Why Oklahoma RB Gavin Sawchuk Has Been Playing Less

Sawchuk led the Sooners in rushing last season but has seen a dip in playing time, including no snaps last week against South Carolina.

Sep 28, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) is tackled by Auburn Tigers safety Jerrin Thompson (1) during the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images / John Reed-Imagn Images

Oklahoma’s leading rusher from last season was nowhere to be found last week when the Sooners played South Carolina. 

OU running back Gavin Sawchuk didn’t log a snap in the Sooners’ loss to South Carolina on Saturday, according to Pro Football Focus. Sawchuk’s name also never popped up on the SEC availability report throughout the week. On Tuesday, though, during his weekly press conference, OU coach Brent Venables explained why Sawchuk didn’t see the field during the Sooners’ most recent outing. 

“Going into the game, he was healthy,” Venables said. “He strained a quad.”

When Sawchuk was injured was never revealed, though. If he was injured more than 90 minutes before kickoff, OU is obligated to report that to the SEC office so he can be added to the league's player availability report.

Sawchuk has seen a downtick in playing time since SEC play started, although Saturday was the first time this season he never appeared in a game. After starting the first three games of the season during the Sooners’ nonconference slate, Sawchuk came off the bench in OU’s SEC opener against Tennessee. In those first three games, according to PFF, Sawchuk played 26 snaps against Temple, 13 against Houston and 21 against Tulane. Against Tennessee, though, he played only seven snaps, which was a season-low for games in which he’s actually appeared. 

Sawchuck’s playing time increased against Auburn and Texas, playing 19 and 25 snaps, respectively. However, freshman running back Taylor Tatum was injured and missed the game against Auburn before returning against Texas and coughing up a costly fumble. 

“We put him back in,” Venables said the following week. “He's got tremendous talent. As soon as he fumbled, I said, 'Hey man, don't bury this guy.' And coach (DeMarco) Murray's on the same page. Those are terrible timing, terrible things to have happen. That's how you lose games. But there's too much talent. He's an incredibly competitive kid. He's tough minded. He's a guy that bounces back quickly through adversity and a guy that we completely believe in.”

Tatum has emerged as an explosive player, averaging 6.2 yards a carry. Sawchuk has still out-snapped Tatum 111-97 this season. But since Tatum exploded onto the scene against Tulane in Week 3, Tatum has logged one more snap, 73-72, while both have missed one game during that span. 

Jovantae Barnes taking over as the lead back has also drastically cut into Sawchuk’s playing time. Barnes has started every SEC game so far and has gotten the most snaps at running back in every game but the season opener against Temple, where he logged 19 snaps, according to PFF. In total, Barnes has 288 snaps this season, more than Sawchuk and Tatum combined. 

Barnes has also been the most productive running back with a team-high 307 rushing yards. Tatum is next with 149 yards, while Sawchuk has 42, tied with Sam Franklin and less than both quarterbacks who have played this season. Sawchuk is averaging 2.1 yards on 20 carries. For comparison, Barnes has 88 carries while Tatum has 24. Franklin, although tied with Sawchuk in rushing total, has carried the ball only five times, four of which came Week 1 against Temple. 

In the middle of this backfield shuffling, the Sooners are averaging 112.1 rushing yards a game, which is ranked 114th of 133 FBS teams. OU also hasn’t had a ball carrier reach 100 yards in a game this season. Sawchuk, who led the Sooners with 744 rushing yards last season, was the last OU running back to reach the century mark, totaling 134 against Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. 

“I consider who we're playing, and again, there are several plays that were there if we hand the ball off, we’re gonna get substantial yards, and so I put that in, too,” Venables said last week. “That's not their fault, that's, we gotta make better decisions. And they're easy decisions, they're not complicated. And, but we had, again, several drive starters that were really, really good, and second down plays that were really good, as well. So, I think they're doing the things that we've asked of them. We haven't made a lot of second and third-level guys miss.”