Not Flashy, Just Effective

Only once.

In 33 career games with the Oklahoma football team, only once has Sooners' fullback Dimitri Flowers broken from the huddle and known he was going to get the football.

It happened at home against Iowa State last season when OU ran a reverse flea-flicker on its first play from scrimmage and quarterback Baker Mayfield connected with Flowers on a 75-yard touchdown pass.

"I was actually a little shocked," Flowers said of the play call. "It was the first play of the game (for us). I was like, 'There's no way.'"

Other than that one play, Flowers' primary assignment has been as a lead blocker, a pass protector, a bailout receiver (never the primary target), or being able to improvise when Mayfield gets happy feet and starts scrambling Lord knows where.

When it comes to rushing the football, Sooners coach Bob Stoops has as many career carries as Flowers.

Flowers officially has zero career carries, but is credited with 14 yards rushing. That came on an option play two years ago at Iowa State when OU quarterback Trevor Knight ran past the line of scrimmage and pitched the ball to Flowers, who ran to the Cyclones' 7-yard line.

Zero career carries, yet probably every college football coach in America would love to have Flowers on his roster.

With pass-happy offenses throughout the land, fullbacks have become an endangered species. As the Sooners' bailout receiver, however, Flowers has blossomed.

Heading into Saturday's 6 p.m. home game against Kansas, Flowers has six touchdowns on 26 career receptions (a .231 touchdown percentage). "Somebody was telling me something about that (touchdown ratio)," Flowers said. "That's pretty crazy."

Only teammate Mark Andrews has a higher payoff percentage with 11 touchdowns on 37 career receptions (.297). Running back Joe Mixon has eight touchdowns on 50 career catches (.160). Wideout Dede Westbrook has 14 touchdowns on 98 career receptions (.143).

Flowers' touchdown catch while being interfered with at Texas Tech last week.

Flowers said one of his career highlights came in last Saturday night's 66-59 shootout at Texas Tech, where he hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone while being heavily interfered with on the play. Congratulations immediately followed, particularly from OU receivers. "They all showed me some love after that play," Flowers said with a chuckle.

Second-year Sooners offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley praises Flowers for his improvement from last year to this year, and Flowers acknowledges the same.

"Oh, definitely, just from the physicality part of it," Flowers said. "It's technique, but it's more of a mindset that you're going to dominate the man across from you every single snap. If I block the way coach Riley wants me to, I get to stay on the field a lot more and do a lot of different things. I've proven that to him and that's why I'm playing as much as I am now."

OU coaches essentially started from scratch with the powerfully built Flowers when it came to transforming him into a blocking back. The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Flowers is 20 pounds heavier than when he was an early enrollee in January 2014, arriving as a three-star recruit out of Churchill High School in San Antonio, where he said he rarely blocked anyone.

"He's so smart, very cerebral. There's just so many things with him that you wouldn't be able to do with most players."
? Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley

The least recognized aspect of Flower's talents? "He's so smart, very cerebral," Riley said. "He understands the game. There's just so many things with him that you wouldn't be able to do with most players. Most players couldn't handle mentally all the things that he does, so that's been a real luxury for us."

Flowers said he learned the game from his father, Erik, who played defensive end and was an NFL first-round pick. The Buffalo Bills selected Erik Flowers No. 26 overall in the 2000 draft. He played for three teams in five years before a back injury ended his career.

"He told me to focus on the little things and I definitely got my smarts from him on the field (by) paying attention to things that other fullbacks or H-backs might not pay attention to," Dimitri said of his father.

Whenever the Sooners' offensive line has been criticized for poor blocking, Flowers takes it personally. "Oh, no question," Riley said. "He takes a lot of pride in the run game and he's obviously a big part of it. He sees himself as one of those guys, no doubt."

The OU offense has clicked since Big 12 play began four weeks ago, "but there's always room (to improve)," Flowers said. "There's little ticks about blocking or running a route better or whatever."

Flowers often excels whenever Mayfield starts scrambling to extend a play. "It's just having a feel for how the defense is playing you," Flowers explained. "Is he (Mayfield) rolling out? What side am I on? Where I go kind of depends on what all is going on."

However, there is little improvisation whenever Flowers attempts to clear a path for running backs Samaje Perine or Mixon. "I have to hit the hole like I was running the ball myself because I know they'll follow me and I have to clear it out for them," Flowers said.

Flowers acknowledged his biggest joy comes from helping teammates set individual records, particularly Perine rushing for an FBS-record 427 yards two years ago against Kansas in Norman. Last Saturday's win in Lubbock was a double-dip when Flowers caught one of Mayfield's school-record seven touchdown passes and also helped Mixon set career highs with 263 yards rushing and a 2016 FBS-high 377 all-purpose yards.

"It's always great to be a part of something like that," Flowers said. "Helping someone else break a record is so humbling. It lets me know I'm doing my part for this team."

Dimitri Flowers

Dimitri Flowers congratulates Samaje Perine during his record-setting 427-yard performance vs. Kansas in 2014.

This story will be featured in Saturday's Gameday program for the OU-Kansas game.

Players Mentioned

Mark Andrews

Dimitri Flowers

Trevor Knight

Baker Mayfield

Joe Mixon

Samaje Perine

Dede Westbrook

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics