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Texas Tech football: Top 5 offensive weapons Tech will face this season

By Matthew Conner

Dec 29, 2020; San Antonio, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson (5) scores on a 21-yard touchdown run against the Colorado Buffaloes during the fourth quarter of the Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2020; San Antonio, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson (5) scores on a 21-yard touchdown run against the Colorado Buffaloes during the fourth quarter of the Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 9, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson (5) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners safety Pat Fields (10) defends during the game at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson (5) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners safety Pat Fields (10) defends during the game at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

UT running back Bijan Robinson

It has become a bit of a joke for Big 12 fans to point out how many high-profile recruits have gone to Texas and disappointed.  But one former All-American recruit who has lived up to his billing in Austin is running back Bijan Robinson and he will be the best offensive player Tech will face in 2022.

The nation’s top running back recruit in the class of 2020, he’s now expected to be the best running back in the NCAA as a junior.  Fortunately, this should be his last year in the college game.

A season ago, he ran for 1,127 yards and 11 TDs while catching 26 balls for 295 yards and four more TDs.  What’s more, he averaged 6.4 yards every time he touched the ball.

Of course, Tech fans probably still have nightmares of Robinson after what he did to the Red Raiders in 2021.  Amassing 191 yards in total, he averaged 7.6 yards per carry on his way to 137 rushing yards.

Interestingly, the Big 12 is not mirroring the NFL in the sense that as the conference is more and more dominated by running backs, those players’ value has fallen in the NFL.  In fact, in the 2022 draft, no running back was taken in the first round.  What’s more, in the last three drafts, only three running backs have been taken in the first round.

But many think that Robinson could be a sure-fire first-round pick next spring.   That’s because he has the size (6-foot, 215 pounds) and speed to be both a workhorse and a game-breaker at the next level.

SI.com recently ranked Robinson as the top running back in the nation.  And he certainly fits the bill.  So despite the fact that Texas will feature a dynamic set of wide receivers this year, everything the Horns do on offense should revolve around their star running back.  And if Tech wants to find a way to beat UT in the Big 12 opener in week four, they had better do a better job on Robinson than they did last year.

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