Texas and Iowa State are currently both on the outside looking in for the Big 12 championship game.
Although their teams have underwhelmed as a whole, preseason all-conference running backs Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall have each lived up to the hype, as they currently sit atop the conference in rushing. They’re both the focal points of their offenses, and if they get going, each team is hard to stop.
With Hall likely headed to the NFL next season, this will be the last time these two special players square off against each other in college.
“They’re two dynamic playmakers, and two guys that have elite talent that will keep them playing football for a long time,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said when asked about the running back matchup.
Robinson and Hall have very similar styles of play. The star running backs each have great vision with the agility and strength to break tackles with ease, along with enough speed to score from anywhere on the field. An added bonus is how they excel in the receiving game.
The stat sheet backs up how close the two are on paper.
- Total yards/season: Robinson 1,178, Hall 1,193
- Touchdowns/season: Robinson 14, Hall 13
- Carries/season: Robinson 163, Hall 179
- Yards/carry: Robinson 5.9, Hall 5.5
- Rushing yards/game: Robinson 121, Hall 123
Anytime two of the best players in the country are on the field at the same time, it is exciting to watch. Saturday should be no different. This game has the feel that whichever defense can slow the opposing running back down more will win.