For Jaydon Blue, the 2024 campaign has been full of frustration. The Longhorns running back has battled injuries and fumbling issues. On Saturday night, in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Blue put all that in the rearview mirror and led the Longhorns to victory.
On 14 carries, the Houston native recorded a team-high 146 yards. He averaged 10.4 yards a carry and found the end zone twice. The Longhorns star also made an impact in the air, hauling in two receptions for 31 yards. As the Longhorns rolled to a 38-24 win, Blue’s effort earned praise from his head coach Steve Sarkisian.
“I think about Jayden Blue,” Sarkisian told reporters Saturday night.” This guy fought through an ankle injury earlier in the year, fought through some fumbling issues this season, continue to work, continue to fight back. And he has this game tonight.”
JAYDON BLUE TO THE HOUSE FOR 77 YARDS 🤯💨 pic.twitter.com/HJWigwCH5l
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 22, 2024
While Blue gave fans plenty of reasons to celebrate, his best moment came in the fourth quarter. With the Longhorns up by seven points, he let out all of his frustration on a 77-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach. During practice this week, running the ball was a main focus, and it paid off.
“It all starts in practice,” Blue said Saturday night. “Like I said, coming to this week, we made an emphasis that we were going to have to run the ball in order to win this game, and the O-line and us in the backfield took a lot of pride in working on that, so we’d be able to run the ball effectively.”
Following a game he will never forget, Blue will turn his focus to the quarterfinals against Arizona State. If Blue can replicate his performance, then the Longhorns will be hard to beat.