevenson, upon finally returning to the field, stepped in three years ago.

But if anybody noticed, though Barnes had moments a year ago, nobody mistook him for Brooks or Stevenson. They could be electric and he wasn’t.

Wouldn’t you know it, Barnes now stands next to Gavin Sawchuk on the depth chart, each of them behind Tawee Walker and Marcus Major. Somebody could emerge, but none appear to be overwhelming candidates.

Unless you count backup quarterback Jackson Arnold’s 7.8-yard average over five carries or Jalil Farooq’s 1 for 10, Walker was most effective last week, turning eight carries into 44 yards, a 5.5 average. He accounted for two 1-yard scores, too, which were great fun but did his yards-per-carry average no favors.

Barnes had the longest tote, 16 yards, though his other 12 accounted for just 33.

Not good.

Maybe the numbers are misleading. Or maybe it’s really going to be a committee and because Dillon Gabriel’s a better quarterback, his backup is legit and the defense has improved, good enough might be good enough.

But wouldn’t it be better to have a primary guy who doesn’t keep the offense afloat, as Gray did, but complements a lot of other great stuff?

Get that and you can really go places. And having your way on the ground against SMU would be a great place to start.