Running game comes alive for Texas
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By Jimmy Burch
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
WACO, Texas — Texas quarterback Colt McCoy enjoyed a milestone victory Saturday without having to do his usual share of the heavy lifting.
Instead, McCoy's most taxing duty, with rare exception, involved handing the ball to tailbacks Cody Johnson and Tre' Newton.
Especially Johnson, the 242-pounder who bowled through the Bears' defense for a career-high 109 yards and two touchdowns in leading No. 2 Texas to a 47-14 victory that served two notable purposes.
—It gave McCoy his 42nd career victory as a starting quarterback, tying the NCAA record of Georgia's David Greene.
—It showed upcoming opponents that the Longhorns are capable of controlling an opponent with their ground game.
For Texas, which had more rushing yards (224) than passing yards (187) for only the second time this season, that is a novel concept.
But it is something that could prove useful — perhaps essential — if the Longhorns (10-0, 6-0 in Big 12) continue winning and face an elite defensive team in the BCS national championship game.
That description hardly fits Baylor (4-6, 1-5). The Bears entered Saturday's game ranked 82nd nationally in run defense, giving up 160.7 yards per game. Texas, which managed only 67 rushing yards in last week's 35-3 victory over Central Florida, had 150 in the first half while building a 40-0 lead.
The Longhorns topped the 200-yard mark by the end of the third quarter, at which point Johnson (19 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs) and Newton (7 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD) were done for the day.
What does it mean, in the grand scheme of things? That's hard to tell.
Texas coaches hope it means the slimmed-down Johnson, who reported to fall camp at more than 260 pounds, can become an every-down threat instead of a short-yardage specialist. Saturday's workload also included three receptions for 19 yards. Both figures were season highs.
McCoy, who threw for 181 yards in less than three quarters, trumpeted Johnson as a potential "workhorse" who can end the Longhorns' revolving door at the tailback position.
Saturday marked Johnson's first start of the season, making him the fourth back to handle that role for Texas this season.
"Cody's a guy who's going to fight for yards and he's never going to make negative yards," McCoy said. "When you can get him running downhill, it wears out the defense. He came up big for us. He played well. We expect that out of him."
Greg Davis, the Longhorns' offensive coordinator, was more guarded in his praise.
He said Johnson "played really well" but acknowledged that a triple-digit day rushing effort against Baylor does not mean the team's on-again, off-again ground attack has found its new featured back.
Asked what he'd tell players in light of Saturday's 224-yard rushing effort, Davis said: "I'll tell them we're continuing to grow. Now, we need to take this and move forward with it."
Don't be surprised if Texas moves forward with larger doses of Newton, a redshirt freshman from Southlake Carroll, than Johnson as the season unfolds. Newton, seeing his first extended action since suffering a concussion Oct. 10 against Colorado, mixed in a 45-yard touchdown run in which he left safety Mike Hicks grasping for air about eight yards downfield before sprinting untouched into the end zone.
"The coaches always tell us, 'When you get to the safety, it's your job to make him miss. That's why you're on scholarship,'" said Newton, son of former Dallas Cowboys' offensive lineman Nate Newton.
Had Johnson been carrying on that play, the ball probably never gets to the end zone.
Johnson lacks Newton's shake-and-bake skills in the open field, as well as his cutting ability.
Johnson averaged 5.7 yards per carry against Baylor, with runs of 16, 14 and 12 yards. He did most of his damage between the tackles, including touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards. He was not tackled for a loss.
"With us running the ball like we did today, that opened up a lot of eyes," Johnson said. "It was great to show the world and other teams that we're not just one-dimensional with the passing game. If we can run the ball like that every weekend, teams have to prepare for us harder."
Down the stretch, that is the fresh wrinkle Texas coaches hope they can add with a consistent ground game. Coach Mack Brown said the Longhorns' offense "needed balance" to minimize the reliance on recurring connections from McCoy to Jordan Shipley, two of which resulted in touchdowns Saturday.
Brown said coaches "feel like we found a few things" against Baylor, starting with Johnson's power runs and the return to prominence of Newton. Look for both to be used in tandem in the coming weeks, although Johnson's lack of elusiveness may make Newton a better bet to make the telling plays against stingier defenses.
Davis said he is especially enamored with Newton's ability to "always make positive yards . . . (even) when there's not anything there."
But against Baylor, Johnson proved more than adequate. He also stressed that he did not consider his 109-yard effort anything special.
"Any of our backs can do that," Johnson said. "Any of us can do that behind this offensive line."
Saturday, Johnson did it better than anyone else.
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(c) 2009, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
