Texas football vs. Kansas: 4 reasons the Horns dominate in Lawrence

Bijan Robinson’s bounceback tendencies

What we saw from star junior running back Bijan Robinson on just a dozen carries against the Horned Frogs last weekend was pretty stunning. Bijan went for nearly a career-low 29 rushing yards on just 12 carries, with no rushing touchdowns.

That was Bijan’s lowest number of carries against a Big 12 foe since his true freshman campaign in 2020.

What made TCU so successful in terms of limiting Bijan’s production on the ground was pretty simple. The Horned Frogs just stacked the box, especially in the second half, with eight or nine defenders and made Texas beat them through the air.

And that was clearly something that Texas wasn’t able to do.

Yet, I imagine that Sark will find a way to get Bijan involved against Kansas in other ways than just using him to run up the middle against a stacked box. I had plenty of issues with the way that Sark utilized Bijan in such a limited fashion last weekend, and I don’t think that will happen again.

And given the way that Bijan has responded this season in games following Texas losses, it looks like he could be set up for a big game on Nov. 19. He’s averaged around 164 rushing yards per game, two rushing scores, and seven yards per carry in the last three games following Texas losses on the season.

I mentioned in the last part of the list that Kansas’ rushing defense is one of the worst in the FBS this season.

Kansas doesn’t have the bodies up front, with its four-down line, to stop a running back like Bijan. TCU is a much more capable team along the defensive front than Kansas, which is one of the reasons why I think Bijan is primed to bounce back this weekend.

Another reason why I think Bijan is in for a big game is the fact that Kansas linebackers aren’t very good in pass coverage. There isn’t a single Kansas linebacker that ranks among the 10 highest graded defenders in pass coverage at the position in the Big 12 this season.

The lackluster play of the Kansas linebackers in pass coverage should give Bijan some opportunities to pick up yards in other ways than just getting touches on the ground this week.

If Sark can get the Kansas defense on its toes early, Bijan should be in for another 100-rushing yard performance. And he could add some yards through the receiving game if he gets more usage than a week ago through the air.