Just because he’s 5-foot-9, doesn’t mean Tawee Walker isn’t strong.
The Oklahoma running back showed on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati that he’s not someone to take lightly, whether that’s out of the backfield or catching passes in the flats.
On one particular play in the second quarter, he took out the proverbial “truck stick.”
Walker, a junior, caught a pass on the far side of ꦺthe field from Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel and was ready to run upfield when he was met by cornerback Jordan Young.
Young, a 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back, got low at the Oklahoma 26-yar𝄹d line in hopes of bringing down the 216-pound Walker.
But Walker got low as well and used his left shoulder to break through a tackle as he stayed on his feet long enough to pick upꦯ a few extra yards for theꦓ first down.
Walker had tw🌼o catches in the first half for 27 yards while he took nine carries for nine yards.
A junior-college transfer from Palomar College, Walker joined Oklahoma last year an🌊d suited up in 11 games and took 18 rushes.
This year, he’s seen his role expand, as he has 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries for Oklahoma.
Walker in🐻 August that the biggest difference this ജyear for him has been his improved relationship with running backs coach DeMarco Murray.
“He was just on me,” Walker said. “That’s how he coaches. I just was not used to that. I’m used to being like, just the coach being my best friend, being real cool. Like at my j💟unior college, they never — I was just, could do anything I wanted at my junior college. Here, it’s just the opposite. You have to earn it.
“I was just hard-headed my first year. Just wasn’t ready. Just wasn’t humble. I didn’t take it in. He’s a great coach, I just had to adapt to it and listen to what he said. Because he was never steering me wrong, I just was hard-headed and wasn’t humble enough to understand that last year.”
If he breaks off mor⛎e plays like the one on Saturday, he c𒈔ould be getting the ball even more.