Texas Longhorns' CJ Baxter Knows Young Running Backs Still Have Work to Do

The Texas Longhorns had to bounce back in Week 2 against the San Jose State Spartans after a frustrating loss in the season opener. And Texas got exactly what it needed after a 38-7 victory over the Spartans, although at times the Longhorns' offense was not convincing.

Aside from a crucial improvement from Arch Manning being the biggest aspect the offense needed, the Longhorns' rushing game was another feature of Texas's offense that needed to look much more improved.

While the Longhorns managed to rush the ball adequately, with their top rusher Quintrevion Wisner out there, the offense lacked any explosive running plays. CJ Baxter got the starting nod, finishing the game with 13 carries for 64 yards for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. The absence of Wisner allowed some of the younger running backs for the Longhorns to get extended playing time.

Baxter Speaks on the Running Backs Behind Him

Texas Longhorns running back Jerrick Gibson (9) runs for yards during the second half against the San Jose State Spartans. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Redshirt freshman Christian Clark saw the field for the first time in his collegiate career, after missing his true freshman season due to an achilles injury in training camp a season ago.

Clark was the next running back up behind Baxter, totaling 21 yards on seven carries for three yards per carry. Postgame, Baxter complimented Clark, believing in his potential to be "special" for the Longhorns in the future. Clark appeared to try a do a bit too much on some of his runs, dancing around instead of powering forward.

“That's a young runner thing,” Baxter said. “I was the same way when I first started, thinking get the ball and score. He's [Clark] getting better each and every day; you can see it in practice. He'll be great, I promise, he'll be great."

Also seeing the field in the Longhorns' backfield was sophomore Jerrick Gibson once the matchup against the Spartans was at a comfortable distance.

Gibson came in and managed to run the ball efficiently, rushing for 38 yards on just seven carries for 5.4 yards per carry. However, a negative mark against the young running back was putting the ball on the ground with a fumble. Also, postgame Baxter spoke candidly about what he told Gibson after the turnover and how to approach his preparation moving forward.

"As a runner, that's one of the worst things to do to fumble," Baxter said when asked by Texas Longhorns on SI. “We feel like all the time, I had a fumble in my career, and I still think about it sometimes, but when he came to the sideline, I told him to pick his head up. I said, look at the reason you fumbled and fix it, don't let it happen again. Move on to the next play.”

While the health of Wisner could be a question moving forward, and perhaps not wanting to force anything, both Clark and Gibson could receive more carries against the UTEP Miners on Sep. 13.