Well, results of Iowa State game has plenty of blame to go around. Play calling, qb. offensive line, etc, etc, etc..... But the common denominator to our "recent" success has been Foreman. He has 37 viewer yards than Gray as well as 37 fewer carries. Gray, just hasn't lived up to his reputation that we all thought he would. Seems we just keep thinking he will suddenly get some vision, hit the right hole and become what we all thought he would be when recruited. Unfortunately, we have been calling his number the last four years with the same results. Below average running game. Maybe we have decent qb's. Maybe we just ain't got a running back that can support them. Seems our last 2 wins supports this theory. Seems we found one for two games and, when he doesn't play... back to the same crappy offense that we've had for the last 5 years. We start screaming QB!!!, OC can't call plays!!!, OL can't block!! ....but what about running backs? From my TV screen I see over and over, what looks like big holes and then 32 cuts right into the defenders. What seems like time and time and time and time again. Does any defense fear him?? NO When was the last game anybody felt like we where ahead enough that we could just give it to 32 and he'll finish off the game. Have we ever felt this way. Like we did with Ricky? or Earl? Numerous others?? Nope. Yep. We got multiple problems. And running back is now at the top of my list...
I can't fathom why J Gray still gets as many touches as he does considering his production compared to Foreman.
Foreman was in a walking boot all week, it's been reported as "turf toe." He did try to play and had two carries and then came out, he had no push off, on that foot.
Because CS has a man-crush on Gray. Can't even count how many times he's gushed over "J Gray" in press conferences. Gray is the poster child for his system. He's the upper classman who says and does all the right things Charlie stands for. Only problem is he's a mediocre running back on Saturdays. Charlie's got a bipolar sense of loyalty. Little loyalty to most older players in favor of youth and his recruits, but is loyal to a fault in special cases. A lot about the way he does things sends mixed messages to his team, IMHO.
It's really not a RB problem. While I agree that our RBs aren't up to par (by Texas standards or even our own conference), it's the QB and OL that need to be able to play at a high level in order to create space for RBs to operate. So it's a little of Column A, a little of Column B, and more beyond that. Just look at the Denver Broncos. They had what? 8 different guys get 1,000 yards from their Super Bowls to today? Olandis Gary doesn't reek of being a premier back. Our QBs are so bad, it just sets the overall tone for the offense. No one is going to be threatened by a RB who runs a 4.7 if you know he's getting the ball on a weak zone play up the gut every first down. But that same RB can bust out 15-yard gains when the QB is on his game.
Mediocre running backs would be sufficient if the offense were clicking in other areas - or if the other defense was ill prepared. We saw that against OU and against K State. Dump on Gray all you want, but he played more than adequately in both. When running plays are being blown up in the backfield, when there is no real push off the line, then those backs aren't going to perform well. And Gray really struggled in that regard last Saturday. There were a couple of times where he could have taken a gap to the outside but chose to cut back in - probably because popping runs outside has been so ineffective for him this year. He's likely been grilled to go north-south, so he's doing that even when he shouldn't. I get why people are on the Foreman train, but you're seeing something I'm not. As far as I can tell he's a good workhorse back with a nice burst and good vision, and can certainly make plays. But honestly, that 80-yarder against OU was a run that any starting D-1 running back would have made. It was wide open, and OU's defense badly overplayed it. He is not a game-breaker back no matter what anyone says. When you have a defense that knows it can sell out against the run early, then drop eight into coverage, have every one of them watching the QB to read what he does and then react accordingly, you will not succeed. Right now, that's where we are on offense - we are that bad in the passing game. Our WR screens take too long to set up. For whatever reason, we're not throwing any RB wheel routes or comebacks, we don't even try to throw to a tight end because we're max protecting - which by the way sets up your QB to fail in the previous scenario. You're max protecting, sending out three guys into eight-man coverage and surprised that no one's open. Or, you spread it out with five wides, and tell your QB that he gets one read and if it's not there he needs to run. So any defense worth anything is going to scout, see what that read is, take it away and wait for the scramble. That's exactly what Iowa State did. It's not the running backs. It's a combination of bad throwing QBs, and offensive strategy that is designed around bad throwing QBs but still insists that they somehow throw the ball but refuses to put them in positions where they can make easy throws.
Hell, I thought the guy at center was playing tailback. He spent so much time in the backfield, it was hard to tell.
Basically grew up neutral as far as the 'horns went until I was a junior in high school in '72. Been a fan ever since and can't remember a player at any position more disappointing relative to his buildup coming in as a freshman than Gray. In fact can't remember one remotely close. He hasn't had a OL worth a crap these last two years but his first two they were at least adequate. From what I read he played against quality competition during his high school career so it wasn't a "big fish/small pond" thing. I could name thirty RB's for the 'horns I'd take over him without even trying.
IMO there are several true freshmen RBS playing or starting for other teams that are better than Texas RBS.
All I here on this board is that Linemen and QBs suck. If we only had a good QB and lineman we wouldn't have a RB problem so we really don't have a RB problem. The fact is we have 3 drivers- RBs, QB and Lineman (setting aside receivers). We need two of the three to have some success. Need all three for consistent success. Need 2 good and one of the 3 to be great for top 20 success. But you have to see that the only change from the previous 2 good games was at running back. So it tells me the RBs (without Foreman) is a big problem to the near success of this team. He ain't the fastest but has the vision, quickness and strength to make some badly needed tough yards. Consistently he could have put us in Short yardage situations on 3rd down. They start stacking the line to stop the run and then the QB with more options doesn't look so bad. We had none of that Sat night.
Gray was flat out awful. There were at least 3 times he had huge cut back lanes that he doesn't see or can't get to. He should be our 3rd option at running back at this point. I know Foreman was hurt, but Warren is better. It's one thing for Gray to have lost 1/2 a step, but another when he clearly can't see the holes at all. Hell, I'd stick DJ back there instead of giving Gray all those carries.
He was hurt and returned as De La Torre's replacement as an H. Mama was unhappy and raised the specter of a transfer which didn't sit well with the staff.
