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During fall camp, Brent Venables made Jovantae Barnes speak in front of his teammates.

Typically quiet and reserved, the spotlight was now on Barnes, as he got up and offered his journey to the newcomers and young guys on the roster.

The previous season, Barnes had battled through a foot injury which held him to eight games and only 140 rushing yards, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. 

Despite a slow start to SEC play — having just 111 rushing yards on 40 carries against Tennessee, Auburn and Texas — Barnes has been Oklahoma’s most consistent offensive player over the last three games.

On Saturday, Barnes had the best game of his college career, with a career-high 203 rushing yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns during OU’s (5-4, 1-4 SEC) 59-14 win over Maine (4-5, 2-3 CAA). Barnes averaged 11.3 yards per carry, and the Sooners as a team ran for 381 yards – the most since the 2020 Cotton Bowl against Florida.

Despite OU’s recent three-game losing streak, Barnes has found himself getting into a more consistent rhythm and getting more comfortable in co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley’s offense.

“It all starts in practice,” Barnes said postgame. “So I think that’s my biggest thing and I’ve been trying to (get) better. Also go watch extra tape and make sure I see things that other people won’t see.”

Barnes’ third carry of the game on Saturday set the tone for the Sooners’ offense.

Following a punt on the Sooners’ opening possession, Maine was able to march down the field and score the game’s first touchdown. On OU’s first play from scrimmage on the second drive, Barnes had a career-long 74-yard run, which he was able to convert into a touchdown two plays later.

Barnes finished the first half with 158 rushing yards and added an eight-yard touchdown run at the end of the second quarter. The last time an OU running back rushed for over 150 yards in a half was Samaje Perine against Kansas in 2014, a game where he finished with the most rushing yards in a game in college football history.

Despite Barnes’ recent emergence, the situations have been far from optimal for him and Oklahoma’s offense.

Coming into Saturday, OU was 110th in the nation in rushing offense and had allowed the most sacks in the country (38). Saturday marked OU’s eighth different starting offensive line combination through the first nine games.

While the offensive line has been lackluster this season, they showed some progress against Maine. OU’s 381 rushing yards on Saturday was the first time since 2022 against Nebraska that they’ve rushed for over 300 yards. This was also the first game this season where the Sooners didn’t allow a sack.

“He’s a leader,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Troy Everett said of Barnes. “He is very passionate when he’s out there and you can tell how he runs the ball.

“He’s very passionate, he loves it, he’s gonna go over his shoulder, he’s gonna try to run through you. But yeah, he’s a big part of the offense.”

Led by Barnes, three different OU running backs were able to get in the end zone on Saturday, including freshman Xavier Robinson, who scored his first career touchdown. 

OU’s running backs accounted for 306 of the 381 rushing yards on Saturday, with 77 coming from freshmen.

While the spotlight was on Barnes on Saturday, he also enjoyed watching the other guys get in their reps.

“I love that,” Barnes said. “I think my biggest thing is I want everybody to eat, and I know how hard we work and I know how hard football is, period. So, to see those guys go out there and be able to chase their dreams and have fun with it was exciting.”

Despite the win, OU’s next focus is to get one more win to become bowl eligible.

Facing a tough schedule ahead — with OU’s last three games being against ranked opponents — the odds certainly seem to be against the Sooners.

But through all the tough losses this season, Barnes has remained optimistic as Oklahoma finishes off the regular season.

“I think today was just good as a team,” Barnes said. “Just going out there and getting the feel so we just build off this and continue to do what we have to do.”

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