By John Shinn
Opportunities can be few and far between in college football. When one arrives, it is to be pounced on.
That’s what Oklahoma running back Jacob Gutierrez did last Saturday against Baylor, rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.
The numbers were huge, if not shocking, to most of the sellout crowd at Owen Field, but OU coach Bob Stoops claimed to be anything but surprised.
“I’ve seen Jacob now for two-and-a-half years and I’ve seen that,” he said. “I really felt he’d do really well.”
Gutierrez, a redshirt sophomore, certainly wasn’t an unknown commodity to Stoops or the rest of the Sooners. He dazzled teammates in 2003 while on the scout team.
Despite standing 5-foot-7 and weighing 181 pounds, Gutierrez has a unique ability to break tackles and frustrate defenses with a blend of power and speed.
“You think you’ve got Jacob, but he’s like Superman strong,” defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek said. “He’s hard to take down. He’s so little, but he’ll run right through an arm tackle. And he’s so quick and elusive.”
After redshirting in 2003, Gutierrez appeared to be the perfect replacement for another pint-sized running back — Quentin Griffin.
Gutierrez even wore No. 22 in high school, the same number Griffin wore at OU.
But when 2004 rolled around, Adrian Peterson arrived and OU’s running game changed. Gutierrez didn’t have a single carry last season and had only carried 14 times in the six games leading up to last Saturday.
He appeared stuck on a depth chart that placed Peterson, Kejuan Jones and Donta Hickson in front of him.
“That’s football,” Gutierrez said.
But when OU ran out to face Baylor, Peterson and Hickson were hobbled by ankle injuries and Jones was serving a one-game suspension for violating team rules.
It was Gutierrez’s turn to deliver.
Boy, did he.
One might think it would give the San Antonio native a feeling of redemption, but that’s not the case.
“I never had a feeling that I had to prove myself,” he said. “I just wanted to contribute and help our team win.”
And it may be the kick-start Gutierrez needed to remain in the lineup.
Peterson is expected to return in time for Saturday’s game at Nebraska. How much he’ll play remains uncertain. But should he be at full strength, he’ll likely return as the Sooners’ primary ball carrier.
That’s OK with Gutierrez.
“Adrian is a tremendous player and the coaches are going to do what’s best for the football team,” he said. “If it’s him doing what he’s been doing, that’s fine with me. As long as we keep winning games.”
Gutierrez has also been a special teams standout all season and is willing to play any role he’s given.
But after two-and-a-half years of hard work, offensive coordinator Chuck Long believes Gutierrez has proven he deserves more chances.
“I think you’ll see ‘Jake’ now and you’ll see him in the future,” he said. “He’s not going to go away. There might be times he may not get as many (carries) as last week. (But) he’s going to get more touches.”
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
