AUSTIN, Texas — With Texas Longhorns junior running back Quintrevion Wisner likely to miss a second straight game due to injury, position coach Chad Scott will have another opportunity to evaluate his running back depth against the UTEP Miners on Saturday.
“I think with the running back position at any level it’s really important to continue the development of players that maybe aren’t the ones that are getting the bulk of the carries in game, because, as we all know, injuries can occur and guys get forced
into action, so you’ve got to make sure that you’re prepping and preparing those guys,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday.
For the Horns, that means another chance to get extended looks at redshirt freshman Christian Clark and sophomore Jerrick Gibson in addition to the potential debut of freshman James Simon.
Against San Jose State, Clark totaled seven carries for 21 yards, struggling to find seams because of some suspect blocking, including a missed blitz pickup by senior center Cole Hutson that Sarkisian noted in his Monday press conference that resulted in a tackle for loss. When Texas went back to the same play later in the game, Hutson executed his block and Clark gained 13 yards, his longest run.
“I thought it was really good for Christian Clark to get in there last week, I think an opportunity for him to watch the tape, see the tape, and then get back to practice this week to make sure he’s running to his style and how runs hit and fit in game,” Sarkisian said.
In preseason camp, Sarkisian noted that Clark should be evaluated as a freshman running back because of the time missed after tearing his Achilles, an injury that delayed his transition period from high school to college.
“Some of those runs the way you ran them in high school, you can’t quite run them the same here. The guys that are trying to tackle you are probably bigger and faster. It’s just the way it goes,” Sarkisian said last month. “Now you’ve got to find those creases, you’ve got to find those five-, six-yard runs. And not every run’s going to bounce and go get 40 — sometimes you got to put your face in there and just go get six yards. And he’s getting better at that. He’s starting to understand that.”
Heading into Saturday’s matchup against UTEP, Sarkisian has challenged the offensive line by using the scout team to deploy the same stunts and stems that allowed San Jose State to disrupt the Texas blocking schemes with the Miners expected to use similar tactics.
Better blocking would in turn allow Clark to reveal whether he’s improved his decisiveness and recovered the twitchiness that made him a top-25 running back nationally in the 2024 recruiting class amidst concerns that he hasn’t recovered his explosiveness 13 months removed from his injury.
Even with the return of redshirt sophomore running back CJ Baxter from his own season-ending injury, Gibson has the most natural physicality as a runner, a trait that translates into more natural decisiveness than Clark currently possesses.
But the 5’10, 206-pounder nicknamed “Baby Rhino” has his own developmental curve he needs to steepen — ball security. Gibson’s fourth-quarter fumble was the fourth of his brief career. With 85 carries over 16 games, Gibson is fumbling once every 21.3 carries. By comparison, former Texas running back Roshon Johnson, the epitome of reliability, had one fumble in 393 career carries.
“I hated it for him last week, because he’s really worked at the ball and he’s a physical runner. He’s not afraid of contact,” Sarkisian said.
The irony of Gibson’s most recent fumble is that it was forced by former Texas safety Larry Turner-Gooden, who transferred to San Jose State two years ago after two years on the Forty Acres.
“That was a very intentional punch on the ball that looked like the way we practice. It was great for him to get that exposure — the moment you think it’s high and tight, it’s not high and tight enough, especially in traffic, and so we’ve got to continue to work with him, because we’re going to need him. He’s going to be an asset for us. His physical running ability is something that we’re going to need as the season progresses,” Sarkisian said.
Gibson finished with 38 yards on seven carries against San Jose State.
Depending on game flow, Simon could see the field for the first time.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing James Simon this week as well. He’s been working very hard,” Sarkisian said.
Through two games, UTEP has played effective run defense, allowing 2.8 yards per carry, including less than four yards per carry by Utah State in the season-opening victory by the Aggies.
