Sark Plans To Expand Texas' Robinson Role For Run Game
Steve Sarkisian is expected to bring his "All Gas, No Breaks" offense to Texas for the 2021 season. Maybe that gas comes in the form of Bijan Robinson, the star running back and Heisman contender.
As for the brakes? Sarkisian is letting Robinson loose for the start of his time on the Forty Acres.
“I always say relatively around 20 (touches),” Sarkisian said during Thursday’s press conference. “There’s gonna be games when he touches the ball upwards to 30. That's just the nature of it. And there's gonna be games when maybe it's closer to 13-to-15. You know, every game takes on a life of its own."
Last season under Tom Herman, Robinson averaged 11.2 combined touches in rushing and receptions per game. On that same span, he averaged 8.9 yards per play.
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Perhaps the biggest concern was the lack of carries altogether. Robinson never finished with more than 17 in a game despite his growth by the season's end.
Sarkisian said that Robinson is a Ferrari for his offense. One shows off their fancy car, meaning Robinson's 17-max carries of 2020 should be the base come Week 1.
"If we can put a ballpark in that 18-to-22 range, roughly 20 touches a game, that puts us in a good position, I think, as a team, as an offense," Sarkisian said. "And that still allows opportunity for other players to do what they want to do and what they can do to help our team.”
With only 86 carries, Robinson managed to rush for 703 yards and four touchdowns, along with 15 receptions for 196 yards with two scores. He also split reps with Keyontay Ingram and former QB-turned-runner Roschon Johnson.
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Ingram is now at USC while Johnson is an ideal No. 2 runner. With Sarkisian calling the shots on offense, could this be enough to put Robinson on the forefront of the Heisman race?
Sark believes that Robinson's potential has no bounds, meaning there's no limit to his carries.
“Sometimes really good runners, they can go three, four, seven, eight, nine carries, and it may not look very pretty,” Sarkisian said. “It may be eight carries and 20-something yards, and you're like, ‘Well, they're stifling the good runner.’ But those really good ones, it only takes one, and then it's two, and then it's three. And next thing you know, he's got 15 carriers for 140 yards."
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Sarkisian stated that Johnson and newcomers Gabriel Watson, Alabama transfer Keilan Robinson and freshman Jonathon Brooks should have a role. Johnson averaged 5.2 yards per run as the secondary option. Watson averaged 7.12 yards per carry at Division II Sioux Falls.
Brooks tallied over 3,800 yards from scrimmage and scored 65 offensive touchdowns last year as a senior in Hallettsville.
Maybe Sarkisian just plays the hot hand? For now, the best bet is on Robinson to be the ace in the hole.
“You have to give those really good players those opportunities to feel runs, to assess it. I think opportunity is a realistic approach when I think about Bijan," Sarkisian said. "We’d be remiss not to get him the ball, so we’ll be sure he gets the necessary touches to make him the best player he can be, but also not to sacrifice what we want to do with some of the other guys on our offense.”
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