It took about half the season for the Oklahoma Sooners running game to really take off. Yes, Tawee Walker had played well in spurts, but the run game was largely inconsistent. That is, until Gavin Sawchuk was healthy.
He began to show what he was capable of in the win over UCF when he carried the ball 10 times for 63 yards and a touchdown. But his season really took off following the loss to Kansas, where he only saw six carries as the Sooners rode Walker, who had a great game with 23 carries and 146 yards and a touchdown.
The next week against Oklahoma State, Sawchuk led the way at running back with 13 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. It was his run of 64 yards that revealed the big play threat that the Sooners had in Sawchuk.
Sawchuk used that game as a springboard for the rest of the season, running for more than 100 yards in each of the final five games of the year. He totaled 744 yards and 9 touchdowns over the course of the season. Over the final five games, Sawchuk carried the ball 86 times for 617 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry.
If you take those numbers from the final five games of the season and prorate it over 13 games, Sawchuk would have carried the ball 223.6 times for 1,604 yards and 15.6 touchdowns.
Much of his success was found because of his ability to create big plays on the ground. He finished the season with a breakaway percentage (yards gained on runs of 15 yards or more) of 54%. Among 260 players with at least 59 rushing attempts last season, Sawchuk’s breakaway percentage ranked 14th in the nation last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
For perspective, that 54% finished just behind Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon, who finished with a breakaway percentage of 54.8%. Gordon is widely considered one of the best running backs in the nation.
Well, the Sooners may have one of the best running backs in the nation as well in Gavin Sawchuk.
Although there are questions about the offensive line, the Sooners have their answer at running back. Sawchuk is primed for a big-time season if the Oklahoma offensive line can come together. And as Jackson Arnold adapts to life as the starter in the SEC, having a player that can create a big play in an instant will be a huge factor for the Sooners offense.
Sawchuk has the juice to turn a lot of heads in college football and put himself into the race for the Doak Walker award. If Sawchuk can create big plays in the running game it will go a long way to helping the Sooners be a contender in 2024.
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