Eric Gray indoctrinated with Oklahoma Sooners’ Championship November
Junior running back Eric Gray picked up Oklahoma’s offense quickly in the spring as he transferred over from Tennessee. He’s caught on quickly with what championship November means at Oklahoma, too.
“You know, I’ve heard it a lot about championship November. Really finishing strong in this time of the month, this time of the season. In this back stretch, these three last games, really finish strong, really coming into our own and playing our best ball,” Gray said.
The Memphis, Tenn., native has been an important piece of Oklahoma’s backfield throughout the 2021 season. Gray has carried the football 64 times for 303 rushing yards and scored his lone rushing touchdown of the season against TCU.
Gray has also caught 16 passes for 189 yards and recorded a receiving touchdown against Western Carolina.
Junior running back Kennedy Brooks has emerged as the Sooners’ primary ball carrier, rushing it 131 times for 802 yards with nine touchdowns. Brooks has been a workhorse of late for the Sooners, carrying it 25, 20 and 24 times against Texas, TCU and Kansas, respectively.
Still, as the Sooners enter their most difficult stretch of the season, Oklahoma will need both to be effective.
“It’s definitely important that we impose our will running the ball. Games are won running the ball. It’s definitely going to be important—it’s championship November—for us to run the ball and be effective running the ball,” Gray said.
That starts against a Baylor team that ranks No. 57 in total defense and 35th nationally defending the run.
“Just from watching film, they’re a very physical defense. They play hard, they play well. Like you said, it’s going to be a great test for us. We’ve been practicing all week, had a great practice today and I think it’ll be a good one,” Gray said.
Gray is confident his team is heading in the right direction offensively as it enters its final three regular season games at Baylor, versus Iowa State and at Oklahoma State.
“I think we’ve definitely made our strides in the last four weeks. You can kind of see where the offense is going. You can kind of see that we’re coming into our own, kind of needing that bye week, ready to go into championship November. I think we’re playing well and our best ball is ahead of us,” Gray said.
Since true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams has taken over the signal-calling duties, OU’s offense has taken flight. The Sooners haven’t scored less than 35 points with Williams under center and eclipsed the 50-point plateau in each of the other three games.
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