No. 1: RB Trey Sermon
I feel like I may be overrating OU junior running back Trey Sermon just a little bit by making him No. 1 on this list. After all, Sports Illustrated has him ranked at No. 53 in their top-100, behind Ehlinger, Hurts, and others.
But I just can’t forget what he did to the Red Raiders last season. On 26 carries, he gashed Tech for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns as OU avoided the upset.
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It was his season-high and one of only four 100-yard games in 2018. But keep in mind that he began the year second on the depth chart at RB behind Rodney Anderson who went down in the season’s second game with a season-ending knee injury and you can see why he didn’t have quite the overall stats as some other runners around the country.
Sermon turned his opportunity to start into a 947-yard, 13-touchdown season and he should be in for an even better year this fall. Given that Hurts is not as accomplished of a passer as Kyler Murray or Baker Mayfield, it would make sense to expect OU to rely more heavily on the ground game, especially early in 2019.
Plus, play-action passing has been a huge part of the offensive system Hurts has been running at Alabama so Lincoln Riley will likely integrate that more heavily into his offense this year. And in order for play-action passing to be effective, OU will have to first establish the run, which will mean plenty of work for Sermon.
One of the bigger backs Tech will see this year, the 224-pounder is surprisingly explosive for someone that is considered a between-the-tackles runner. Last year, he averaged 5.8 yards per carry and had a long of 51 yards, proving that he can be a big-play threat.
Matt Wells has said all offseason that his defense is going to stop the run. That will be put to the test early as Tech will travel to Norman to see Sermon and the Sooners to open Big 12 play in the fourth game of the year.
Part of me feels silly for not putting a QB or wide receiver atop this list. Most believe that CeeDee Lamb is the Sooner’s best NFL prospect and there are a number of other players in this league that can make a case for being the best Tech will see this year.
But having seen every player on this list with my own eyes, there’s only one I absolutely dread facing again in 2019. That is Trey Sermon, who has already added his name to the troublingly long list of OU running backs that have feasted on a Texas Tech defense.