The Big 12 is loaded at running back this year, and the Baylor Bears are no different.
Abram Smith, a 5-foot-11, 221-pound senior running back from Abilene, TX, has been no different this year, starring at the helm of the Baylor rushing attack.
Smith enters this weekend ranked ninth in the country and third in the Big 12 with 1,055 rushing yards this year, and he’s tied for fourth in the Big 12 with 11 touchdowns on the ground.
The emergence of Smith has been a key piece as to why Baylor has made massive offensive improvements this year.
Last year, the Bears averaged 23.3 points per game, which ranked 101st in the country. This year, Baylor is scoring 36.3 points per game, good enough for No. 18 in college football.
But Baylor isn’t one dimensional in their run game. Trestan Ebner is ninth in the Big 12 with 601 rushing yards this year, combining with Smith to form the most formidable one-two punch at running back in the conference.
“The thing we’ve found out in recent weeks and over the course of the entire season is it’s not just one running back,” OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “… It’s not like you have to deal with just one.
“Downhill runners — guys that have top-end speed. You see them run away from people. Run through tackles. One of the evaluation tools — or one of my evaluation tools — is they’re guys that don’t mind getting tackled. That means they run hard.”
The battle in the trenches, specifically OU’s ability to limit Baylor’s rushing attack, could determine the matchup on Saturday. The Bears boast the eighth best rushing attack in the country, and Oklahoma’s defensive front will have to be up for the challenge.
OU’s defensive struggles throughout October saw the Sooners bottom out in plenty of statistical categories, but Oklahoma’s run defense remained pretty steady.
Grinch’s defense is still ranked the 17th best rushing defense in the country, and they’ll need to return to their best with Jalen Redmond back in the lineup ready to knock off any rust.
Battling against two backs as talented as Smith and Ebner, however, Grinch said the entire defense will have to remain incredibly disciplined, as the Baylor duo rarely places a foot wrong.
“They don’t allow themselves to be in the position where the first guy takes them to the ground or they run in the back of an offensive lineman or there wasn’t a hole for me type of thing,” Grinch said. “They’re able to find creases — create creases. They’re able to run hard and run explosive.
“There’s very few negative plays… There’s falling forward and piles moving. What looks like a small crease turns into an explosive run. Another huge challenge. It’s easy in this environment to say stop the run, but that is something we have to do on Saturday.”
It will be a tall task, but if the Oklahoma defensive front can control the line of scrimmage, the Sooners will be able to force quarterback Gerry Bohanon out of his comfort zone.
Bohanon has done a good job taking care of the ball for the most part this season, but he’s struggled to flat out win games with his arm talent alone. Limiting the run game will force the Bears out of their comfort zone offensively, a place no team wants to be in their biggest game of the year.
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