In a Disappointing Season, RB Eric Gray Continues to be Oklahoma’s Bright Spot

The 2022 season has undoubtedly been extremely disappointing for Oklahoma.

Regardless of it being simply the primary season beneath Brent Venables, the Sooners actually nonetheless anticipated to be within the thick of the Huge 12 title race with doubtlessly having a shot to return to the Faculty Soccer Playoff.

However, after a 3-0 begin by way of non-conference play, the wheels have fallen off as OU has dropped 5 of their final seven video games to be sitting at simply 5-5 with two video games left on the schedule.

Nonetheless, in a yr the place quite a bit hasn’t gone as deliberate, the largest shiny spot has unquestionably been the play of senior operating again Eric Grey.

Grey continued his monster season in Saturday’s 23-20 loss to West Virginia, operating for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

“That’s most likely what I hate probably the most is that Eric performed the way in which he performed once more and he’s not attending to take pleasure in it (due to the loss),” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby mentioned postgame. “For the second week in a row it’s a brief story for different causes — situational soccer immediately.”

After his newest output, Grey has now reached 1,113 speeding yards on the season with ten touchdowns – clearly serving as Oklahoma’s most dependable offensive participant.

If he had been to take care of the identical per-game tempo that he’s set by way of OU’s first ten video games, and the Sooners had been to achieve a bowl sport to provide him a thirteenth outing, he would end the season with 1,447 yards – which might be adequate for the ninth-most in single-season program historical past.

When his staff wanted him on Saturday with the passing sport struggling within the downpour of rain in Morgantown, Grey delivered his greatest outing of the season – albeit in what was in the end a shedding effort.

“I believed he performed precisely how he is performed all yr,” head coach Brent Venables mentioned. “He is extremely constant, powerful, very dependable, reliable and a very good participant. That is one man who you have not needed to fear about. He is confirmed up each single sport.”

Venables’ sentiment is basically appropriate – Grey has proven up each single sport.

His lowest yardage complete this season was 59 in opposition to Texas, which most perceive was as a consequence of extenuating circumstances the place the Sooners had no risk of a passing sport with quarterback Dillon Gabriel out with harm.

Grey has gone over 100 yards speeding seven totally different instances this season whereas additionally contributing one other 189 yards by way of the passing sport all through the season.

Merely put, it’s exhausting to think about the place Oklahoma could be at this level within the season with out the Tennessee switch.

“Eric’s Eric,” Lebby mentioned. “He’s a stud. It’s like I informed these guys, the factor I hate greater than something is he’s not attending to take pleasure in it, however he performed his butt off once more.”

The primary yr of the Venables period has inarguably been one to neglect for OU followers, however Grey has achieved every thing in his energy to maintain the Sooners within the win column as a lot as doable.

Now, if Oklahoma desires to achieve bowl eligibility, they should discover a approach to both win Bedlam subsequent week at house or shut the season with a win over Texas Tech in Lubbock.

However, one which factor that may be assured is that Grey will probably be leaving all of it out on the sector to attempt to guarantee that sixth win occurs. 

“Everybody within the state of Oklahoma is aware of how large Bedlam is,” Grey mentioned. “Everyone in that locker room is aware of how large Bedlam is. So that you undoubtedly must stand up for Bedlam, all people’s going to stand up for Bedlam, and I feel it’ll be an ideal optimistic to recharge once more this week.”

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