Thrust Into Starting Role, Sawchuk Fuels Oklahoma's Comeback Win Against UCF
NORMAN — Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk found himself in an unfamiliar position against UCF on Saturday.
Starter.
With leading rusher Tawee Walker missing because of what head coach Brent Venables called an "in-house suspension" and second-leading rusher Marcus Major nursing a sore shoulder, the Sooners turned to Sawchuk, a sophomore who had 18 carries coming into the game.
All Sawchuk did was carry the ball 10 times for 68 yards, including a 30-yard run up the middle for a touchdown to extend No. 6 Oklahoma's lead to eight points, 31-23, with 3:13 left the fourth quarter.
The run capped a 9-play, 80-yard drive for the Sooners, who struggled to run the ball effectively in the first half and trailed 23-17 after three quarters.
"It felt good, just to be out there," Sawchuk said. "Great team win, a hard-fought victory. It was just amazing to be out there, be in that atmosphere, be around all the guys ... ."
Asked if he checked with the sideline on his touchdown run to see if he should "try for the end zone or not" to take time off the clock, Sawchuk replied "yes, sir."
"I wanted to be a team player," he said. "Sometimes there are situations where you just want to slide down so you can take some more time off the clock, you know, kind of help the defense out, don't give the other team too much time. Just looking at the sideline, making sure if that was the right decision to make and it ended up being so."
After Sawchuk scored, UCF drove 75 yards for a touchdown to pull to within 31-29, but Oklahoma's defense stopped the Knights' two-point conversion attempt and held on to remain undefeated at 7-0.
Sawchuk played a key role in Oklahoma's previous drive, rushing three times for 23 yards and a first down as the Sooners drove 65 yards for a touchdown to regain the lead, 24-23, with 9:16 remaining.
Major, who added 84 yards rushing on 18 carries, carried twice for 26 yards on the drive.
"Gavin, you know, can be a really explosive guy," Venables said. "He had some really tough runs and busted some tackles there late, and that's what we all saw (against) Florida State. "
Sawchuk carried 15 times for 100 yards (6.7) and a touchdown against Florida State in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl.
"He battled a hamstring injury all summer ... a good start for him and a good moment for him to have some success and we needed it."
Sawchuk's first start for the Sooners on Saturday wasn't a thing of beauty on the team's first possession. He lost five yards on his first carry and dropped a swing pass in space on the next play.
Like Sawchuk, OU's ground game started slowly. The Sooners rushed for 57 yards on 19 carries in the first half, a 3-yard average, but nearly doubled that average in the third quarter with 58 yards on 10 carries. OU added 74 yards on 17 carries in the fourth quarter (4.4 average).
"It's the O-line's job to get the run game going, so we just got to come off the ball and we've just go be more physical at the point of attack and we've to move people," center Andrew Raym said. "I mean, you can make plays if you're moving people and that's what we were doing those last two drives ... ."
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