Texas' RB3 competition rages on as Sarkisian looks for answers in Week 4

Three weeks into the year, Texas football still has several positions for which we’re looking for a bit more clarity.

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Some, like a potential shift in hierarchy at CB2 and Will linebacker, have solved themselves, but there are still a number of spots that remain intriguing. Backup QB is likely Matthew Caldwell’s, but what about the starting left guard or the second tight end?

But if there’s one spot that feels like it will be solved this week, it’s the third running back spot.

Last year, Texas was desperate for a third back in its rotation. Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue were good but one-dimensional in ways. There was little trust behind them, however, making it hard to add value in the running game.

Heading into Week 4, we can feel confident in Wisner and CJ Baxter as Texas’ top two guys, but it’s clear Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is looking for a third back to trust.

Over the last two games, mostly thanks to injury, Texas has given just 20% of touches to Baxter, with Wisner completely on the sideline nursing a leg injury. That’s led to the emergence of three backs: Christian Clark, Jerrick Gibson, and James Simon.

“The one thing that we’re really trying to impress upon them is not just to take the ball and run. Understanding the blocking schemes, the defenses… find where the runs go with the right timing,” Sarkisian said today.

Heading into the season, that was the order of magnitude we expected from their impact. We’ve been singing the praises of Clark in camp and practice for months now, and he was expected to assume that RB3 role. But Gibson, and as of last game Simon, have begun pressing Clark for more touches. Using some of the most important running back stats, here’s how the three compare after two games.

YCO/A = yards after contact per attempt
MTF = missed tackles forced
10+ = No. of runs over 10 yards
1st PCT = % of carries that resulted in a first down

While he does have the least volume, this chart looks very poor for Clark. 1.33 yards after contact per attempt is far and away the worst among 35 SEC RBs with over 15 carries. He’s not running efficiently and isn’t adding to his run.

Simon looks great, especially given Gibson’s fumble. He did get the most work against the weaker of the two teams, but he was adding to runs far more than Gibson and Simon have.

But Sarkisian is asking for more of these backs than purely running. He knows that all three can do that—they were great recruits out of high school for a reason—but he is asking them to bring more into their game. What separates Baxter and Wisner from the three below is the ability to contribute outside of pure runs. In the passing game, whether it be blocking or receiving, as well as having the ability to keep the ball out of harm’s way while breaking arm tackles when the ball is in their hands.

In the air is more of Clark’s bread and butter. He’s been targeted four more times than Simon and Gibson combined. His low yards per route run number is very much a factor of Arch Manning’s inaccuracies; there’s something more there with him. According to PFF, Simon has been the best pass blocker in the group, with Clark not far behind. Gibson, just like last year, is absolutely terrible.

At the current moment in time, Gibson has gotten the most opportunity but is doing the most negative things for this team: fumbles, poor pass blocking, and little impact through the air. Clark is theoretically the best choice, especially given his ability to catch passes, but it hasn’t been there. Simon is such an interesting wrinkle. Through one game, he’s looked like the best back, but that was against a bad UTEP defense in mostly the second half.

The hope is that Sarkisian gives all three an even chance on Saturday. It sounds like both Baxter and Wisner will sit, so can we each get these three 10 runs and two opportunities through the air? It’s impossible to perfectly script that, but you’d like to see all of them get their chances.

There’s a high likelihood that this game decides a lot about the immediate future for these players. Whoever stands out the most on Saturday should be getting nods against Florida, which would then give them the chance to grab carries in a giant matchup against Oklahoma the week after.