Did Quintrevion Wisner Make Case For RB1 After Impressive Outing vs. Mississippi State?

With ball security issues from starter Jaydon Blue, Wisner is in the drivers seat to take over for Blue ahead of the Red River Rivalry game.

Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (26) carries the ball forward as the Texas Longhorns take on Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In an introductory SEC game that was far from pretty, two individuals made the case, both good and bad, for a potential new starter on the offensive side of the ball.

Texas football's running game may have registered nearly 200 yards in its 35-13 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but it was a tail of two halves, and two players specifically, having drastically different levels of production.

In the first half, Texas gained a measly 10 rushing yards on seven carries, failing to produce positive plays after running back Jaydon Blue's one-yard rushing touchdown on the first attempt of the game.

Blue's game was plagued by a past problem raring its ugly head back again. Blue fumbled on his third carry of the game in the first quarter, halting a strong offensive drive that had gotten to the opposing red zone. Blue's sixth and final carry of the game was an explosive one, similar to what Texas fans are used to as he's stepped into the RB1 role, but a hit lodged the ball loose, stopping another chance for Texas to score, this time in the third quarter.

But while Blue and the offense struggled to run the ball in the first half, a new star emerged in the team's first game in its new conference. Sophomore Quintrevion Wisner tallied exactly 100 yards of offense, 88 of which were on the ground and on nearly seven yards per carry. Of the six explosive runs the team registered, Wisner had three of them, totaling 61 yards on three carries between the third and fourth quarters.

"Just like coach says, the (opportunities) matter every time," Wisner said. "You get an OP, you know, you got to go balls to the walls. You can't leave anything on the field."

Wisner wasn't just individually sound, the entire offense rallied around his effort and energy. Texas accrued 310 of its 522 yards in the second half, this time with a much more balanced attack. Texas averaged just under 10 yards per play in the fourth quarter, and Texas scored on all three of its final full drives of the game.

Wisner's performance, and Blue's struggles, beg an important question as the Longhorns enter its most important two weeks of preparation of the season. Texas enters a bye week before heading to Dallas on October 12 for the Red River Rivalry matchup, and the Longhorns may be looking for a change at the lead ball carrier position.

While Blue had a fantastic game against ULM with Wisner injured, Wisner played better against a harder opponent and showed a key skill that Blue may not possess: the ability to secure the ball. With three weapons in the run game when freshman Jerrick Gibson gets more touches, it may be more advantageous to give Wisner the bulk of the carries in such an important game as the Oklahoma matchup.

While Blue leads the team in rushing after the week five victory, Wisner has shown to be the most productive when given the bulk of the rushing attempts. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has plenty of time to make a decision on who will be the starter. The most likely scenario; both running backs get similar touches, with Blue being used when the chance for explosive plays is at its highest.

Either way, Wisner has quickly emerged as someone willing to have this discussion for, something fans from last year would not have expected. A three-star true sophomore who played almost exclusively in the special teams last year into arguably the team's best rusher, a great feat for the young back.