Jaydon Blue has stepped up for the Texas run game over the home stretch of the season
When Jonathon Brooks was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered during Texas’ November 11 win over the TCU Horned Frogs, responsibilities were shaken up in the Texas running back room. It was clear CJ Baxter would take on the bell cow workload in Brooks’ place, but what wasn’t clear was who would complement the Florida freshman in the Longhorn run game.
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Steve Sarkisian and Tashard Choice had a number of options. They elected to use the depth at the position, putting a number of different backs into action for meaningful snaps. When given his opportunity, Jaydon Blue seized it and has been a effective part of the Longhorn offense in recent weeks.
Before the TCU game, Blue was mostly utilized in situations when the game was out of hand. He scored a late touchdown versus BYU when it was obvious the Longhorn defense wasn’t going to allow anyone to reach the end zone. After Brooks’ injury, Blue has become a regular part of the offense both as a change-of-pace back and on conventional 1st-and-10 snaps whenever Baxter needs a breather.
Over the final three games of the season, Blue toted the rock 27 times for 172 yards and a score. He earned two yards for the game-clinching 4th-and-1 conversion at Iowa State, part of a day that saw him touch the ball 11 times for 49 yards. He posted his first career 100-yard day against Texas Tech with 10 carries for 121 yards and a score on a 69-yard sprint that saw him reach 22.3 mph, the fastest run by a running back in 2023 according to Reel Analytics.
Then in the Big 12 Championship, blue caught an eight-yard pass from Quinn Ewers just before halftime to give Texas 35 points in the first half on its way to a league title.
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Blue was on the field with the offense for just 48 snaps prior to the Iowa State game. Over the course of the Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State matchups, Blue’s been in the backfield for 64 snaps, including a season-high 28 against the Cowboys.
In those three games, he posted quality performances according to the expert eyes of Pro Football Focus. His offensive grade against the Cyclones was 62.2. That jumped all the way up to 80.0 thanks to his 100-yard day against the Red Raiders. His conference championship performance earned a 71.5 grade. And for the season? Blue’s offensive grade is a quality 79.0.
Blue isn’t likely to unseat Baxter, who has taken on the lion’s share of the carries since Brooks’ injury, at the top of the depth chart. Plus, senior Keilan Robinson factors into the running back position as well over the course of the next 1-2 games.
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But Blue has stepped up since he saw his snap count increase, and Texas will look for him to maintain his quality play and utilize his elite speed as it marches on its College Football Playoff path.
