Texas Longhorns Football Report Card: Running Backs

The Texas Longhorns football report card continues with the grading of the running back position.

When Charlie Strong took over the Texas program, running back Malcolm Brown was a crucial piece to the offensive puzzle. Strong needed Brown to return for his senior year to stabilize an important part of the offensive plan for the brand new offense – running the ball.

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Brown chose to return to Austin rather than test the NFL waters. It turned out to be both a blessing and a curse for the popular running back.

It wasn’t long into Strong’s tenure that Joe Bergeron and Jalen Overstreet were dismissed from the team. This left the Texas backfield extremely thin. After Brown, it was Jonathan Gray and true freshmen. And Gray was still working his way back from an Achilles injury suffered in October, 2013.

Throughout the spring, reports were that Brown was excelling in Shawn Watson’s new offense. He was the best offensive player on the field. With questions at quarterback, it looked like the Texas offense would feature Brown prominently, especially with Gray still on the mend.

Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Malcolm Brown (28) runs during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

In the opener versus North Texas, Brown had a modest day – 13 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Texas threw the ball more than most fans expected that night. David Ash was efficient while moving the offense, and it looked like Brown would be a nice compliment to the passing attack.

Well, Ash’s season ended that night. With it went Texas’ best chance at having a vertical passing game. Perhaps the bigger loss was center Dominic Espinosa. Espinosa was the rock for a young offensive line. He was the glue that was expected to keep the unit together and not falling apart at the seams.

With Ash and Espinosa done for the year, defenses took away the run game. An inexperienced offensive line – without its field general – could not muster much of a push. The result was Brown was stacked up along the line of scrimmage. He had just 28 yards on 14 carries against BYU. He managed 69 yards on 14 carries in the game with UCLA. Even against Big 12 doormat Kansas, Brown struggled with just 29 yards on 12 carries. The offensive line couldn’t create openings for Brown or Gray, forcing both backs to try and create their own big play opportunities. These mostly fizzled into no gain or even loss of yardage.

Things began to pick up for Brown in the Oklahoma game. A more vertical passing game – and much better blocking – allowed Brown to achieve a season high in carries (19) and yards (78). He followed this up with a 72-yard, two touchdown rushing performance in the victory over Iowa State.

Brown’s best game came in the win over Texas Tech. He had his first 100-yard rushing game (116) and his first game with 20 or more carries (22). He also scored his last two touchdowns as a Longhorn.

It took Gray a little while to get going. The junior had a few long runs, but most of his carries netted few yards. He just didn’t look like himself early in the season. The offensive line’s poor play didn’t help. His best games, however, came in November.

Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Jonathan Gray (32) carries the ball against the Baylor Bears during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Gray ran for 76 yards and a score against Texas Tech. He was a touchdown machine versus West Virginia, scoring three times while rushing for 101 yards on just 10 carries. He was no match for the Oklahoma State defense when he rushed for 81 yards and a score. Gray had five touchdowns in a three-game span.

That would be as good as it got, though. Gray had 11 carries for 0 yards in the TCU debacle. In the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl, Gray disappeared like the rest of the offense. He finished the game with six carries for nine yards.

Fans got a glimpse of the future with the gradual introduction of D’Onta Foreman. The true freshman did not play in six of the first seven games. He started to see sporadic action, starting with Kansas State, where his poor pitch to Jaxon Shipley thwarted a potential scoring drive for Texas. He was sparred seeing the field against TCU and Arkansas. Fans will be anxious to see what Foreman can do in the spring.

Overall, Brown and Gray had their moments. But neither could build any momentum behind a suspect line. Several games Texas played from behind, meaning the run game was limited – or even abandoned – in many cases. This made for a rather bland year from the running backs.

Poor quarterback play and offensive line instability stymied any hopes of a dominating run game. It turned into a lost season for both Brown and Gray, one in which they had little chance of making their mark on a rich Texas tradition of great running backs.

Grade: C

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