When the 2025 schedule dropped, Oklahoma fans circled plenty of dates that loomed large — SEC showdowns, national spotlight games, and rivalry tilts that could define the season. But tucked into the early October slate is a different kind of matchup: a home game against Kent State. On paper, it’s a mismatch. Oklahoma is a top-tier SEC program with College Football Playoff aspirations. Kent State is a rebuilding MAC team in the thick of a brutal schedule.
Yet this game matters for the Sooners, and not because of the final score. It matters because of what it could reveal — or fail to reveal — about Oklahoma’s ability to run the football.
The Sooners enter this matchup with an offense that has shown flashes but struggled to establish dominance on the ground. Through four games, Oklahoma is averaging just 125.3 rushing yards per game on a 3.58 yards-per-carry clip. That’s not the standard down in Norman. Over the past decade, this program has built its identity on explosive skill talent paired with physical offensive line play. But in 2025, it’s been fits and starts.
Quarterback John Mateer has actually been OU’s most consistent rushing threat. Before his hand surgery sidelined him, he led the team with 190 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Freshman back Tory Blaylock has been the bright spot at running back, posting 179 yards at 4.26 yards per carry with three scores. Beyond those two, production has been inconsistent. In fact, in the narrow 24–17 win over Auburn, Oklahoma managed just 32 rushing yards total — a number that would have been unthinkable in past eras of Sooner football.
Now contrast that with Kent State’s run defense. If Oklahoma’s ground game has been sputtering, the Golden Flashes’ defense has been downright porous. Kent State is surrendering 260 rushing yards per game on average. In a blowout loss to Florida State, they gave up an astonishing 498 rushing yards on 54 carries. Texas Tech ran for 230 against them. Statistically, Kent State ranks near the very bottom of the FBS against the run, allowing opponents to set the tone early and pile up chunk plays.
When you put those two trends side by side, the conclusion is obvious: if Oklahoma can’t get the run game going against Kent State, there’s a deeper issue than just matchups or bad luck.
Part of the problem lies up front. Oklahoma’s offensive line hasn’t consistently generated push in the interior, leaving too many carries bottled up at or near the line of scrimmage. The Sooners’ 3.58 yards per carry is the statistical reflection of that struggle. Some of it also comes down to depth and usage. Blaylock is promising, but relying heavily on a true freshman this early points to a backfield still trying to establish rhythm. Transfers like Jaydn Ott haven’t delivered big impacts yet, and returning backs like Jovantae Barnes have seen limited production.
Mateer’s injury only compounds things. Without him, defenses don’t have to account for the quarterback run in the same way. That limits the read-option dimension that had helped OU keep fronts honest. Some have described it in the sense that, the Sooners’ run game feels “exposed” now that Mateer isn’t pulling defenders out of position.
Meanwhile, Kent State’s defense is leaking yards in every possible way. They’re giving up 541.8 yards per game in total defense, with nearly half of that on the ground. The recurring problems are poor tackling, weak gap control, and lack of front-seven depth. In the Florida State game alone, the Seminoles broke 17 runs of 10+ yards. That’s not just schematic — that’s execution.
Hustle Belt, which covers MAC football, noted before one of Kent State’s early matchups that the team’s defensive line had been completely overhauled after losing several key contributors. The result has been predictable: big, physical offensive lines are winning at the point of attack, and linebackers are being forced to clean up plays in space. Too often, they’ve missed.
To put it plainly, Kent State doesn’t just have a weakness against the run — they have the kind of systemic issues that top-level opponents can exploit at will.
So here’s the question: can Oklahoma use this matchup to reestablish its identity on the ground?
It’s not about whether the Sooners will win. They will. It’s about whether this game can serve as a recalibration point for an offense that has been leaning too heavily on Mateer and inconsistent passing stretches. With him sidelined, the backs need to prove they can shoulder the load — and the offensive line needs to prove it can impose its will.
This is the type of opponent where confidence can be built. If Blaylock and Barnes can each find lanes, if the line can create consistent first-down gains, and if the Sooners can top 200 yards rushing, it changes the outlook heading into SEC play. It shows that the pieces are there; they just needed momentum.
On the flip side, if Oklahoma stumbles again and posts another Auburn-like box score on the ground, it raises serious red flags. If you can’t run on Kent State, how do you expect to run on Texas, Alabama, or LSU?
Every season has games that matter for reasons beyond the scoreboard. This is one of them for Oklahoma.
The Sooners don’t just need a win — they need a statement on the ground. They need to prove that their young backs can be trusted, that their offensive line can take control, and that this offense isn’t one-dimensional without Mateer. Kent State’s defense provides the opportunity. It’s now up to Oklahoma to take advantage.
For Kent State, improvement will come slowly. This is a rebuilding defense that’s thin up front and struggling with fundamentals. For them, the test is whether they can show incremental progress — fewer long runs allowed, more third-and-medium situations, a little more resistance than in Tallahassee or Lubbock.
But for Oklahoma, the stakes are higher. This is about identity. The Sooners can’t afford to be a team that averages under four yards per carry and hopes the passing game bails them out. They need balance. They need physicality. And on Saturday, they’ll either find it — or prove just how far away it really is.
Matt Hofeld is a college football analyst and contributor covering the SEC. Follow him for more Oklahoma and conference-wide analysis throughout the 2025 season.
Follow us on Instagram