Texas football vs. OK State: 4 reasons the Horns can dominate in Stillwater
Bijan Robinson can dominate a lacking Oklahoma State run defense
Among the biggest reasons for optimism against Oklahoma State for the Longhorns faithful this weekend should be the force that is star junior running back Bijan Robinson.
Bijan just managed to nearly double the next-highest rusher against that tough Iowa State defense in terms of rushing yards in a single game last weekend. He picked up more than 170 total yards from scrimmage, 141 of which were rushing yards, in the three-point win over Iowa State.
No other running back had managed even 80 rushing yards against the Cyclones this season.
If Bijan was able to do that against an Iowa State defense that was allowing barely more than 91 rushing yards per game leading into that game this season, imagine what he could do to an Oklahoma State defense that had the two worst games thus far in run defense in the last two weeks. Oklahoma State allowed more than 220 rushing yards, more than five yards per carry, and three rushing scores to the Frogs last weekend.
Oklahoma State also allowed nearly 375 rushing yards and five rushing scores in the last two games. And none of the running backs that the Pokes faced in the last two games even come close to matching the ability of Bijan.
Thank You Cowboy Nation🧡 #BEGreat pic.twitter.com/pLADqPiW7v
— 🅱️rendon J. Evers (@b_evers_98) October 20, 2022
To make matters even worse for Oklahoma State, the interior defensive line took a big hit on Oct. 20 with the announcement that redshirt senior defensive tackle Brendon Evers is done with the program to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Evers had taken the most snaps in run defense among Oklahoma State interior defensive linemen this season. And he is the second-highest-graded interior defensive lineman in run defense for the team.
It goes without saying that losing Evers will leave a large void in the middle of that Oklahoma State defensive line when trying to defend the likes of Bijan and senior running back Roschon Johnson this weekend.
This is amounting to what could be a massive game for Bijan. If there was a time for him to prove his Heisman worthiness down the stretch this season, now would be it.