NOTE: Part 1 of a sequence spolighting the Sooners’ greatest performances of 2022.
This wasn’t supposed to occur. Eric Gray was supposed to exchange Kennedy Brooks, not surpass him.
But that’s precisely what Gray did this season as Oklahoma’s RB1.
Gray, a senior from Memphis who performed two years at Tennessee and arrived at OU by way of the switch portal, presently sits at 1,364 dashing yards this season.
As it stands, it’s the ninth-best single-season whole ever by an OU working again. He’s averaging 6.4 yards per carry and has rushed for 11 touchdowns. He’s additionally caught 33 passes for 229 yards.
“Yeah, this year was kind of the year I wanted to have,” Gray stated Saturday after the Sooners’ loss to Tech, when he ran 28 instances for 161 yards. “With the yards, the touchdowns, it’s the year I definitely wanted to have. I’m blessed and grateful that I was able to have this year.”
Gray’s whole sits behind these of Adrian Peterson (1,925), Billy Sims (1,896), Quentin Griffin (1,884), Greg Pruitt (1,760), Samaje Perine (1,713) and Steve Owens (1,649 and 1,523). Gray’s huge night time Saturday within the season finale at Texas Tech — his ninth 100-yard sport of the season, coming two weeks after his career-best 211 yards at West Virginia — pushed him previous Mike Gaddis (1,344) and Perine (1,349) into the Sooners’ high 10.
Eric Gray’s huge senior yr (1,364) places him at No. 9 between Steve Owens and Samaje Perine.
If he performs in OU’s bowl sport, he’d want a enormous sport to bounce Owens for No. 8.
That wasn’t even within the dialogue in the course of the offseason, when Gray was coming off a pedestrian junior yr as Brooks’ backup.
While Brooks was getting back from the COVID opt-out to file his third 1,000-yard season, Gray rushed for simply 412 yards on 78 carries in 2021, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and solely scoring two touchdowns on the bottom.
But he had a good spring and stated his offseason weight coaching and health routine was productive. He stated he felt stronger and extra explosive — and he was.
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“It definitely feels different,” Gray stated in August. “I’ve put on 10 pounds (of muscle), so it feels great.”
Even as probably the most skilled again on the roster — he ran for greater than 1,100 yards and eight TDs in two seasons as a part-time starter at Tennessee — many observers truly predicted Gray would possibly lose his beginning job if he didn’t get higher at working by contact and producing extra constant huge performs.
Instead of shedding carries to Marcus Major or up-and-coming freshman Jovantae Barnes, Gray heard all of the speak, drew motivation from it and flourished.
He opened the season with 102 yards on 16 carries in opposition to UTEP, then carried 10 instances for 71 yards in opposition to Kent State. He ripped Nebraska for 113 yards and two TDs on simply 11 carries, then had 114 yards on 16 carries within the loss to Kansas State.
Gray ran simply 13 instances however nonetheless gained 60 yards within the blowout loss at TCU, then received the soccer simply 11 instances and piled up 59 yards within the blowout loss to Texas earlier than bouncing again with 176 and two TDs in opposition to Kansas. Against Iowa State’s top-ranked run protection, Gray ran for 101 yards and a rating on 20 carries.
Sports-Reference.com
Gray’s workload elevated over the ultimate third of the season, with 23 carries for 106 yards and two TDs in opposition to Baylor, 25 carries for 211 yards and two TDs in opposition to West Virginia, 20 carries for 90 yards and a rating in opposition to Oklahoma State, after which a career-high 28 carries for 161 yards within the loss to Tech.
“Looking back on all 12 games, really testament to the o-line, to the receivers blocking all year,” Gray stated. “But this is definitely the year I wanted to have. So that’s a positive. I’m pretty proud of myself.”
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