4 reasons to be optimistic about Texas football heading into bye week

Bijan Robinson continues to perform at a Heisman-caliber level

There’s still no doubt in my mind that the most talented running back in all of college football this fall is star Texas junior Bijan Robinson. In the loss to Oklahoma State, Bijan continued to prove why he is one of the most capable and versatile running backs in the entire country.

Bijan registered more than 200 total yards and two touchdowns in the win over Oklahoma State. He also put up a double-digit number of missed tackles forced for the third game in a row.

At this point of the season, Bijan leads the FBS in total yards from scrimmage (1,200). And he ranks second in the FBS in total touchdowns (13).

If Texas is able to win three or more games down the stretch this season, I would be mortified if Bijan didn’t finish in the top 10 of the Heisman voting. He’s clearly proving to be one of the most valuable skill players in the country.

In fact, coming out of Week 8, Bijan is the only Big 12 running back with a usage rate higher than 30 percent and more than .25 predicted points added (PPA). There are only two other running backs that were able to pull off such a feat so far this season (Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda and Syracuse’s Sean Tucker).

Bijan is taking his game to another level this fall in terms of his ability as a receiver out of the backfield and continuing to do damage to opposing defenses running the ball.

As long as Texas has the duo of Bijan and senior running back Roschon Johnson leading the way for this backfield, I will feel confident about how this team can respond coming out of a bye week and a loss.