Bijan Robinson, running game carries Longhorns to win over Baylor

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AUSTIN – The last ride is always bittersweet. Ask Texas fans. 

The Longhorn faithful in attendance on Friday for the 38-27 win over Baylor watched star running back Bijan Robinson for likely the last time at DKR. They were chanting his name by the end of the game. Robinson, who is the favorite to win the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football, closed out the 2022 regular season with 29 carries for 179 yards and two scores. 

The win wasn’t as easy as the scoreboard suggests. Baylor led 27-24 with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter after a Quinn Ewers fumble was returned for a touchdown by John Mayers. The Longhorns didn’t throw another pass. Robinson and fellow running back Roschon Johnson combined to run the ball on the next 24 plays, as Texas scored twice to take the 11-point lead that iced the game away. 

The win over Baylor improved Texas to 8-4 on the season. The Longhorns become Kansas fans on Saturday because a Jayhawks’ win over Kansas State punches Texas’ ticket to the Big 12 championship game against TCU. Baylor is 6-6 a year removed from winning a Big 12 title. 

THREE THOUGHTS 

The winning formula: Football doesn’t need to be rocket science, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Give your best players the ball in space and let them cook. Steve Sarkisian struggles with that concept at times, but not in crunch time against Baylor. Ewers committed an intentional grounding penalty on the first offensive drive for Texas that resulted in a safety. His fourth-quarter fumble was returned for a touchdown. If the Longhorns were going to win and keep conference title hopes alive, it’d be up to the backfield. They delivered. 

Robinson averaged 6.2 yards a carry. Johnson added 77 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The Longhorns averaged six yards a carry as a team when the yards were adjusted for sacks. Ewers hurt the overall average by recording -48 yards on six carries – five of them were sacks and the other was a touchdown run in the first half. Texas is at its best when it runs the football. Ewers’ struggles forced Sark’s hands, but that was for the best. 

Shapen not sharp: Baylor beats the Longhorns with more consistent play from its sophomore quarterback. Shapen completed 18 of 36 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. For comparison, Ewers had 194 yards passing on 16 attempts. Take away a 47-yard touchdown bomb to Jaylen Ellis in the first quarter and the Bears didn’t record a single catch over 20 yards in the game. Texas focused on stopping the run and figured its secondary could bait Shapen into a few mistakes. An interception by Jaylan Ford – the leading candidate for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year – essentially ended the game in the fourth quarter. 

Baylor bet big on Shapen. Dave Aranda named him the starter in the spring despite the return of Gerry Bohanon after a 12-win 2021. Shapen simply hasn’t lived up to those expectations. His arm talent is unquestioned, but his fundamentals break down and he makes poor decisions at times. He also misses too many easy throws. He’ll need to improve to keep his job ahead of freshman Kyron Drones in the offseason. 

Defense wins championships: If Texas makes it to the Big 12 title game it’ll be because of an improved defense. Robinson gets most of the credit, but he was great last year, and Texas still failed to reach six wins. The defense was one of the worst in program history in 2021. The unit has become one of the best in the Big 12 a year later. The emergence of Ford is a major reason why, but so is improved play along the defensive line. Players such as Keondre Coburn, T’Vondre Sweat, and Moro Ojomo set the tone. That was true again in the win against Baylor. The Bears only gained 101 yards on the ground on 39 carries for a 2.6 yard a carry average. DeMarvion Overshown and Ford combined for 27 tackles. The group registered three sacks and seven tackles for loss. 

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