Longhorns Country

Texas Running Back Bijan Robinson Named National Offensive Player of the Week

The sophomore put on a show in his season debut and the rest of the country has taken notice

Zach Dimmitt

It's been a highly anticipated wait for the start of the college football season, as Saturday's slate of games gave fans across the country some memorable finishes and star-studded performances. 

The Texas Longhorns (1-0) were right in the mix, picking up their first win of the season in a 38-18 victory over Louisiana. As a whole, the team played excellent football, but how could anyone ignore the brilliance displayed by Texas running back Bijan Robinson?

Robinson, who is arguably one of the most exciting players in college football and a potential Heisman candidate, proved why on Saturday and it looks like the rest of the country has officially taken notice. 

The sophomore star was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday morning after having one of the best games of his young college career.

READ MORE: Texas Football: Five Offensive Takeaways From Home Opener

It was a busy day for Robinson, who rushed 20 times for 103 yards and one score on the ground. He was also Texas' second-leading receiver on the day, hauling in four catches for 73 yards and another touchdown. 

The effortless athletic ability from Robinson was a marvel to witness throughout the afternoon. He spun off of would-be tacklers on numerous possessions and displayed a gliding cutting-ability in the open field that had the Cajun defense on its heels.

Even when the Louisiana front seven would breakthrough, Robinson showed consistent poise to stay on his feet and limit his losses in the backfield.

The usage of Robinson's skill set in the passing game was expected, but he outperformed these expectations and then some. He was used in bubble screen action and even had a catch-and-run of 18 yards late in the third quarter as he lined up in the slot for a deep inside slant.

The versatility was everything Longhorn fans have been dying to see, but the most valuable takeaway from Robinson's performance was the overall usage for the running back that new head coach Steve Sarkisian has been promising all offseason.

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READ MORE: Recapping the Texas Longhorns Defense in Win Over Louisiana

In his first career game under Sarkisian, Robinson set career-highs for carries (20), receiving yards (74), and total touches (24). To put things into perspective, he never eclipsed 20 touches during his freshman season under Tom Herman. 

Robinson's numbers could have been more loaded, but Sarkisian elected to rest him for most of the second half in favor of running backs Roschon Johnson and Alabama transfer Keilan Robinson. Had the game been closer, who knows what kind of stat-line the Tucson native would have put together?

A season-opening win tends to produce a ton of excess hype, especially for Longhorn Nation. The performance by Robinson and a win in Sark's debut was the ideal scenario, but the team will have to stay the course if they want to reach 2-0 next Saturday against Arkansas in Fayetteville.

As the undisputed star of Texas' offense, Robinson will look to bolster his Heisman-level value against a Razorback team that gave up the third-most rushing yards per game in the SEC last season (192.1).

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

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