Oklahoma State Football: 3 reasons to buy into Chuba Hubbard

1. Spearhead a deep group of running backs for 2019

Most of what Oklahoma State football fans have seen out of the ground game this year came by way of Hubbard, Hill, or senior quarterback Taylor Cornelius. In fact, Cornelius is second on the team right now in rushing touchdowns with seven on the season. Hubbard has more rushing yards than Cornelius, but hasn’t seen as much action near the goal line.

However, two of the three leading rushers for the Pokes are most likely gone next season. Cornelius runs out of eligibility after the 2018 season and Hill might be headed for the NFL Draft. Oklahoma State’s offense should still have a quarterback behind center that is a very capable runner next year, if it elects to start the highly touted former four-star recruit Spencer Sanders.

Beyond what Hubbard and Sanders bring to the table for Oklahoma State next year, there’s still a few proven rushers in the mix. Two names that stand out include Brown and sophomore J.D. King. Next year, King will actually be the most experienced of the trio of notable running backs that return for the Pokes. He’ll be a junior, but his production is slipping this year.

Brown is an intriguing option, but his workload is limited this year with less than 15 rushing attempts on the season. But, Brown is averaging more than 10.0 yards per carry with the 115 rushing yards performance he posted in the season opener against the FCS Missouri State Bears. But, he has only one carry in Big 12 play this year partly due to injury issues.

With a lot of question marks surrounding the ability of King or Brown to shoulder the load for this Oklahoma State offense, Hubbard’s presence becomes very valuable. Oklahoma State needs a set starter that is efficient at running back and he’s proving that he’s worthy of that role already.