Raleek Brown Just Gave Texas a Reason to Rethink Its Running Back Rotation

The Texas Longhorns barely survived on Saturday night. They won 34-27 against the Ole Miss Rebels after nearly collapsing in the second half.

No one is going to complain about wins at this point in the year. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak and moved Texas to No. 11 in the latest AP Poll.

One of the biggest standouts from Saturday's win was Raleek Brown.

Changing the Conversation at Running Back

Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brown earned the lead-back duties and took advantage. He finished with 23 carries for 157 yards. Brown's 23 carries were the most by a Texas running back this season, and he was also the first 100- yard rusher.

Hollywood Smothers was out for this game, and Derrek Cooper was dealing with an illness, but still played. That paved the way for Brown and Michael Terry III to receive extra touches.

Ole Miss is the SEC's worst run defense, but it was encouraging to see the Longhorns run the ball efficiently. Texas revamped its running back room in an attempt to balance the offense, but the Longhorns haven't seen that yet until Saturday.

Brown's performance doesn't mean Smothers is out of the rotation, but it changes the conversation. It means Brown could be the definitive lead back even when everyone returns. Steve Sarkisian praised Brown's performance.

"I was proud of (Raleek Brown) tonight, knowing he was going to have his number called," Sarkisian said postgame. "We were going to have to lean on him. You know, Derrek (Cooper) had been banged up and sick this week. Hollywood was out, and really proud of Michael Terry. You know, his first real action, and I thought he stepped up really well for us tonight."

Texas posted its highest-scoring total against a Power Four opponent this year. The running game played a large role in that. Sarkisian spoke about the need to remain a balanced offense.

"Ideally, when you can string together over 200 yards rushing, over 200 yards passing, like that's ideal, right? How do we get back to that week in and week out," Sarkisian said. "There's going to be some weeks where it's skewed one way or the other, but you know, to get there, you need to get the number of carries to make that happen."

Once Smothers returns, Brown may not receive 23 carries, but he's claimed his stake as the team's best running back after Saturday's impressive performance.

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