Let's not make this difficult... give Bijan Robinson the ball
I was bummed to hear from longtime OB member Ray Donley that COVID-19, like it has unfortunately done to so many, led to the close of the WYLD GALLERY brick and mortar in downtown Austin. If you never stopped in, you missed out.
However, I was pleased to hear, and then see, Ray’s vibrant gallery of fine Native American art has expanded online, and this week’s column is brought to you by WYLD GALLERY.
WYLD GALLERY is a gallery featuring traditional and contemporary fine art by Native American Artists. The gallery is the part-time retirement gig for Ray Donley, an Austin attorney who has been a lurker on OB since 2002. Ray has been collecting Native American art since the 1980s. He has made friends with a number of Oklahoma Native American Artists, and enjoys ribbing them for their fanatical support of a football team that honors the land thieves who took their land.
You’ll find many affordable options including some as cheap as $35. Seriously. See for yourself at the bottom of this column. That’s an outstanding deal, especially considering many of these artists have been featured at some of the top Native American galleries in the world.
Contemporary Native American paintings are bold, bright, and never boring. And they will look great on the walls of your office or home. Many of the artists in the gallery have pieces in the permanent collections of museums, including the Smithsonian.
Please check out these unique, vibrant paintings at www.WYLD.GALLERY. Treat yourself to some cool art to add some character to your house/office or snag that unique Christmas gift you’re always looking for.
Alright, the writing…
1) Give Bijan Robinson the damn ball…
Hey, did you know Tom Herman and Stan Drayton coached Zeke Elliott? Of course. Because Herman is beginning to mention it as much as an ABC broadcaster sharing Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley were roommates. Herman pointed out, during an interview on 104.9 The Horn Tuesday, Elliott didn’t play much his freshman season when asked about Bijan Robinson’s workload.
Maybe future second-round pick and then Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller, who received 91 Heisman votes at the end of the 2013 season, combining for 379 carries had something to do with that? The following season Elliott was suddenly ready for 273 carries while quarterback J.T. Barrett added 171. Basically, Ohio State used the exact same method as it did previously – feature the dual-threat quarterback and best running back by far more than anyone else.
The next season, Elliott handled 289 carries, and he finished his short Ohio State career with 650 total touches after 33 his freshman season. Quite a workload change. Why did Ohio State repeatedly feed the rock to its best running back and feature the leagues of its dynamic quarterbacks? Probably because they were really, really good and talented players who gained a lot of yards.
This was the first play of last Saturday’s Texas win against West Virginia:
Then, this happened not too long after:
Robinson received just eight more touches until coaches entrusted the freshman, despite workload concerns, to put the win on ice when he snagged a pass and sprinted down the field for 35 yards.
When Robinson touched the ball, Texas averaged an absurdly good 10.8 yards per play. The Longhorns managed just 4.0 yards per play when they didn’t feed the five-star. This doesn’t have to be hard. Hyde isn’t ahead of Robinson. No one is. Keaontay Ingram couldn’t even suit up. Robinson is the guy to feed, and he’s yet to have more than 15 touches in a game.
It’s not like we’re clamoring the five-star freshman receive 40 touches. But anything under 20 seems extremely silly, especially when he’s eating up yards with extremely good efficiency and the passing offense is disappointingly inconsistent. Oh, and especially for a team that wants to establish the run almost to a fault at times. If keeping guys fresh and workloads are of grave concern, maybe giving Ingram, who went through similar load management as a freshman, four-straight touches against TCU, the fourth at the goal line after at least a 52-yard sprint was followed by a 16-yard run within a tempo offense, should be evaluated too.
2) While we’re on the subject of the running game…
Credit Tom Herman, Chris Ash, Mike Yurcich and probably some other coaches too for spending so much time on the running game on both sides of the football following the Oklahoma loss. Texas’s run fits on defense and its defensive line play look markedly better while the team is also anticipating run with greater on success. On offense, it hasn’t always been pretty. Heck, maybe it hasn’t often been. But Texas found some success against a good West Virginia defense and a few more carries for that Robinson guy should help.
The thing I never expected to type about this season: the only thing that’s regressing for Texas is the quarterback play and passing attack. And that could be Herman’s 2020 downfall despite a favorable schedule to finish the season. Texas can’t continue to steal wins because its passing attack is subpar...
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Special thanks to OB and column sponsor WYLD GALLERY. This week's featured Native American art can be purchased for as little as $35. That's a steal. Derek No-Sun Brown's Old School would look great inside your home or business or would make for a unique holiday gift.
