Texas Football: Prepare for a massive performance from Daniel Young
What the supporting cast can do
Watson and Young are again the listed starters at running back, which some might not considered warranted after the first week. Ingram had a nice showing in limited action in the first week. Yet, Texas can’t ditch the notion that Young could be the long-term starter at running back just after one week of averaging 3.4 yards per carry.
Overall, this Texas offense needs to run the ball more if the production is the same as last week or better. It seemed like offensive coordinator Tim Beck abandoned the ground game too early. Or, if it was Herman calling the plays after the first quarter, he put too little emphasis on the ground game.
The value that Young serves to this offense is a bigger back that can run between the tackles with a ton of grit. That’s something that Watson and Ingram do not bring to the table. Even junior Kyle Porter has a different skill set than that of Watson, Ingram, and Young. That’s a good thing for the Horns to have a diverse set of rushers to work with.
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An ideal world would have Watson, Ingram, and Young all combining for at least 200 rushing yards in a dominant win over Tulsa. That would also allow some other running backs like Carter, Porter, and junior Kirk Johnson to get some work. A more realistic expectation would put Young as potentially the leader in rushing yards with around 70-100 yards and one touchdown. We’ll see how these three can combine to be effective.