Questions Surround Longhorns' Run Game In Alamo Bowl Loss To Washington
During Wednesday's press conference prior to kickoff in San Antonio, Texas offensive coordinator Kyle Flood couldn't help but produce a smile when discussing the future of the backfield.
"I think that's one of the more talented rooms in our building, is that running back room," Flood said. "I'm excited to watch them in this bowl game. They've had a really, really good bowl prep, and they're all talented runners. The depth in that room that we've talked about all year, now it's got to show up for us."
Perhaps that's true. Time will tell if the trio of Jonathon Brooks, Keilan Robinson, and Jaydon Blue will be able to match the production of Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson and all-around Longhorn favorite Roschon Johnson.
For now, there are questions. Good ones for that matter as the offense stalled rather than revved up on the ground in the Longhorns' 27-20 loss to No. 12 Washington in the Alamo Bowl Thursday evening at the Alamodome.
San Antonio is known for the phrase "Remember the Alamo." All Texas fans could remember was the impact Robinson and Johnson made weekly as the team tallied 51 yards, their lowest total since Week 10's loss to No. 3 TCU.
“Missed opportunities for us,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “But in the end, I was proud of our guys continuing to battle and compete and giving us a chance at the end."
Nothing was established between the trenches for the No. 20 Longhorns (8-5, 5-3 Big 12) against a Husky defense (11-2, 7-2 Pac-12) that ranked 28th nationally in yards allowed per carry (3.55). Brooks, the projected feature back for 2023, averaged 3.0 yards per run on six attempts. Robinson, whose best trait all season was speed in space, averaged 3.6 on a team-high eight carries.
Blue, the youngest of the bunch, didn't record a snap. Maybe that was expected as he finished with a position-low 15 carries for 33 yards.
Brooks' potential was on display in bursts during the second half. At the start of the third quarter, quarterback Quinn Ewers connected with the redshirt freshman in the flats, who turned on the jets for a 34-yard touchdown to put the Longhorns down by three.
Brooks also punched in a second score on a 3-yard run with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter to give the offense life following an 8-yard touchdown reception from UW's Jalen McMillan off the arm of Alamo Bowl MVP Michael Penix Jr.
Still, nothing before the score came on the cusp of Brooks' rushing skills. Without a consistent runner, the offense was forced to trust Ewers' arm late in order to keep the production afloat.
Ewers connected with Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington for gains of 19, 8, 5, and 7 to put the Horns field goal range. The redshirt freshman found Gunnar Helm for a 19-yard reception, placing Texas in the red zone for the second time that evening.
"The plan tonight was we knew we were going to throw the ball more than we had kind of throughout the season," Sarkisian said. "We felt like that gave us the best chance, and it did. I thought the pass game was effective. I would have liked for us to run the ball better than we did, no question. Just didn't quite execute the way we wanted to."
Texas knew its run game could be much of a hit-or-miss, but it expected the former with the type of upside found in its backfield. Robinson and Johnson, both of whom opted out of playing to prepare for the NFL draft in April, were responsible for 89 percent of the Longhorns' rushing yards and 79 percent of the team's rushing attempts.
Instead of a breakaway run from Robinson down the sideline, or a pile drive up the middle from Brooks for gains continuous first-down gains, it was Ewers who had the longest carry with a 13-yard scamper during the team's final drive.
One performance shouldn't waver the confidence in Brooks' outlook on the Forty Acres. There were moments when it looked like his name would be next in line to become one of the greats in Texas' history of premier running backs this past fall.
Take the performance in Week 12 against Kansas for instance, where Brooks established himself as the next best up-and-comer with 108 rushing yards and two scores, including a 70-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Then again, some talent is natural. In most cases, it's produced thanks to coaching. There isn't another Bijan Robinson walking through the doors in Austin this offseason, though SI99 prospect Cedric Baxter Jr. could be the closest thing to him if he continues to develop before September's season-opener against Rice.
For most of the year, Texas' offense was predicated on trusting No. 5 and No. 2 being the one constant. Ewers had his fair share of highs and lows during his first year as a starter. Receivers struggled to make highlight catches and countlessly watched elementary throws fall through their hands for easy touchdowns.
Robinson unanimously won college football's highest honor given to a running back for good reason. At times, he was the offense. And when needed most to end the season on high notes, his sights were set on the next chapter of his career.
No one should fault him for that, either. Great teams aren't one-dimensional, which is why countless questions still surround the program entering Year 3 of the Sarkisian era.
“To get over the hump and beat good teams, you have to play good football,” Sarkisian said. “And we didn’t play good enough tonight.”
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