Oklahoma · SECOklahoma opens with Lloyd Avant leading the run game
The Sooners rushed for 170 yards in a 51-0 win over UTEP before visiting Michigan on Sept. 12.
SEP 5, 2026
The Pate State · Editorial IllustrationOklahoma rushing yards
Avant rushing yards
Opening-game margin over UTEP
01 · The NewsAvant Leads Oklahoma's Run Game
No. 10 Oklahoma opened its 2026 season Friday, Sept. 4, routing UTEP 51-0 and sending its revamped rushing attack into a Sept. 12 test at Michigan.
The first snap made the offseason plan visible. Oklahoma put two tight ends beside one running back, and Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant broke a 12-yard run in front of 84,315 fans at Gaylord Family—Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Avant led the Sooners with 79 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while Oklahoma finished with 170 rushing yards.
The opener came against a UTEP team that finished 2-10 with a 1-7 conference record in 2025. Oklahoma arrived at 10-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play last season, ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the coaches poll. The 51-point margin showed the gap between the teams; it did not settle how the new rushing approach will hold up against Michigan.
The 170-yard total and Avant’s 79 yards offered an early answer to Oklahoma’s offseason emphasis on a more physical ground game. Oklahoma’s passing production, complete rushing distribution and tight ends’ contributions remain unclear, leaving the offense’s overall readiness untested before the trip to Ann Arbor.
The larger personnel package gives Oklahoma a clear way to pressure Michigan’s run defense, but the Wolverines provide the first meaningful measure of whether the approach can travel. Oklahoma has already shown what Avant can do with 15 carries; Michigan will ask how much more the Sooners can build around him.
02 · The StakesThe Michigan Test
The Michigan game could determine whether Oklahoma’s run-first identity is sturdy enough to support its push from a preseason top-10 ranking toward the College Football Playoff race. The Sooners play at Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon ET.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Avant’s opener was not a one-back takeover: his 79 yards accounted for less than half of Oklahoma’s 170, leaving 91 yards elsewhere in a rushing distribution the available material does not identify. That gap is the more useful clue than the 51-point margin. Oklahoma may have more than one workable answer behind its rebuilt tight-end packages, but neither the other rushers nor the tight ends’ production is available to show how deep that answer runs.
The calendar forces the issue quickly: Michigan on Sept. 12, New Mexico on Sept. 19 and Georgia on Sept. 26 put two road tests around one home game in 14 days.
“The 170-yard total and Avant’s 79 yards offered an early answer to Oklahoma’s offseason emphasis on a more physical ground game.”
From the story04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Who supplies the yards behind Lloyd Avant at Michigan?
Avant’s 15 carries established the first option, but Michigan will expose whether Oklahoma can preserve the 170-yard output when the supporting 91 yards must come against a stronger test than a UTEP team coming off 2-10. The Sept. 12 rushing distribution, especially carries and yards beyond Avant, will show whether the opener revealed a rotation or merely an easy opponent.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can Oklahoma run it against Michigan?
The tell is whether the Sooners can build on their 170 rushing yards and pressure Michigan’s run defense with the larger personnel package.
Does Avant remain the engine?
Watch whether Avant’s 79 yards on 15 carries carries into a larger role against Michigan.