Film room: Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson account for 72-of-75 yards on Texas' go-ahead scoring drive

In the fourth quarter of Texas’ contest with the Iowa State Cyclones, the Longhorn offense took over on its own 25 trailing by four with just under 11 minutes left. Possessions were becoming scarce, and the Longhorns desperately needed a score.

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A field goal would have accomplished very little. A touchdown was what was needed. Who did Steve Sarkisian turn to in the Longhorns’ time of need?

Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson.

“Me and Ro’, we got in the locker room, and we just came together and dapped each other up,” Robinson said Monday. “It’s like a fight. We’ve got to keep on doing that every day. We realized the running game has to be up to par every single day so we can get the wins that we want to get.”

Robinson and Johnson accounted for 72 of the 75 yards during the 11-play scoring drive. Both provided explosive runs, too. Robinson had one for 14 yards, while Johnson added 14-yard and 16-yard rushes to help Texas get into position to score.

Toward the end of the drive, Sarkisian sought to keep the ball in his best playmaker’s hands. Iowa State was ready for it. A pivot was needed, so Sarkisian put the ball in arguably his second-best playmaker’s hands for the remaining three yards.

This edition of the film room looks at the Longhorns’ 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive ending in a Xavier Worthy touchdown reception that gave Texas a 24-21 lead it would not relinquish.

Play 1 – 1st and 10 – UT 35

Some defensive line hijinks gives the strongside defensive end a chance to tackle Robinson. The field safety has a chance, too. Robinson runs for the two yards it was blocked for, then gives tremendous effort to gain an additional three yards. Solid job by Christian Jones to get a piece of his guy coming from a weird angle to make sure Robinson has the chance to get to the line of scrimmage.

Result: Bijan Robinson 5 yard rush

Play 2 – 2nd and 5 – UT 30

Excellent blocks from Jones, Jake Majors, and Jordan Whittington give Robinson room to burst up the field. Gunnar Helm does some work just off screen, too. The cuts from Robinson are impressive at speed, one of his best attributes as a running back. He gets near midfield, and heads to the sideline for a quick breather.

Result: Bijan Robinson 14 yard rush

Play 3 – 1st and 10 – UT 44

The peculiar look from the ISU defensive line is called at an inopportune time, as Texas runs a play where the Longhorns have the numbers advantage and with larger humans to boot. Johnson has enough speed to evade the backside pursuit and get to the second level thanks to a solid job done by the line. Ja’Tavion Sanders does just enough (and not too much) to create a lane for Johnson to sneak through. Better blocking from skill players may have helped this gain more yardage. Another strong effort from Majors and Hayden Conner

Result: Roschon Johnson 14 yard rush

Play 4 – 1st and 10 – ISU 42

A unique 4×0 alignment has only four players on the weakside of the defense. Texas runs an outside run toward that side, and the entire offensive line wins at the point of attack to create a lane. Johnson powers through it and ends up almost to the Cyclone 26. If he had kept going, Andrej Karic would have been there to continue blocking for him.

Result: Roschon Johnson 16 yard rush

Play 5 – 1st and 10 – ISU 26

Tough play for Karic here. He whiffs on the block, then once Robinson overcomes that error, he finds Karic there ready to greet him at the line of scrimmage. Robinson bounces off of his teammate to fall forward for a handful of yards.

Result: Bijan Robinson 4 yard rush

Play 6 – 2nd and 6 – ISU 22

Sarkisian varied the run schemes deployed on this drive, but the Cyclone defense was ready for this one. Every ISU defensive lineman requires attention from at least two players in the form of Johnson and the five O-linemen. There isn’t a hole for Robinson to run through, nor is there yardage for him to create.

A field goal is meaningless here. Texas needs a first down in this situation to continue a touchdown-scoring drive.

Result: Bijan Robinson rush for no gain

Play 7 – 3rd and 6 – ISU 22

Sarkisian has several questions to answer ahead of this play. Is it four-down territory, and if so, does that alter my third-down call? Is ISU going to run drop-eight, and if so, how do I exploit it?

He answered those questions correctly. The Longhorn wideouts run clearout routes to provide room for Robinson underneath. Conner and Majors get a head of steam in front of Robinson. Quinn Ewers hits Robinson, who avoids two defenders his two blockers fail to engage, reaches the line to gain, and gets inside the Cyclone 10 for a first and goal.

Sarkisian mentioned after the game on Saturday that personnel takes precedent over scheme in these situations. That was evident in his creative way of getting the ball to Robinson in the open field.

Result: Quinn Ewers pass complete to Bijan Robinson for 13 yards

Play 8 – 1st and Goal – ISU 9

Johnson almost punches it in from here. Sanders and Kelvin Banks handle their matchups, and the ISU middle linebackers are lost in the wash. Johnson then levels the safety, who gets a hold of Johnson’s feet as he’s being run over.

Result: Roschon Johnson 7 yard rush

Play 9 – 2nd and Goal – ISU 2

Robinson creates something out of nothing here in this heavy personnel look. This could be a case where Byron Murphy‘s inexperience playing the fullback position proves to be an issue. That’s likely Cole Hutson‘s assignment, but Murphy sees the guy in front of him and blocks him. If Murphy had gone to the second level, the safety may not make the free run that forces Robinson to bounce it even further outside. It’s a testament to Robinson’s ability that he even approached the pylon.

Result: Bijan Robinson 1 yard rush

Play 10 – 3rd and Goal – ISU 1

This could be another case of Murphy’s inexperience at the spot. If he runs into the hole instead of behind his man, he likely makes contact with the tackler. No guarantee Robinson makes the end zone if he does, but it would have obviously provided a better chance of that happening.

Now, this sets up an all-important fourth and goal. Sarkisian brings the heavy package off the field for a more conventional offensive look.

Result: Bijan Robinson rushes for a loss of 2 yards

Play 11 – 4th and Goal – ISU 3

Here are the only three yards not gained by Robinson or Johnson on this drive. Ewers said on Monday there was a passing concept to the right and that he had to check the coverage pre-snap to see where the ball was going. Worthy in 1-on-1 coverage is an easy call, and Ewers’ throw is on the money for the go-ahead score.

Result: Quinn Ewers 3 yard pass complete to Xavier Worthy, touchdown

On the ensuing drive, the Cyclones turned the ball over via a fumble forced by Anthony Cook and recovered by Jaylan Ford. The Longhorn run game sealed the win with the one first down it needed in order to run out the clock, continuing a common theme from the day.

Robinson finished with with 135 yards on 28 carries, while Johnson tallied 71 yards on 11 carries. Their work on the penultimate drive to gain 72 of the 75 yards needed on a scoring drive boosted Texas to a win over an opponent that had its number in recent years, and further showed why that duo leads the Longhorns on and off the field.