Texas Longhorns RB CJ Baxter Impresses As Jonathon Brooks Replacement In Iowa State Win

CJ Baxter ran for a career-high 117 yards as the Longhorns punched their ticket to the Big 12 Championship

CJ Baxter chose an ideal time to remind the country why he was the top running back coming out of high school during the 2023 recruiting cycle. 

And he might have done more depending on how the Texas Longhorns look over their next two games. 

Baxter, who made his first start since Week 2's win over Alabama, glided past multiple Iowa State defenders to secure the 26-16 win at Jack Trice Stadium. Baxter ran for a season-high 117 yards on 20 carries and led the team in receptions with five catches, albeit for 13 yards. 

“Everything I've been through since I've been here helped me get to where I was tonight,” Baxter said postgame. “Going through the injury, JB (Brooks) taking the No. 1 one spot, and then just learning from him (Brooks) every day. He helped me get to this point tonight.”

Trusting the run game came with a sense of concern heading into Saturday's showdown. Brooks, who eclipsed over 1,000 rushing yards as the new feature back in place of Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson, suffered a torn ACL in last week's win over TCU. 

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said the offensive game plan wasn't expected to change, only the rep count. Prior to last Saturday's win in Fort Worth, Baxter hadn't totaled more than 15 carries per contest since Week 5's win over Kansas at DKR. 

But Baxter, who initially won the starting job over Brooks for the season-opener, pushed forward for multiple first-down runs that set the tone for No. 7 Texas (10-1, 7-0 Big 12) to jump out to a 15-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

Baxter broke free for six runs over 10 yards. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry and set up a game-sealing 42-yard field goal from Bert Auburn with 6:14 remaining. 

Texas Longhorns ahead of their game against Iowa State :: Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

“To get the ball, possess the ball and then get that field goal was a really big drive in the game,” Sarkisian said. “And Bert Auburn does it again.”

The Longhorns' offense will remain balanced heading into their final regular season Big 12 matchup against Texas Tech on Friday. Quinn Ewers looked poised in his second game back from injury, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Whittington gave glimpses of his sure-fire route-running while tight end Gunner Helm tacked on another touchdown to extend Texas' lead by 14. 

An opportunity for Baxter finally presented itself for the first time significant time since suffering his foot injury in September. He took it and ran. 

Quite literally.