OU running game remains in high gear
Sooners aren't slowing down
Sooners won't change plans against O-State

Published: November 21, 2006

NORMAN “ So Adrian Peterson won't return for Bedlam. And Allen Patrick remains iffy.

Does it really matter?

The Sooners keep surging.

Keep winning.

Keep running.

Whether it's Patrick or Chris Brown or Jacob Gutierrez taking handoffs, Oklahoma's running game remains in high gear. And the plan for Oklahoma State won't stray.

Why would it, with the Cowboys ranked No. 8 in the Big 12 and No. 72 nationally against the run?

"It's just one of those things we take pride in," senior tackle Chris Messner said of the ground game. "We came with a mindset this year that we're going to be making plays just as much as (the running backs).

"We're in there every down and we want these guys to excel. And we have great personnel."

It's not like the Sooners haven't missed Peterson. When he's healthy, who's better?

And who has owned the Bedlam Series more than Peterson, who's put it on the Pokes for nearly half-a-thousand “ 486 yards “ in two career meetings?

But without Peterson, the Sooners have hardly backed off the running game. Their three best rushing totals of the season have come the last four weeks, helping OU extend its winning streak to six games.

"We wish we could have Adrian back," said OU tight end Joe Jon Finley. "We want him back as soon as possible. But at the same time, we feel like we've got a lot of guys back there who can get the job done, as we've shown for the past five weeks.

"Adrian's been out five weeks and we just keep on running the ball just like we did. We wish we could have him back, but we're not too worried about it."

Peterson ranked as a Heisman Trophy candidate when he went out with a broken collarbone suffered late against Iowa State. He had 935 yards in OU's first six games.

But Patrick stepped in to string together three straight 100-yard games, capped by a 173-yard outing against Texas A&M, only to sprain an ankle late in that game. And he hasn't played since.

Sooners coach Bob Stoops said that Patrick practiced some Monday, but wouldn't commit anything toward Saturday.

"He was better today," Stoops said. "We'll see. He's closer. We'll see how he progresses through the week."

If Patrick can't go, the fall-back plan “ Brown “ presents its own appeal.

The true freshman ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns helping fill in for Patrick against Texas Tech, then made the most of his first collegiate start with a 169-yard effort Saturday at Baylor.

"I'm getting better every week, pressing hard, trying to build momentum every week," Brown said.

Gutierrez has filled in nicely as a situational back, contributing 203 rushing yards during the five-game span.

After all that's happened, OU ranks No. 3 in the conference and No. 16 nationally in rushing offense, averaging 184.2 yards a game.

"I've been very impressed with the backs they've had running," said OSU coach Mike Gundy, who then took a joking shot at his brother Cale, OU's running backs coach.

"Other than being very poorly coached, those guys have done a really nice job of overcoming coaching and being very effective runners."

But can the Sooner stable of backs match Peterson's effectiveness in the Bedlam arena? Two of his five career 200-yard games have come against the Cowboys.

Peterson's running was the difference in Stillwater in 2004, when OU survived an OSU assault, winning 38-35. He ran for a career-high 249 yards that day, with an 80-yard touchdown bolt boosting the Sooner lead to two touchdowns at 35-21.

A year ago, the Cowboys were hanging around at 21-7 until Peterson broke off an 84-yard scoring run late in the third quarter. Then he broke it open again, going 71 yards for another touchdown and finishing with 237 yards.

"Those are hard shoes to fill," Brown said. "I don't think they will be filled. But we just try our best to fill those shoes the best way we can and get the job done."