Oklahoma's leading rusher from 2025 is back at full strength ahead of Saturday, Sept. 19, home game against New Mexico.
Head coach Brent Venables said on his Monday, Sept. 14, coach's show that sophomore running back Tory Blaylock is fully healthy. A hamstring injury limited Blaylock to one carry in OU's 17-10 loss at Michigan on Sept. 12.
"Tory wasn't able to really practice with the team until late last week, but when he's 100% healthy, which we think he is now, he's a dynamic player," Venables said, according to Stormin in Norman.
The timing matters.
No. 24 Oklahoma (1-1) hosts New Mexico (2-0) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on ESPN2. After that, the schedule turns brutal with a trip to No. 2 Georgia followed by the Red River Rivalry against No. 1 Texas.
Hamstring trouble derailed Blaylock's offseason
Blaylock missed spring camp with an injury, then a hamstring problem limited him throughout fall camp. He sat out the season opener against UTEP entirely. SoonerScoop's Parker Thune confirmed just before kickoff Sept. 12 that Blaylock would be active against Michigan, but the sophomore played only five snaps and carried once for three yards.
As a freshman in 2025, Blaylock led the Sooners with 480 rushing yards on a team-high 120 carries, averaging 4.0 yards per attempt. He also caught 13 passes for 77 yards. His three biggest games came against Temple (14 carries, 100 yards), Kent State (15 carries, 78 yards) and South Carolina (19 carries, 101 yards). He did not receive more than 11 touches in any other game.
Run game stalled at Michigan
OU's backfield combined for just 13 carries against the Wolverines. Lloyd Avant, the Colorado State transfer who seized the starting job during Blaylock's absence, led with nine rushes for 35 yards. Xavier Robinson had three carries for six yards. The team rushed for 100 yards total at 3.4 yards per attempt.
That output was worse than OU's 138 rushing yards in its 24-13 win over Michigan in Norman in 2025, Stormin in Norman noted. The Sooners ranked 113th out of 136 FBS teams last season at 118.5 rushing yards per game.
Venables also said Sept. 14 that freshman running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. was banged up during the week leading into the Michigan game, which limited his availability.
New Mexico brings a 2-0 record to Norman
The Lobos routed Mercyhurst 70-7 on Sept. 13, scoring a program-record 42 points in the second quarter. New Mexico has outscored opponents 108-14 through two games under second-year head coach Jason Eck, who led the program to its first winning season since 2016 last year.
Running backs Scottre Humphrey and Kiefer Sibley have powered the Lobos' ground attack, averaging more than six and nearly eight yards per carry, respectively, according to The Sports Animal.
Oklahoma's Sept. 19 game is its last home date before the road trip to Georgia.
