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The Texas Longhorns (12-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) faced a unique challenge as multiple running backs went down with injuries before the season.
On the surface, it was a crucial blow to an extremely potent, dangerous offense. Yet, senior Jaydon Blue and sophomore Quintrevion Wisner have stepped up to steady the ship and provide a formidable rushing attack as the Longhorns continue their quest for a national championship.
"With them going down, we knew that we had a lot of talent in that room," Blue said as he fielded questions from media members via video conference on Dec. 28. "We knew that guys were going to step up in a big way, and it started with me being the older guy in the room."
Texas Longhorns' Running Duo
Blue and Wisner took plenty of criticism throughout the early portions of the season because of Texas' turnover issues. The running backs dealt with fumbling issues for much of the year, and the coaching staff took extreme measures to fix them — preaching ball security at every practice.
At one point, Blue even had to carry a football around campus with him.
"Carrying the ball around definitely put more confidence in me because, when you walk around with the ball, there's an instinct of putting your other hand over the ball," he explained. "I've been doing that a lot more — whether that's in practice or whether that's in drills that we do in the position room. I think that's helped me a lot and given me more confidence when I'm running the ball. It's helping me play faster, so I think carrying the ball was something big for me."
The methods have carried over to game day for both running backs. Texas has rushed for over 200 yards in three of its last four games, and the duo has amassed 2,210 total yards and 18 total touchdowns on the season.
Blue just turned in his second 100-yard game with 146 yards and 2 TDs against No. 12 Clemson in the College Football Playoff.
Wisner is on the verge of eclipsing 1,000 yards as the Longhorns approach their Jan. 1, 2025 quarterfinal game against No. 4 Arizona State (11-2, 7-2 Big 12 Conference) at 1 p.m. Eastern in the Peach Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The sophomore has come on strong with four 100-yard games, including 505 yards since Nov. 23.
The only team that has been able to effectively stop the Longhorn rushing attack is SEC champion and No. 2-ranked Georgia (11-2, 6-2), which has held Texas to 60 combined rushing yards in two meetings. Texas has amassed at least 100 rushing yards and holds a 12-0 record against all other opponents.
Impact Coaching
There is one coach in particular Blue credits for the successful running game this season: associate head coach and running backs coach Tashard Choice.
Choice has been with the Longhorns since December 2021 and has additional coaching experience at North Texas, with the Dallas Cowboys and in the Texas high school ranks. He was a star at Georgia Tech, finishing as a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference rushing yards leader and the fourth-leading rusher in program history.
He played for six years in the NFL, most notably with the Dallas Cowboys. That kind of success can bring a certain stature to a coaching position that players can trust and admire.
"He's made a huge impact on me. Not only in football but off the field," Blue said. "He's a good guy that I can go to whenever I'm going through something, and we can talk about life. He's just somebody I can lean on, and with football, he's helped me develop in a huge way — whether that's teaching me how to carry the ball, teaching me how to run or teaching me how to run more precise routes. He's probably one of the best coaches that I've had in my football career, and I can admit that he's made a huge impact on me."
Now, it's time for the running backs to continue to bring that impact to the field and help Texas compete for a national championship. When they're on their game, the offense is lethal. But when the backs struggle, so, too, can the Texas offense, particularly against this kind of competition.
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