Texas’ Raleek Brown Emergence Could Rewrite the Longhorns’ Season

A victory with playoff stakes

Texas earned a 34-20 win over Missouri, keeping pace in the College Football Playoff picture and delivering a statement for the program. The victory came through hard work, with Arch Manning playing his best game of the season.

At the same time, Brown has continued to establish himself in the offense while Smothers is injured. His growing role could shift Texas’ season outlook if his strong play continues.

Rushing numbers show improvement

Texas has lacked a dangerous rushing attack this season. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has stressed the need for balance to create opportunities for the passing game. Including the Missouri game, Texas averages 135 rushing yards per game, placing it in college football’s bottom 35. Against Power Four opponents, the average is 113.4 yards; across the first three conference games, it was 94.

Smothers was the featured back in those early matchups. In the last three games, with Brown in that role, Texas has averaged 123 rushing yards per game.

Brown contributes on ground and air

Brown has 92 carries for 452 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He ran for more than 100 yards against Ole Miss and had 85 against Missouri, the two highest single-game rushing totals by a Longhorn this season.

He also caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown against Missouri. His work as a runner and receiver helped him take most of the backfield workload, with 17 of the team’s 28 rushing attempts.

A possible step forward

Brown showed his vision on a run against Missouri, moving carefully in the backfield before following left tackle Andre Cojoe. The performance added to the case for Brown as an increasingly important option. If Brown keeps developing and Manning can repeat the style of play he showed against Missouri, Texas’ offense could improve at a critical point in the season.