Tag: Bijan Robinson stats

FULL PREVIEW: Texas Longhorns (6-4) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (6-4)

Texas is due for more luck this week. Here’s who to watch for in this pivotal game.

The Texas Longhorns are once again in a must-win scenario on Saturday. More than for conference title standing, this game is about bolstering program perception after losing to Kansas last season.

The Kansas Jayhawks enter the game with a 6-4 record and bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. Given Lance Leipold’s culture changing success, players likely aren’t satisfied with simply playing football in December.

The next two games for the Jayhawks provide arguably the biggest opportunity to make a statement of their own. After Kansas faces Texas they take on the in-state rival Kansas State Wildcats. With an opportunity to secure its best season since 2007, the program should bring its best effort on Saturday.

Let’s look at what to watch for in this pivotal game.

Analytics have Texas in store for another close game against Kansas

Texas is in store for another wildly competitive game.

The Texas Longhorns continue their Big 12 gauntlet on the road against Kansas this week. If you’re expecting Texas to finally break through for a decisive win, this might not be the week.

One advanced stats comparison has Texas projected to score an average of 29.0 points to Kansas’ 28.21 average. The projections give the Longhorns a 52.29 percent chance to win, but for the team in Austin games rarely go as planned.

There’s a wide array of data points for Texas heading into Saturday’s game. The first half of the season, Steve Sarkisian’s team was one of the best performers nearly every week. Quinn Ewers’ unpredictability of late makes it difficult to know what to expect from Sarkisian’s squad.

We can glean a few things from the data, although it looks to favor the Jayhawks in more than a few areas.

Let’s examine a few of the key takeaways from the above projection.

Texas vs. Kansas: An early look at Saturday’s game

The games haven’t gotten any less important for Texas after the TCU loss.

The Texas Longhorns have a huge battle upcoming on Saturday. The Big 12 schedule pits the six-win Longhorns against another six-win team, the Kansas Jayhawks.

Lance Leipold’s team isn’t sneaking up on anybody, but especially not Texas. Steve Sarkisian’s team seemed to experience the beginning of KU’s football resurgence in last season’s home defeat.

The Longhorns fell 57-56 to the Jayhawks in overtime last season, as Kansas converted a two-point attempt for the win. This season, Leipold’s team enters the game confident and bowl eligible.

Texas will look to find itself on Saturday after a poor offensive effort last week. Texas’ lone touchdown came on a defensive scoop and score late in the fourth quarter against TCU. To win in Lawrence, the team will need more scoring from its offense.

Let’s look at a few things to monitor as we approach the game.

Five questions facing Texas football with two games left

Texas needs more predictably good performance across the board.

We’re through ten games of Texas football. Despite the sample size, there are many questions facing the Longhorns with two games to play.

After the Alabama and Oklahoma game, Quinn Ewers seemed like a certainty for Texas. Since, Ewers has had a difficult time hitting his receivers. The once elite prospect isn’t the only player whose performance has been inconsistent.

The entire defensive unit dominated out of nowhere against TCU after struggling in past weeks. Barryn Sorrell has looked elite some weeks. In other performances, Sorrell has seemed absent from the stat sheet.

For the first time in his tenure, I am unsure whether or not Steve Sarkisian can handle play calling duties. He is still the elite play designer, but it’s unclear whether or not he knows when to make the right calls.

As the regular season nears the finish line, let’s look at what Texas needs to answer moving forward.

Monday Reset: How Texas football can finish the season strong

Texas can set the program in an upward trajectory with an 8-4 season.

Texas endured a frustrating 17-10 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday. Multiple players and coaches underperformed. Despite it all, the Longhorns have plenty to play for moving forward.

There shouldn’t be any doubt how significant the next two wins would be for the program. There’s a vast difference in not making a bowl last season and winning six games so far. However, the step up from 6 wins to 8 wins would be as important if not more.

Steve Sarkisian’s team will face Kansas and Baylor to end the season. Kansas got steamrolled in Lubbock 43-28 last week. Baylor last no-showed against Kansas State in a 31-3 home loss.

Without question, the Longhorns should win the next two games. Let’s look at what a successful season looks like moving forward.

Bad offense plagues Texas in TCU loss

Quinn Ewers looked lost in Saturday’s defeat.

The Texas Longhorns took a brutal loss on Saturday. The offense played horribly.

It starts with quarterback play, which was abysmal on Saturday night. Quinn Ewers was off target for much of the night. Adding to his issues, Ewers couldn’t find the open man.

The big offensive miss involved Ewers not seeing Bijan Robinson running unabated to the end zone. Other than a strong effort from Jordan Whittington, his receivers didn’t do him any favors.

Xavier Worthy and Ja’Tavion Sanders dropped passes from the beginning of the game. Jahleel Billingsley added a drop of his own.

The Longhorns went away from the run with Bijan Robinson after laying a first half egg. Poor early play calling and critical drops put Texas in a hole. Ewers dug the hole deeper with clumsy football and inability to locate reads he couldn’t afford to miss.

All in all, Texas will look at the game as one it should have won and couldn’t capitalize.

Let’s discuss what it all means for Texas.

TCU head coach Sonny Dykes heaps praise on Texas RB Bijan Robinson

“He’s the best college running back I’ve seen since Adrian Peterson.”

TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes isn’t overlooking Texas running back Bijan Robinson. In fact, it appears Robinson has his full attention.

Dykes indicated he has the utmost respect for the clear Doak Walker Award favorite. The Horned Frogs’ head coach paid perhaps the best compliment he could have given to an opposing running back. He had the following to say about Robinson.

I think Bijan is probably the best college running back I’ve seen since Adrian Peterson, or certainly that I’ve played against.

Adrian Peterson is well-known in Texas and across the country after a strong career at Oklahoma carried him to the NFL. Peterson will be remembered as one of the best running backs at both the college and professional level. Clearly, Bijan has made quite the impression on his opponent this week.

The Longhorns know what they will get from their best offensive weapon. Robinson will need help to defeat TCU on Saturday. Even so, the running back wearing No. 5 will play a pivotal role in the game.

With a strong performance he could secure the Doak Walker Award and keep his team alive in the Big 12 championship race.

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FULL PREVIEW: No. 18 Texas vs No. 4 TCU

Crowd noise can change the result of the game.

The Texas Longhorns will play their biggest conference home game in years on Saturday. The game could be on par with the 2018 clash with Dana Holgerson, Will Grier and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Steve Sarkisian’s team sits in poll position for the second spot in the conference title game. Should Baylor beat Kansas State, Texas could still control its destiny to make the conference championship. The simpler path involves Texas handling its business on Saturday.

The Longhorns will face a new challenge this season in conference play. They face a TCU team that is both well coached and presents matchup problems of their own for Texas.

Sonny Dykes’ coaching staff is seemingly doing everything right so far this season. Let’s examine what will decide this game.

PREDICTIONS: No. 18 Texas vs No. 4 TCU and Saturday’s biggest games

Crowd noise and road atmosphere could determine whether or not Texas wins or loses.

Week 11 is underway, and the Texas Longhorns figure to be in the game of the week. No. 18 Texas will host the No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday evening.

TCU enters the game 9-0 and in position to play in its first College Football Playoff. The Horned Frogs have been dominant since the start of the season, in large part due to great coaching.

Sonny Dykes’ coaching staff is winning in multiple areas. For starters, their strength and conditioning program appears to be among the best in the nation. Play-calling and game planning have given TCU a noticeable edge over its opposition.

Adding to the degree of difficulty, the Horned Frogs have recruited and developed well in recent seasons. Quentin Johnston, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Kendre Miller, Max Duggan and Jordan Hudson come to mind.

Texas will have its hands full on Saturday. Here’s how Week 11 could play out this weekend for the top featured games.

Simple fixes to the Texas Longhorns offensive lulls

Texas can easily score in the second half with a few corrections.

The story of this week is the same as it has been the last two weeks for Texas on the field. The Longhorns second half stagnation offensively has many wondering if Texas will be able to score enough in the first half to win games consistently.

Texas scored 31 points in the first half against Kansas State. The first half point total was all it needed to win, but the lack of late scoring left the burnt orange faithful uneasy.

Texas wasn’t completely inept offensively in the second half. They simply got careless in how they attacked the K-State defense. Put simply, they wasted too many opportunities.

The second half woes are fixable. Here’s what Steve Sarkisian and company can do to ensure they put points on the board late in games.