Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has not been shy to experiment with his running back depth this season.
While junior walk-on Tawee Walker leads all OU backs with 29 carries, 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season, Jovantae Barnes, Gavin Sawchuk and Marcus Major have each had their fair share of carries in OU’s first three games.
Barnes is just behind Walker with 28 rushes for 122 rushing yards and one touchdown. Major follows with 17 carries, 70 yards and one touchdown, while Sawchuk has the fewest touches in the group with 10 rushes for 26 yards and a lone score.
Lebby said the Sooners will move forward with the hot hand in the backfield as they enter conference play.
“There's a fine line and we're continuing to work through that,” Lebby said Tuesday. “Guys have played quite a bit here through the first (three) weeks. … As we move forward, it'll be a little more of the hot hand (approach), and who's playing really well at the time and in the moment as we're inside the game.”
Despite Walker’s breakout game against SMU two weeks ago, where he had 117 yards on 21 carries, he received no carries vs. Tulsa. Instead, Lebby opted to feed Sawchuk and Barnes, who finished with nine and 13 attempts on Saturday, respectively.
Lebby said the focus, in particular, was to get Sawchuk in “live action” after missing a few fall practices due to an injury.
“I think (he’s) just playing himself back into shape,” Lebby said of Sawchuk. “This is a guy that hasn't done much since Aug. 2. He practiced a little bit the week before, and he had a good week of practice, but then when you get into those live situations of course they're a little different. Getting him reps was invaluable to getting him back going. I look forward to him getting back to himself.”
Lebby is balancing depth at multiple positions. The Sooners had three wide receivers — Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony — eclipse 100 yards on Saturday for the second time in program history.
Redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel, after passing for only 176 yards the week before, finished with 421 yards and five touchdowns. So far, Lebby’s offensive approach has varied each contest.
Despite this, Lebby wants to continue to tap into Oklahoma’s versatility and depth, while still securing an up-tempo identity. That is, even if OU has different impact players week in and week out.
OU hoping to establish strong identity up front
The word “identity” is thrown around a lot in the college football world, particularly correlated to an offense.
When Lebby was asked if it’s an overblown idea, he refuted the idea, claiming “it’s very important to have an identity.”
“Hopefully when people watch us they see us playing really fast, being fearless and having great physicality about the unit,” Lebby said. “That’s what we want to be. We want to be an offense that's on the attack, that has great balance and is going to take what the defense gives us. That, to us, is who we want to be every single Saturday.”
Fearlessness and physicality stick out in Lebby’s response, seemingly aimed towards OU’s offensive line, which is still struggling to find its identity. After benching redshirt sophomore left guard Savion Byrd for redshirt sophomore Troy Everett during the better part of their 28-11 win over SMU, the Sooners replaced Byrd with freshman Cayden Green for the majority of the contest after Byrd suffered an injury on Saturday.
Sophomore Jacob Sexton and Everett also entered the game as part of the eight offensive lineman the Sooners used. Redshirt senior left tackle Walter Rouse was taken out and received a less-than-amicable talk from offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.
“We're gonna continue to roll some guys up front,” Lebby said. “We've got guys that deserve to play and those guys have played and they'll continue to.”
Finding their identity is more crucial than ever for the Sooners’ offensive line, who faces a daunting Cincinnati defensive line ranking second in the conference in sacks and anchored by Preseason All-Big 12 honoree Dontay Corleone.
“What we’re seeing out of Cincinnati is a (defensive) front that's really good,” Lebby said. “They're big, they're long, they're physical and the strength of their defense, to me, is that front. It'll be a great challenge for us as we go on the road.”
Gabriel at his best
Through three games in 2023, Gabriel is playing the best football of his career.
He’s completed a nation-best 82.5% of his passes and ranks second in pass efficiency rating and points responsible per game. He’s also tied for fourth in passing touchdowns behind Heisman hopefuls Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Southern California’s Caleb Williams.
Following his 421-yard, five-touchdown performance in OU’s 66-17 win over Tulsa, Gabriel was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
“I think he's at a comfort level right now that he wasn't at this time last year,” Lebby said on Monday. “He spent a bunch of time in the building last year, he spends a ton of time in the building right now. So that part of it hasn't changed.
“Again, he had to go through some things last year that were hard, and I think that's matured him in a way to have a really stern edge about him in how he's preparing and playing with a chip on his shoulder. He's got to continue to do that.”
The stats concur with Lebby.
Gabriel through three games in 2022: 66.6 completion %, 759 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Gabriel through three games in 2023: 82.5 completion %, 905 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.
The Sooners’ redshirt senior quarterback credited his improvement postgame Saturday to the veteran player's head coach Brent Venables, Lebby, brought in during the offseason, and young players who stayed making plays. One of them, redshirt freshman Nic Anderson in his second season with OU, earned a Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor for his performance against the Golden Hurricane.
Gabriel and Lebby are as in sync as ever and will need to maintain it when the No. 19 Sooners (3-0) open Big 12 play at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cincinnati (2-1).
“I think again just another year under his belt, being more comfortable,” Lebby said on Saturday. “And understanding how to get the ball out of his hand but also how to play through something and be able to create check downs so that you’re continuing to create completions. Because that is ultimately what it’s all about. So proud of him for how he’s going about it.”
