How Efficient Can Longhorns Rushing Attack Be vs. Alabama?
Ja'Tavion Sanders wasn't leaving Monday's press conference without letting everyone know that the version of Texas' rushing attack against Rice wasn't full throttle but rather just a sneak peek of the process.
"That was just a little glimpse of what the run game is going to be," Sanders said.
The Longhorns, faced with the challenge of replacing both Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, totaled 158 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a 37-10 win over the Owls. Quinn Ewers punched in a score with his legs, while three runners averaged at least 4.3 yards per play.
The trio of Jonathon Brooks, CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue showed signs of being standouts, but none separated themselves on the ground as the new face of the Longhorns' backfield.
Spoiler alert; one might have to if looking to claim a victory in the house Nick Saban remodeled come Saturday.
"Clearly Week 2 is a great challenge," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. "Going to play Alabama in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium should be a great night of football. I know that the key to the drill for us is focusing on what we need to do to prepare and getting ourselves in the right frame of mind mentally, physically and emotionally to play a four-quarter hard-fought, very physical game."
History has fared well for the No. 4 Crimson Tide (1-0) and No. 11 Longhorns (1-0) on the ground. Combined, the duo has four Heisman Trophy-winning rushers. Alabama features three Doak Walker Award winners, while Texas takes the cake with five.
Last season's showdown in Austin pinned two of the nation's top rushers against another in a 20-19 bout in favor of Alabama. Robinson, who totaled over 1,500 yards of offense and 20 TDs, finished with 130 scrimmage yards and a score on 24 touches. Jahmyr Gibbs, a transfer from Georgia Tech, posted 96 yards with a third-quarter touchdown.
The two tailbacks ended up being the lone rushers selected in the first round of last year's NFL draft despite struggling to move the sticks on the ground, a testament to both defensive fronts. Both present similar challenges entering Saturday's rematch in Titletown.
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"We know how good they are in the backfield," linebacker Jaylan Ford said. "We know they have a good, strong run game. Going into the game, we know they'll try to start off with the run-heavy, test our waters. We'll definitely be ready for that, making sure we're sound. We know better than to underestimate them, especially since they came here last year and kind of proved to us."
Gibbs, Robinson and Johnson might be suiting up on Sundays now, but similar problems could be present for both teams after mixed reviews in their season opener.
Blue finished with a team-high 55 rushing yards in 10 carries, while Baxter averaged 7.6 yards on five carries. Brooks, the favorite to claim Robinson's spot as RB1, scored the Longhorns' opening touchdown, but it came on a 37-yard screen pass from Ewers midway through the first quarter.
"There were moments when it looked really good, and I thought we started to find a little bit of rhythm there," said Sarkisian. "But my evaluation of the run game might be different than others'. It's how do we run the ball when they know we're going to run the ball? That's really critical, and that's something we take a lot of pride in."
In Tuscaloosa, Jase McClellan finished second behind quarterback Jalen Milroe with 31 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. Freshman Justice Haynes averaged 7.3 yards on four carries, while senior Roydell Williams filled in-between with 36 yards on seven snaps.
The difference? Touchdowns. Texas found the end zone once on with its legs. Alabama punched it in five times, though four scores came from quarterbacks, including backups Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner in the second half.
Sarkisian is concerned about the Longhorns' inability to score on the ground. Sanders believes Saturday was only a "taste" of what the unit could be. But the Longhorns will have a test in Week 2 against a program they took down to the wire a season ago.
Perhaps a feature a runner emerges from the trenches and into the open field?
“I trust in our guys,” Sarkisian said. “These guys have proven to me what they're capable of doing. At the end of the day, we need to be aggressive. We've got a lot of really good playmakers on this offense, and we need to create opportunities for them. I think the more opportunities we get, the more comfortable we get playing together, (and) we'll be able to take advantage of those moments.”
