Oklahoma’s running backs were playing from behind once the season finally arrived.
At one point in the spring, DeMarco Murray’s running back room appeared to be one of the deepest position groups on the team.
Every back featured in the Cotton Bowl, and Kennedy Brooks was preparing to make his grand return after missing the 2020 season due to a medical opt out.
But then incident after incident depleted the room.
First, Seth McGowan’s off the field troubles led to him being dismissed from the team, and later Mikey Henderson would be linked and join McGowan in getting the boot.
Then, Marcus Major was ruled academically ineligible for the first half of the season.
In the summer, one of the more bizarre transfer stories took place in Norman, as Tre Bradford ended up transferring back to LSU after participating in practice with the Sooners, meaning OU would enter the 2021 season with only Brooks and Tennessee transfer Eric Gray as the two scholarship running backs on the team.
Thankfully for the Sooners, both Brooks and Gray were not only durable, but productive running behind a struggling offensive line.
Despite missing a season in 2020, Brooks appeared to take yet another step forward in his final season in Norman.
Though there have always been questions about his top-end speed, Brooks’ patient running style had always allowed him to find the holes and bounce off would-be tacklers.
But in 2021, Brooks didn’t just bounce off defenders, he ran through them.
Highlighted by a 25 carry, 217-yard performance against Texas where Brooks outshone then-Heisman Trophy contender Bijan Robinson, the Oklahoma running back rushed his way into the history books.
Finishing with 1,253 rushing yards for the year, Brooks became just the fifth OU running back ever to rush for over 1,000 yard in three different seasons.
Brooks finished the year running for 6.3 yards per carry, and he finished his career for the Sooners averaging 7.0 yards per rush.
While Brooks thrived in the Oklahoma backfield, Gray showed flashes of big-play potential, though he was unable to harness it on a consistent basis during his first year in Norman.
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For the season, Gray rushed for 412 yards and two touchdowns on 78 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Gray was especially productive early in the season, finishing with a season-high 84 rushing yards in OU’s early season battle with Nebraska.
Gray was a nice change of pace out of the backfield in the receiving game as well for the Sooners.
He caught 23 passes for 220 yards and two scores, hauling in a reception of 20 or more yards against Western Carolina, West Virginia, TCU and Kansas.
Even with the offensive line struggles, Brooks and Gray still combined to help OU finish fifth nationally in yards per rush, averaging 5.44 yards per game.
Shorthanded all year long, Brooks and Gray were two of the most consistent players on the Oklahoma roster in 2021.
Grading the Defensive Line
- Hoover: B
- Chapman: A-
- Callaway: B+
Running Backs GPA: 3.333 (on a 4.0 scale)
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