Hint to Mack Brown: The Run Is Passé

The Texas Longhorns finally discovered their missing ground game in the process of pounding Iowa State this past Saturday, but it came at the expense of their ground game. Confused? So were the otherwise elated fans who watched the Burnt Orange crew claim a win that was so easy and relaxed I swear I saw Domino's deliver a pizza to Colt McCoy in the huddle. Expect him to order extra cheese this coming Saturday in Waco against the hopelessly hapless Baylor Bears.

Speaking of McCoy, he was the second leading ground-gainer for the Horns Saturday with 50 yards. No kidding. McCoy’s acrobatic crawl through defenders before taking off on a leisurely 44-yard romp to the end zone in the third stanza was the longest run of the game. The top rusher? Backup QB John Chiles got 54 yards in nine carries. The jury is still out on whether he is physically allergic to the pass.

What about fumble-prone Jamaal Charles? He didn’t start the game as the Texas coaches seemingly decided to chuck the run game altogether in the early going. It worked. McCoy threw for four touchdowns and 298 total yards. And they did it with the long ball, something very much missing this season. Jordan Shipley’s 58-yard reception for a TD to open the game was a thing of beauty. Nate Jones continued his role as Mr. Reliable, nabbing a 29-yard touchdown pass. With all of the balls flying up and down the field, you’d almost forget that Limas Sweed is out for the season. Or that Charles is becoming a backup.

Yes, Charles did score on an eight-yard romp, and he had a decent day for a total 44 yards. But the coaches have apparently realized he is not their star. Backups Vondrell McGee and Chris Ogbonnaya are starting to pass him by and are getting half of their yards catching passes. Sure the coaches are being polite about it, but Charles’ star is waning despite his speed. Frankly this whole running the ball thing may be yesterday’s news for the Horns. Soon it will be a kitschy oddity for the team. Sort of a throwback jersey day item. Their fortunes lie with McCoy, who proved he can hoof it when needed.

Texas can run all over Baylor, which could barely beat Texas State a few weeks back, but will the Horns bother? After all, it’s just another warmup for the cold, cold November stretch about Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and those pesky Aggies. Go long, Longhorns. What have you got to lose at this point?