Tag: Bijan Robins

Three offensive key players for the Texas Longhorns on Saturday

For the Texas Longhorns to stay on track to challenge for a Big 12 Championship, they will need these three players to guide them Saturday.

The Texas Longhorns offense has quite the test after facing the No. 1 scoring defense in the conference last Saturday. They were able to put up 41 points against that defense with a little help from their own defense. This week it doesn’t get much better against the No. 1 total defense in the conference in the West Virginia Mountaineers.

That same defense held the high powered Oklahoma State offense to 20 first downs, 342 yards of offense and 27 points. You can make the argument that they had an easier task than Texas did since they didn’t face the starting quarterback in Spencer Sanders who was out with the high ankle sprain. Can they rise to the challenge of the Texas offense after they completely shut down Kansas State at home?

The road hasn’t been kind to the Mountaineers this year going 0-2. They have been outscored 61-40 in those two games. At home it is a much different story where they have outscored opponents 158-58. You can make the case that it is a bit of fools gold with a game against Kansas, Eastern Kentucky and Baylor mixed in there. So how can Texas prove their worth against a defense that has looked good?

We take a look at three key offensive players in this game.

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Texas target and top running back in state trending towards Oklahoma

Texas target Camar Wheaton is now trending to the rivals across the river, Oklahoma. Wheaton is second-ranked back in the nation.

During the last recruiting cycle the Texas Longhorns were able to snag the top running back in the country. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Bijan Robinson was the best of the best. The five-star composite runner is expected to a part of the offense in 2020 but will have to earn snaps behind Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson.

This year’s top target was Lakeview Centenial’s Camar Wheaton. He is also a five-star composite prospect much like Bijan was. Wheaton is the second-ranked running back in the country and top back in the state of Texas. The Longhorns have been in the running for him to come to Austin and provide a two-headed monster for the next few seasons.

The LSU Tigers, SMU Mustangs and Oklahoma Sooners are among the top contenders for his commitment. However recent trends indicate that the Sooners are leading the charge to secure him. The 247Sports staff recently put in their crystal ball predictions with  everyone picking Oklahoma.

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Crystal ball predictions aren’t the end all for Texas. Recently they were projected to land transfer linebacker from Arizona Tony Fields II, but he ended up heading to West Virginia. Even with the news of Wheaton trending to the team across the river, the Longhorns have another running back trending their way with L.J. Johnson.

Robinson has been communicating with Johnson to bring in another weapon for the Longhorns offense. Provided that he has a big season in 2020, Bijan could be the man leading the charge moving forward. As far as Wheaton, there has been no indication of him making an announcement prior to National Signing Day.

2020 Texas Longhorns Outlook: The Running Back Conundrum

The Texas Longhorns have a loaded backfield heading into the spring, what does the team do with all these weapons?

One big question that will need to be addressed as the Texas Longhorns head into spring practice this year surrounds sophomore Jordan Whittington. The Longhorns will have a crowded backfield with Keaontay Ingram, Whittington, Roschon Johnson and incoming freshman Bijan Robinson.

Robinson is one of the quartet that won’t be in spring practice since he isn’t enrolling early at Texas. One possible scenario could involve Johnson moving back to quarterback with Whittington coming off of injury and Robinson joining in the fall.

The other possible scenario could be moving Whittington over to wide receiver. The Longhorns are losing two receiver who rank in the top ten in terms of yards in Texas history in Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay. The five-star recruit is a possible option. In high school, Whittington ran for over 1,400 yards and added another 3,202 through the air.

His athleticism makes him a good fit as he can create space for the quarterback to get him the ball and his elusiveness creates big plays when the ball is in his hands. He was also used as a punt returner and kick returner that scored 69 total touchdowns in three season. He is so dynamic as a playmaker that he can really contribute from a multitude of areas on the field.

The situation the Longhorns find themselves in is a pleasant one, what do they do with a loaded backfield and the spring should give some insight as to how they will deploy these weapons.