3 Texas underclassmen poised to breakout vs. OU

Tre Wisner, RB

Despite all of Texas' success this season, this ground game has been, at times, a cause for concern.

Those concerns started in fall camp when expected starter CJ Baxter and true freshman Christian Clark both suffered season-ending injuries. It has been up to Jaydon Blue, Tre Wisner and Jerrick Gibson to shoulder the load.

Texas is averaging 191.4 rushing yards per game (30th in the nation) and 5.0 yards per carry (35th in the nation). Nothing to scoff at, but given the way these games have played out and the talent of the offensive line, I would expect these numbers to be better.

Against Mississippi State, Blue coughed up the ball twice, letting the Bulldogs hang around late into the third quarter. Although Coach Sark has praised Blue's bounce back in practice, it is human nature to lose a little trust in him as you enter one of the biggest games on your schedule.

Sophomore Tre Wisner, who saw a career-high in snaps in the win over Mississippi State, has a chance to stake his claim as RB1 with a big performance against the Sooners.

Wisner has 32 carries for 160 yards this season but is coming off that 13-carry, 88-yard performance against Mississippi State. The DeSoto (Texas) native is a tough runner who rarely goes down at first contact. In fact, 115 of his 160 yards this season have come after contact.

While it remains to be seen who will start at running back on Saturday, I would not be shocked to see Wisner out-snap Blue.

Last year at the Cotton Bowl, Wisner saw ten snaps (all on special teams). However, do not expect the moment to be too big for him. Wisner's passion and lunch pail mentality cannot be understated in a game of this magnitude.

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