Running Back Room

[I Plead Da Fif 240]

Curious to see what everyone's thoughts are on the running backs this year. This is the deepest the room has been in as long as I can remember in terms of guys with upper end talent.

Daniel Young - 6'0 210

Similar body type to Kyle Porter, but does everything we'd want a guy like Kyle Porter to do, much better, except pass protect and that's still TBD. He's a guy who will be able to be consistently leaned on in a running back rotation, regardless of talent that makes it's way to campus in the future. Vision can't be taught. 5.1 YPC on 23 attempts last year.

Toneil Carter - 6'0 205

The one guy on the team with proven big play ability from the back field who is able to play 2 games without getting injured. Sky is the limit for Toneil. He's more inconsistent than Young in what we saw, but to me has shown flashes of a higher ceiling. Quickness and vision is dangerous, and has the highest top end speed of someone who carried the ball last year out of the RB position. 4.9 YPC on 37 attempts last year.

Keaontay Ingram - 6'1 190

He's a freshman. We don't know what to expect. His HS tape shows a quick, elusive, purposed runner, who runs a bit high, but given a set of cutback or counter plays and inside zone to keep the defense honest, could be really dangerous in this offense. In an attempt to compare what someone of his ability and recruiting ranking (247 composite #6, .9324 rating) has shown is capable of in the past 3 years or so as a freshman, we can consider our very own Toneil Carter, Devwah Whaley, Trey Sermon, and Saquon Barkley as players who saw some significant playing time as a freshman. While Saquon is an outlier and Trey Sermon benefitted from having Baker Mayfield under center, it would be a welcome addition to get 5 YPC out of another set of legs in the backfield, especially one with pigskin security and big play ability.

Tre Watson - 247 says 5'11 205, looks shorter

Has the most experience out of the group, minus Kyle Porter, whom I will leave out of this discussion, in large part due to the addition of Tre Watson. I see Watson as a replacement for Kyle Porter in all passing situations where we'd want an experienced RB to help with blitz pickups to go along with someone quick out of the backfield. Hasn't had a single season where he's had 200 carries, but will not be asked to be the primary ball carrier unless he shows out. He has a career rushing average of 5.1 YPC, but given his 2 best and most heavily used seasons out of the backfield were alongside Jared Goff and a 5th year senior Davis Webb, he had a massive benefit and likely took advantage of soft defenses. This can't be understated. Will we want to use him in some different ways than the previous 3: draws and counters out of the shotgun on passing downs, screens and passes to the flat. He's our "keep em honest" RB.

We have a back field with 4 different guys that have different skillsets that Stan Drayton, Herb Hand and Tom Herman need to be able to make good use of to take heat off of Sam and/or Shane and/or Cam (I kid I kid). The talent level is the highest and deepest it's been in a while. We need to take a massive leap forward in the running game, it's the difference between 7-5 and 10-2. And if Kyle Porter sees the field, it should only be in mop up duty after Keaontay needs a rest.

Edited July 10, 2018 by I Plead Da Fif

[GringoSalado 1651]

Appreciate the post and pov but at this point I have a hard time even caring about the RB until I'm convinced our OL won't be utter shit.

[Gene Parmesan 3993]

[Hank_Hill 18533]

Probs throw LJH in there as well based on the spring game.

[Machinator 32098]

Just now, Hank_Hill said:

Probs throw LJH in there as well based on the spring game.

I don't think that's going to be a normal thing going forward, more a function of how bereft our RB room was at the time. We need LJH in the slot.

[Hank_Hill 18533]

Oh for sure. Still bet he sees 10+ situational carries this year. Hopefully 10+ more than Porter.

Edited July 10, 2018 by Hank_Hill

[I Plead Da Fif 240]

17 minutes ago, GringoSalado said:

Appreciate the post and pov but at this point I have a hard time even caring about the RB until I'm convinced our OL won't be utter shit.

And that's fair. I want to think the same thing, however our 2 best returning running backs averaged 5.0 YPC with our shitty oline last year. I'm thinking that at the very least our depth on the oline is better, and given injuries are a near certainty, we should be rolling someone out there better than Tristan Nickelson for half the season.

Edited July 10, 2018 by I Plead Da Fif

[TankedBevo 2482]

Carter has the potential to be a feature back but goddamn he can't hold on to the ball to save his life. 

 

Give me heavy doses of Danny Young and Tre Watson until Carter can prove his hands aren't coated in butter, redshirt Ingram and unleash him next year. 

[I Plead Da Fif 240]

1 hour ago, TankedBevo said:

Carter has the potential to be a feature back but goddamn he can't hold on to the ball to save his life. 

 

Give me heavy doses of Danny Young and Tre Watson until Carter can prove his hands aren't coated in butter, redshirt Ingram and unleash him next year. 

Agree with everything but redshirting Ingram. We should be running the ball more frequently now that we have guys in the backfield that can find a hole in the line we do have or make people miss. If Carter can't get his shit together with respect to keeping the ball clean, that's Ingram's role to lose, and I see at least 3 different roles in our backfield.

More importantly, our return to the promised land is heavily impacted by landing commitments over the next 2 classes from the likes of Noah Cain, Trey Sanders, Zachary Evans. We need to prove to them that we're not stingy with who gets the rock, that yardage can be earned behind our running schemes and against the Big XII, with an oline that is not even elite yet, and that freshman get to eat too. I want to win the playoffs when we get there, not just get there and we do that with elite talent.

Edited July 10, 2018 by I Plead Da Fif

[Gene Parmesan 3993]

No need to redshirt running backs.  They don't want to be redshirting and it's not really going to have much benefit.  Physically it's a position that they can contribute at right away assuming they are physically gifted which all of our RBs should be. 

[TankedBevo 2482]

I was thinking along the lines of reducing the wear and tear that's inevitable but then I think of what Jamaal and Malcolm were able to do as freshman with good to great running backs in front of them and I say fuck it, put him out there and see what happens. 

 

I completely forgot about the 4 game redshirt rule too, making it a no-brainer. 

[Hank_Hill 18533]

That rule is going to make the season so fun. Seeing that badass db class in some garbage time (hopefully) blowouts will be cool.

[I Plead Da Fif 240]

8 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

That rule is going to make the season so fun. Seeing that badass db class in some garbage time (hopefully) blowouts will be cool.

This. Running Backs should never be redshirted, due to their average NFL career being shorter than other positions. We should have running backs that leave after junior years without a redshirt.

With that being said, we get to see what Angilau looks like without burning a shirt (and maybe we need to). We get to see what our loaded DB class looks like. Now we just need to blow out some teams so there’s garbage time.

Edited July 10, 2018 by I Plead Da Fif

[Red Five 40696]

Is there a name for playing a guy four games or less to preserve his redshirt? Like, it’s November 1st and Ingram has played in three games. What’s that called now?

[texifornia 56568]

One note that wasn't explicitly covered - Two of Watson's best attributes are that he's an excellent receiever, and he never, ever fumbles. He adds a unique skillset to our group for sure.

[GoldAppleCorps 617]

From what I've seen, Tre Watson has the work ethic and the understanding of what it takes to compete. He walks like the job is his, and it will be if none of the other guys match his focusness.

Toneil Carter has the "million dollar talent and a ten cent brain" tag creeping up behind him. He can still save himself, but he has to realize that the Longhorn uniform isn't something you take off when you're done with it. The media and the fans follow you everywhere. It may be unfair, but that's your choice when you pick the Burnt Orange. There's someone there for your spot if it's too much. He should be option 1a, instead he's #3 by default.

Daniel Young just does everything right. By rights, he should be a complementary or change of pace back. Thus far, overall offensive ineptitude forces him into the featured role. He's owned it through dedication.

Of course, all of this is tosh if the OL can't open up a gap. Between the return of the TE to the Texas offense and new widebodies, there's every reason to believe that will happen. However, right now it's all just theory.

[jinx 2635]

I'm from Missouri on RBs and the OL until Maryland, but I do like that they added Watson from a seniority point of view.  Young seems like a guy who could be very good with average to above average blocking, since he was decent with dogshit blocking.  Watson seems like a guy who will be a good receiver out of the backfield which was a key to the UH version of Herman's offense, so that is another plus.  I hope Ingram is as good as advertised, because I think the rest of the room are in the JAG category.

[GhostofDanJones 336]

Daniel Young should be the featured back, along with Toniel Carter in rotation.

[txhorns 2408]

I think our running backs will be much improved for these reasons:

1. Kyle Porter should only get playing time in mop up duty

2. Our 2 best backs from last year now have some experience

3. Watson brings experience and leadership to the room

4.  Ingram should be a solid back that doesn't have to be the man year 1

5. Kyle Porter should only get playing time in mop up duty

6. Improved offensive line play, partially due to hopefully fewer injuries

7. The ability of our backs as a group to catch the ball

8.  Fuck Kyle Porter and the horse he rode in on

[Steamboat1874 4037]

You left out our best runner......Sam.

[GhostofDanJones 336]

10 minutes ago, txhorns said:

I think our running backs will be much improved for these reasons:

1. Kyle Porter should only get playing time in mop up duty

2. Our 2 best backs from last year now have some experience

3. Watson brings experience and leadership to the room

4.  Ingram should be a solid back that doesn't have to be the man year 1

5. Kyle Porter should only get playing time in mop up duty

6. Improved offensive line play, partially due to hopefully fewer injuries

7. The ability of our backs as a group to catch the ball

8.  Fuck Kyle Porter and the horse he rode in on

So you're saying we'll only see Kyle Porter play against Tulsa?

[txhorns 2408]

12 minutes ago, GhostofDanJones said:

So you're saying we'll only see Kyle Porter play against Tulsa?

Hopefully not even then

[CooterBrown 17943]

Hopefully not even then

Only on plays that require zero yards gained.

[Longboard Horn 40172]

Hopefully (based on what we saw in the spring game) Breck gets a few carries.

[Longboard Horn 40172]

Just now, CooterBrown said:

 

Only on plays that require zero yards gained.

 

Put him in for victory formation 

[Longboard Horn 40172]

If we need to put in a back, Tim Yoder over Kyle Porter.

[txhorns 2408]

Just now, CooterBrown said:

 

Only on plays that require zero yards gained.

 

I said mop up duty, as in mopping up the runny eggs in the cafeteria only.

[Longboard Horn 40172]

6 minutes ago, txhorns said:

I said mop up duty, as in mopping up the runny eggs in the cafeteria only.

Or mopping up the showers in the locker room

[Vito Andolini 9115]

3 hours ago, Red Five said:

Is there a name for playing a guy four games or less to preserve his redshirt? Like, it’s November 1st and Ingram has played in three games. What’s that called now?

Oddly enough, the phrase is, “Don’t let the player hit the Red Five, or we’re screwed!”

[Machinator 32098]

 

[Machinator 32098]

 

[Gene Parmesan 3993]

25 minutes ago, Machinator said:

 

Stay healthy and keep feeding the pythons.

[Machinator 32098]

 

[Zavala 1384]

I been sayin' it. We need Ingram and any of these WRs/Athletes that can get wide and run with the ball.