Coming on strong
Success at Tulsa could net Patrick more carries
Success at Tulsa could net Patrick more carries

By Scott Wright

Published: September 24, 2007

NORMAN — DeMarco Murray has speed.

Chris Brown has power.

Allen Patrick has both.

Yet until Friday, Patrick hadn't led Oklahoma in carries in a game this year.

That's about to change, now that Patrick is healthy.

Patrick's performance against Tulsa reaffirmed why he's OU's best running back, and why he'll shoulder more of the rushing load in Big 12 Conference play.

"I feel good,” said Patrick, who rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against Tulsa. "I feel like I've got my feet back up under me.

"I feel healthy all the way, and I'm just ready to go out there and compete.”

Patrick's progress this year had been hampered by an ankle sprain that kept him out of preseason practice and out of the opener against North Texas.

When he returned in Week 2 against Miami, Patrick didn't play after the first drive in the second half because of cramps despite starting the game, underscoring how behind he was in his conditioning.

To compensate, OU coaches have employed a platoon at running back, evenly distributing carries to Patrick, Murray and Brown, with all three backs now averaging about 11 rushes a game.

But coming into Tulsa, Patrick had 10 fewer carries than Brown, even though Patrick had been averaging 10.7 yards per rush to Brown's 4.2.

At Tulsa, though, Patrick had more rushing attempts than Murray and Brown combined (19 to 18).

"I came out and played pretty much a full game,” Patrick said. "I didn't play the fourth quarter (when the game was out of hand), but I came out and played strong three quarters.”

Coaches haven't admitted that Patrick will be OU's primary running back, indicating that they like to use the runner with the "hot hand.”

"Maybe (Patrick) was in on those drives when we were emphasizing the run,” said offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. "But (running Patrick more) that's not by design.”

With Patrick looking as strong as he did Friday, however, it's difficult to envision Wilson and running backs coach Cale Gundy not giving Patrick at least half of the carries, with Murray and Brown sharing the other half.

Murray's knack for big plays and Brown's aptitude for running between the tackles will keep both on the field.

And with injuries, teams can never have too many running backs. Last season alone, OU started four different runners at tailback because of injuries.

Even Brown's health is in question this week after banging his head on the turf at Tulsa. Coach Bob Stoops said Sunday that Brown would be evaluated to determine if he can play Saturday at Colorado.

For that reason, it's important to keep all three runners fresh.

And with Patrick a senior, getting Murray and Brown more experience will prove invaluable next season when they're the feature tandem at running back.

But this year, Patrick is OU's most effective runner.

And fans can expect to start seeing him run more often.

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