In Oklahoma’s back-to-back losses, Eric Gray has done all he could to win.
In the Sooners’ 38-35 loss to Baylor last week, the senior running back took 31 touches for 164 total yards and two touchdowns. And in Saturday’s 23-20 loss to West Virginia (4-6, 2-4 Big 12) in Morgantown, he gained 211 rushing yards and a pair of scores, adding 12 yards on four receptions.
Touchdown Oklahoma. 😤Eric Gray takes it in to push the lead to 10-0.#OUDNA | @1ericgray | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/elhxIRgIx6
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) November 12, 2022
But Gray’s teammates have largely failed to match his individual successes. With OU (5-5, 2-4) scoring the least points by a Big 12 team against the Mountaineers this season, it finds itself needing a win over Oklahoma State or Texas Tech to reach bowl eligibility and will finish with a losing record in conference play for the first time since 1998.
“That’s probably what I hate the most,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby told reporters in Morgantown. “Is that Eric played the way he played again and he’s not getting to enjoy it. For the second week in a row, it’s a short story for other reasons — situational football today.”
Gray, a second-year transfer from Tennessee, expected to be a large part of the Sooners’ offense last season under Lincoln Riley, but instead found himself taking a backseat to then-starter Kennedy Brooks.
In 2022, he withstood the coaching and roster turnovers, and established himself as the go-to running back and one of the leaders of the offense. But with that has come growing pains, made evident by Oklahoma’s first five-loss season since 2009, with two games still remaining.
Remembering his own tribulations, Gray hopes to set an example for the less-experienced players on OU’s roster through his own performances.
“For me it’s more so for the younger guys just to experience this, just trying to instill in them that this is not normal,” Gray said. “This is not forever. The tale of a man is when he’s down. What character do you have when you’re down? What are you going to do when you’re down?
“Trying to instill in the young guys to keep going, don’t give up. There’s two games left in this regular season, don’t give up. Keep fighting. Keep straining each and every week and it will get better.”
Oklahoma was just 1-for-11 on third-down attempts and 0-for-2 on fourth-down tries Saturday, as quarterback Dillon Gabriel was an ineffective 17-of-28 for 190 yards and no touchdowns. After punting four consecutive times to start the game, the Sooners struck first with a 32-yard field goal setup by Gray’s 54-yard run.
Eric Gray doing Eric Gray things. pic.twitter.com/E2vbWvmH2E
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) November 12, 2022
Gray later scored a 12-yard touchdown, giving OU a 12-6 lead into halftime, and he later punched in a 5-yard score with under two minutes left in the third quarter that granted the Sooners a 20-13 advantage.
Eric Gray. Another one. 😤#OUDNA | @1ericgray | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/H2q1ly0UvU
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) November 12, 2022
Oklahoma’s offense ended the day with 426 total yards, but struggled to move the chains, also committing six penalties for 60 yards resulting in a low-scoring output.
“It just comes down to the details,” Gray said of OU’s mistakes. “We’ve got to do the details right in practice. You can’t just expect not to do the details Monday-Friday, come out on Saturday and think you’re just ultimately going to do it. We’ve gotta make sure that we’re doing the details all week so on Saturday it’s second nature.”
On Oklahoma’s last possession of the game with the score tied at 20, it faced a fourth-and-3 situation from West Virginia’s 29-yard line. Instead of attempting the conversion, the Sooners opted for a 46-yard field-goal try by Zach Schmit, but it hit off the right goalpost and missed.
If OU were to go for it in that scenario, the ball would’ve almost certainly gone to Gray. But Gray wasn’t upset about not getting the chance to earn a first down because he trusted head coach Brent Venables’ intuition.
“Coach Venables has been coaching longer than I’ve been playing, so he’s seen that situation many times,” Gray said. “So, for him to put the field goal unit out, I’m very happy with what he did. I trust in coach Venables all the time. I put in 100 percent effort; I’d run through a wall for him. So, his decision is my decision.”
On Saturday, Gray was the bright spot of a struggling unit. And going forward, he hopes to continue his strong play as Oklahoma aims to reach bowl eligibility.
“He played exactly how he’s played all year,” Venables said. “Incredibly consistent, tough. Just very reliable, dependable. Really good player. And that’s one guy that you hadn’t had to worry about. He showed up every single game.”
Editor’s note: The Daily’s football coverage for Oklahoma’s game vs. West Virginia was written remotely from Norman.
