Sarkisian right about Bijan Robinson not getting enough attention nationally

Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian answered questions during his Monday press conference on Oct. 10 following his team’s dominant shutout win in the Red River Rivalry game on Oct. 8 over the Oklahoma Sooners. There was plenty for Sarkisian to be happy about during his Monday press conference this week.

Yet, there was still the attitude of this team having plenty to prove on the field for the rest of the season. While Texas did look good in the last two weeks to get the team off the ground in Big 12 play, the challenges are far from over for this season.

And one player that definitely has something to prove on the national scene in Sark’s eyes is star junior running back Bijan Robinson, or at least that was the tone he struck early this week.

When asked about how he felt about the attention Bijan is getting on the national scene, here is what Sark had to say.

"“Probably doesn’t get enough national recognition but we’ve got a long way to go. We know what he’s capable of, he’d never tell you that. I think he’s got 11 touchdowns now in the first half of the season. He’s gone over 100 yards I think for the last four games. He’s had over 100 yards combined in every game that we’ve played. I think he’s scored a touchdown in every game that we’ve played this season, with everybody knowing, ‘There’s No. 5,’ and we know everybody’s gameplan is to try to shut down No. 5.”"

You can definitely tell that Sark recognizes what Bijan has done for this team so far this season. He harped on a lot of what Bijan is doing well for this team and how it is showing up in the stat sheet. Sark also talked about his humility and how Bijan will essentially always feel like there’s more he can do for this team.

Moreover, I believe Sark is onto something here by saying that Bijan is not getting enough love on the national scene. There are a few reasons why this is the case.

Steve Sarkisian has a point when talking about Texas football RB Bijan Robinson

First off, a good indication of how a player’s value is being viewed on the national stage is the Heisman odds. The most updated Heisman odds coming out of Week 6 of the college football season doesn’t even have Bijan ranked among the top dozen players.

In fact, the most recent Heisman odds from FanDuel list Bijan with the same odds as redshirt freshman Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. Given how Ewers just missed three consecutive starts recovering from a clavicle sprain he suffered back on Sep. 10 against the Alabama Crimson Tide, that is pretty ludicrous.

We’re talking about a player in Bijan that ranks second in the FBS in total touchdowns from scrimmage (11) and fourth in total yards from scrimmage (848). He’s also averaging seven yards per touch this season.

Here are two running backs that either have the same Heisman odds as Bijan at this point of the season or better:

• Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama: 752 yards (8.7 yards per touch), 5 TDs
• Travis Dye, USC: 685 yards (6.7 yards per touch), 6 TDs

To me, this is a clear sign that Bijan is getting some level of disrespect in the latest Heisman odds.

Another reason why I believe that Bijan is the conversation surrounding running backs right now. It seems like there is a lot of rhetoric surrounding guys like Ohio State’s Miyan Williams and Michigan’s Blake Corum as some of the best running backs in the country (check the PFF College tweet below).

This felt like a bit of an early declaration saying that Corum is the best running back in the entire country, especially from a group like PFF.

Bijan has more yards after initial contact, total yards, and missed tackles forced than those two. And that came when essentially every team has loaded up the box against Bijan this season.

I firmly believe that with the return of Ewers to the lineup against Oklahoma last weekend that Bijan is going to have a really big season. When Ewers is leading the way for this offense, it doesn’t allow opposing defenses to devote as much attention to loading up the box and stopping the run against Texas.

Despite having some tough defenses that he’s faced through the first half of the season, Bijan is still playing with an incredible level of consistency and could be set up for a massive stretch run in Big 12 play.

I fully back Sark for what he is saying about Bijan still not getting as much love and attention as he deserves on the national scene at this point of the regular season.

Texas is currently sporting a record of 4-2 (2-1 Big 12) following the dominant win over OU in Red River on Oct. 8. Next up for Bijan and the Longhorns is a matchup at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 15 against the Iowa State Cyclones.