Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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NORMAN — Cal transfer running back Jaydn Ott was more involved in Oklahoma’s offensive gameplan than at any prior point during the Sooners’ 44-0 win over Kent State on Saturday.
Freshman phenom Tory Blaylock still drew the start for the No. 5 Sooners, played the most snaps among OU running backs (36) and had the most productive day (15 carries for 78 yards). But Ott, the Sooners’ prized spring portal addition, still finally found his groove.
Ott played 29 snaps, which was almost as many as the 32 he got in the four previous games. And, after entering play with nine carries for 17 yards on the year, Ott rushed 11 times for 49 yards in the victory over the Golden Flashes. He also lined up in the slot at times and caught two passes for 10 yards.
The 2025 season didn’t start how Ott probably wanted it to, as he battled a shoulder injury in fall camp, and didn’t perform as well as OU hoped he would early on. Yet, Ott showed versatility and explosiveness against Kent State that suggests he could be turning the corner at just the right time. After weeks of questioning, perhaps he really could be a weapon when the Sooners face Texas on Saturday, and into the rest of the Southeastern Conference gauntlet.
“It was good to see (Ott) get out there,” head coach Brent Venables said Saturday. “Tory had some really good, tough runs as well. Thought those guys also in conjunction with our quarterbacks and with the quarterback run game and zone reading and pulling it and that kind of thing with him, Mike, both had a couple of really good runs.
“I thought those guys ran with good pace and strength, power, run through some trash and good acceleration, good instincts running the ball. So again, keep it all in perspective. But a good day. Rush for just under 200 yards and they have a loaded box. But we did what we needed to do, some good things to teach from off the tape.”
Following OU’s win over Auburn two weeks ago, in which it managed just 32 yards on the ground, receiver Deion Burks prophesied that the Sooners’ run game would revive and that Ott would be a factor. Burks wasn’t the only Sooner that maintained confidence in Ott.
“He’s my lockermate so we’ve been waiting for that,” OU receiver Isaiah Sategna said of Ott on Saturday. “I’m glad to see him out there and he played a good game today. … Very dynamic player. Y’all know what he can do. Getting his feet under him and getting his confidence back is very important.”
Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said prior to the Kent State game that he saw greater urgency from Ott during the bye week. Then, when Ott played well against the Golden Flashes, he was one of the first players Arbuckle praised in his postgame address.
“He’s a very mature kid,” Arbuckle said of Ott. “He’s a very aware kid. He’s a very experienced kid. He knows what it looks like and what it doesn’t look like, and the way that he’s practiced the last two weeks is what it looks like. The way he’s prepared is what it looks like. … I think it speaks a lot to him as a kid, as a young man, and I love what I’ve seen from him — both football and personally here as of lately. So, I’m really excited for him.”
Ott was hampered by injury last year, as well, and, in the 2024 season, looked like a shell of the player that put up 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns for Cal in 2023. He looked right on Saturday, though, and OU will hope that continues.
“He’s got some really good juice to him,” Arbuckle said. “He’s got great discipline whenever the ball’s in his hand. He does a great job of being patient and sticking his foot and getting vertical and finishing with his pads going forward. Again, I don’t think you can discount the amount of ball that he’s played and the experience he has. That goes a long way, especially when we get into the second half of the season.”
It says something to Ott’s coaches and teammates that he didn’t mail it in and ask for a redshirt when the first weeks of the 2025 slate were suboptimal. The resolve he displayed versus Kent State signaled buy-in to Venables’ admonition.
“I say this to the guys all the time, it doesn’t matter what’s taken place, good or bad, in the past,” Venables said. “Yesterday, literally, just a few days ago. All that matters is what you do today and moving forward. So you gotta die to the good, you gotta die to the bad and when you die, you win. You’re getting better and that needs to be the focus. Learn from the getting cut, and mistakes or bad moments, things of that nature, maybe not having my opportunity, whatever that is.
“Nobody wants to hear it, nobody feels bad for you, all that matters is what you do now. It was good to see (Ott) out there and doing some things that, again, what we’ve said, answering some of the questions earlier this week, he’s looked good over the bye week and he’s gotten into a nice rhythm. He’s run with some power, some confidence. It’s taken him a little longer, but it’s right on time.”
mason.young@tulsaworld.com
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Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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