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As Taylor Tatum hit the ground at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the impact symbolized the start of his new reality.

The sting of the tackle was fleeting, but the magnitude of the moment stayed with Tatum long after he walked off the field on Friday.

“The stadium feels even bigger when you are in it,” Tatum said.”It is so much better than when you’re a recruit on the sidelines looking in.”

During Oklahoma’s 51-13 win, Tatum was no longer confined to the sidelines, and as he took a step forward onto the field, everything changed. 

It was the first time in almost a year that he had played in a football game and gotten tackled. However, this time, he was no longer suited out for his high school team in Longview, Texas, and instead, he found himself donning crimson and cream and making plays in front of 80,000 OU fans.

“It just felt great,” Tatum said after the game on Friday. “I haven’t been hit since last year in November, so just getting hit again, getting the live action speed again was definitely a great feeling.”

Through three quarters the freshman running back watched as sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold and redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks connected for three touchdowns before halftime, tying the record for the most touchdown receptions made by any OU player in a half. He also observed the Sooners’ defense force four fumbles and capitalize on six turnovers — the most for an Oklahoma defense since its game against Texas in 2003.

Tatum knew what it was like to have his own success on the field, amassing over 4,000 career yards and scoring 57 touchdowns when he was at Longview. However, since arriving in Norman, the No.1 running back prospect in the class of 2024, according to 247sports, has been a step behind. While the majority of the OU’s roster started practices in the spring, Taylor, who is also on Oklahoma’s baseball team, was finishing high school.

But when it was Tatum’s time to step in on Friday, the minor setback and the reality of the moment never overwhelmed him.

Taylor Tatum

Freshman running back Taylor Tatum during the game against Temple on Aug. 30.

“(The transition) has definitely been pretty fast,” Tatum said. “Especially coming in the summer. I stayed home in the spring while some of the other freshman guys got to come up here and experience Sooner football a little earlier than me. But I feel like I have adapted well, and fast, just like I should and just like my coaches expected me to.”

His ability to adjust quickly was evident against Temple. After Oklahoma built a 44-3 lead, Tatum would get his shot in the middle of the fourth quarter.

On his first outing of the game, the running back and fellow freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. would put together a touchdown drive, highlighted by Tatum’s 19 and 30 yard rush plays. 

“You could see his explosiveness,” OU head coach Brent Venables said of Tatum’s performance against Temple. “He has got great power, he runs through trash. He’s got excellent, top hand speed, and he has got really good natural instincts carrying the ball.”

The drive ended in a Tatum 8-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Sooners their final score of the night. 

Oklahoma rushed for 217 yards compared to Temple’s 69, and Tatum led all rushers with 66 yards off four carries and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for three yards.

“I was just being a running back,” Tatum said. “I was finding holes, getting vertical, making a couple moves…But (that first touchdown) it felt great. I had my family here, everybody was here. It felt good to get that first one out of the way, and I’m just ready to roll from here on out.”

Taylor Tatum

Freshman running back Taylor Tatum during the game against Temple on Aug. 30.

After the NCAA announced that OU running backs coach DeMarco Murray violated recruiting rules on Tuesday, he severed his one-game suspension against Temple. Offensive analyst Nick Basquine, who graduated from Norman North and walked-on as a wide receiver at OU, substituted.

“I mean Coach Basquine almost did just what (Murray) does,” Tatum said about the coaching change. “Obviously, he is making calls from a headset, but they all do the same thing. They say, you go in and you go in. I mean he is around us all the time, so it felt normal and nothing really changed. Obviously, the voice is different, but it did not feel much different at all.”

Although Murray’s absence did not create a noticeable in-game difference, more changes await Tatum and the Sooners.

Temple, which ranked second to last in the AAC last season, finishing the year 3-9, gave up 51 points to OU on Friday. However, the Owls were still able to find several holes in Oklahoma’s offense. Slowing down the run game, breaking down the offensive line and forcing four drops from Arnold all raised week one concerns.

For Oklahoma, the schedule is only going to get increasingly difficult, as OU is set to play six of the preseason top-15 teams. However, Tatum is putting one foot in front of the other and taking advantage of the guidance that veterans like redshirt sophomore Gavin Sawchuk and junior Jovante Barnes have provided.

“They definitely made me feel a lot more calm heading into this week,” Tatum said of the running backs room as a whole. “Gavin and Jovante do a great job of just bringing us in, mentoring us, just letting us know how game days go, how the game rolls and how we need to be locked in.”

Tatum knows that this is just the start, and that the schedule that awaits is a difficult one, but he is embracing Norman and what OU football has to offer.

“I am just taking advantage of everything they have here,” Tatum said. “You can’t not get better.”

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables' postgame press conference after the Sooners' 51-3 win over Temple.

Filmed and edited by Aryanna Smith

Chapters:

00:00 - Brent Venables recaps the game

03:49 - Brent Venables on Jalil Farooq and Branson Hickman's injuries

04:31 - What was the biggest thing that stood out to you on the defensive front and the way they played the field?

06:01 - Brent Venables on the running game and Demarco Murray

06:49 - Brent Venables on Taylor Tatum

07:04 - Brent Venables on Deion Burks' future

07:41 - Is it safe to say you have to be patient with the new offense to get going?

08:43 - Brent on Tyler Keltner and Zach Schmit

09:33 - What do you think about Jackson's decision-making?

10:41 - How did the communication work with the offense and defense?

10:46 - Brent Venables on Andrel Anthony Jr. return

11:21 - Brent Venables on Michael Hawkins' debut

11:55 - Brent Venables on the fill-ins for Jalil Farooq

12:23 - What potential does Bauer Sharp add to your offense

13:00 - Brent Venables talks complete players for rush and pass

13:56 - Brent Venables on Walker's interception and Dolby

14:36 - Is Woodi 100% the same for Gentry?

15:29 - Is Jake Taylor in the same boat too?

15:44 - Brent Venables on new young receivers

16:27 - What do you think about the special team unit not giving up a long run?

17:03 - How important was it today to get Zach Alley further settled into this division?

18:13 - Brent Venables on defense

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