Texas Must Pound The Rock To Beat TCU
While much of the focus this season in Austin has centered around who the quarterback is, it appears Texas success is predicated on who else lines up in the backfield.
The run game is going to be the key for Steve Sarkisian to win in Year 1 on the Forty Acres.
Texas (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) travels to Fort Worth to take on TCU (2-1, 0-0) Saturday. The Horned Frogs are coming off a disappointing loss to crosstown rival SMU.
The Mustangs, led by breakout quarterback Tanner Mordecai, tallied 245 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Perhaps of more interest to the Longhorns, SMU ran for 350 yards and two scores on its way to the 42-34 win.
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Texas has four talented running backs in its stable. The Horns also have two quarterbacks who are more than capable of moving the ball with their legs.
Play it smart, Sark. Run the ball early and run it often at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
"We are an attack-oriented football team,” UT coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. “I think it does somewhat set the tone for how we want to play the ball game.”
The balanced approach has worked well since Texas' loss to Arkansas. The team has scored 128 points in eight quarters of action and only punted twice.
It's interesting how the touchdowns have come for Casey Thompson and the Horns. Against Texas Tech, the junior threw for five and tacked another one on the ground. Roschon Johnson, Texas' secondary back, tacked on another two scores while fellow runner Keilan Robinson added one late in the fourth quarter.
Against Rice, it was more run-eccentric than anything. Johnson and Robinson both scored on runs more than 50 yards. Lead back Bijan Robinson had 13 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns before halftime.
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Let's not forget about freshman Jonathon Brooks, who also has more than 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns in just two games.
TCU allowed 15 runs at least 10 yards, including a 46-yarder. Four Mustang runners averaged more than 6 yards per carry.
Each player in the Texas backfield knows their role offensively. Bijan Robinson naturally sees the most reps. Sarkisian continues to put an emphasis on giving him the ball, as Robinson has recorded at least 18 carries in three of his four games.
Johnson, a former quarterback, acts as the change of pace player. Keilan Robinson, a transfer from Alabama, is pure speed in the open field.
As for Thompson, vision and film study will help him find the hole. In the red zone, he's a threat to score without having to throw it.
Simplistic approaches have worked thus far for Texas. The Longhorns currently rank first among Power Five programs on third down conversions with a 59.6-percent success rate. They also have won the time of possession in all three victories this season.
READ MORE: Can the Texas O-Line Sustain Recent Success Throughout Big 12 Play?
If it isn't broke, no reason to fix it. Texas' ground game is clicking among the core four, meaning moving the ball in the trenches could keep the winning streak alive before facing Oklahoma.
“The running back is definitely probably the heart and core of our team,” Thompson said. “They’re really good guys led by a good (assistant) coach — coach Stan Drayton is a great leader. And Bijan, obviously, him and Roschon, they’re hard workers. And I just think that room has an incredible competitiveness and spirit."
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