Texas football: Competition at running back is a good thing
Roschon Johnson certainly looked like the best Texas running back in the Longhorns’ most recent tussle with Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, leading many fans clamoring for more carries from the true freshman converted quarterback.
Against a clearly-improved Sooner defense Johnson picked up 90 yards on just nine carries, including a 57-yard run to ignite what had been a stagnant Texas offense. It was also the longest run from scrimmage for a Longhorn player since 2016.
It comes just one week after Johnson picked up 121 yards on 21 carries against West Virginia. He currently leads all running backs with 472 yards from scrimmage this season.
While those fans will probably see big performances lead to a bigger role for Johnson, don’t expect the Texas running game to become a solo affair any time soon.
Keaontay Ingram wasn’t at his best against Oklahoma and was suffering from the effects of a stinger for much of the West Virginia game, but there have been plenty of times when the sophomore has looked like the best running back on the roster as well.
“Keaontay rushed for 120-something yards against Oklahoma State too,” head coach Tom Herman said when asked about his running back situation. “We're not going to throw the baby out with the bath water.”
Ingram still enters this week as the No. 1 back on the depth chart, but for all intents and purposes it’s probably a 1A and 1B type situation in the Texas backfield right now, which is far from a bad thing.
While there are always exceptions like Jonathan Taylor in Wisconsin, college football - and football in general - is moving away from the days when one featured running back would gobble up 25-30 carries a game. Many of the elite college football programs are consistently rolling three or even four deep with little to no drop off at the position these days.
More capable guys in the rotation not only keeps everyone fresh, it creates a sense of competition in every practice. Everyone is sharper when game reps are on the line.
So Texas fans should expect more of Keaontay Ingram. As a matter of fact they could see quite a bit more of him early and often against Kansas to help get some confidence and rhythm back.
“He (Ingram) is always focused on being the best and being very critical of himself,” Sam Ehlinger said. “We don't change necessarily because the outcome wasn't what we expected. We're going to continue to prepare. And I think that's the mentality that he has. He's going to continue to do everything that he can prepare to play well on Saturday.”
