Per usual, there were some good things to come out of the weekend, in a close 48-45 loss to Texas Tech, namely the emergence of Chris Warren III. His Texas-freshman record 276 yards – Texas’ most improbable breakout of the season – powered the otherwise anemic offense through driving rains and won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
You can always tell when a season’s nearing its denouement, with attrition being telltale sign No. 1, players dropping like flies at (seemingly) the slightest contact. Longhorns continuously came up lame on every series, some returning, and others likely out for the season – though nothing deemed long-term.
There’s something of an inevitability with the injuries, with Texas operating under the understood premise that they had no options – playing with brute physicality was option A, B, and C. Lack of big plays in the passing game transformed Texas into a triple-option team disguised as a spread/read unit. What’s left is a M.A.S.H. unit, stuck together with duct tape.
Out for the Horns’ finale against the wounded-but-talented Baylor Bears: running backs D’Onta Foreman and Kirk Johnson, offensive guard Patrick Vahe, and linebacker Peter Jinkens. (Foreman and Vahe were scratches for Tech. Jinkens and Johnson suffered knee injuries, and, apparently, quarterback Jerrod Heard was concussed during the contest. Though cleared for practice, Heard’s undergoing something akin to the NFL’s “concussion protocol.”)
Defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway and star linebacker Malik Jefferson – who’s suffered from a stomach ailment for most of the second half of the season – are listed as questionable with ankle injuries. Still suffering from turf toe, senior running back Johnathan Gray is expected to play in his last game as a Longhorn.
Gray’s injury has been particularly saddening and fitting for what’s happening to Texas football over the past four years, full of tumult and ongoing renewal. The last of Brown’s great recruits, Gray never got the opportunity to shine after his lauded high school career at Aledo, where he was a two-time national high school player of the year.
Never quite getting started, he was supposed to be the next great Texas running back, carrying the torch from Williams and Charles. It obviously didn’t happen, as something was always in the way of his assured greatness.
But why? Was it the untimely injuries? Could be – he had the Achilles issue in 2013, where he was primed for a 1,000-plus yard season.
Was it the offense around him? There’s something to that as well, mainly in the offensive line, which wasn’t as strong as it had been. There’s some quality, but there haven’t been any Leonard Davises in the four years Gray’s been on campus. The decline in top-end quarterback and lack of downfield play surely hurt Gray’s chances.
It could very well have been Gray himself, occasionally indecisive of where to slice and dice defenses ready for the grating. He will finish with a well-earned degree, but he will always be a great “what-if” within the annals of Texas football.
All of this said, I believe he will be a much better pro than collegiate player, similar to Priest Holmes and Arian Foster. (Yes, I said it.) He is that talented, and talent doesn’t leave you unless you leave it in a corner somewhere, like so many others have.
When his lines weren’t being pushed backward, he ran with explosiveness and authority. When all was well, Gray was a man with the rock. Look at his Wikipedia page, then look at the circumstances throughout his tenure. A dominant player is in still there, and some team will be smart enough to give him a shot.
I’m not a betting man, but call me a believer.
LAST SHOT:
It comes down to this.
Actually, it doesn’t. Let’s be honest about what this season was: a season of repetition and experience. Anyone with realistic expectations knows six wins was this team’s ceiling, and they’ve managed to get through the season without any career- or even season-ending injuries to crucial players.
Hopefully, the team goes out with a bang – of a euphemistic variety, because they can’t afford additional injuries. Though likely headed to the Sugar Bowl, Baylor is currently down to their 3rd-string quarterback, strong-armed freshman Chris Johnson.
This would be prime time for another upset, but unless the Texas front seven can quickly rattle the young and green Johnson early, Baylor’s team speed should overwhelm the Horns.
Here’s to a shot in the dark. Texas catches Baylor, who’s likely already looking ahead, asleep at the wheel. Texas wins 35-31.
Why not?
This article appears in November 27 • 2015.
