Texas coach Steve Sarkisian ran down all the noise factors heading into the Red River Showdown against No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday.
"We're back in the top 25 and we're on a three-game winning streak," Sarkisian said at his press conference Tuesday. "Bijan's the Heisman contender now. It's the biggest game of the year."
Running back Bijan Robinson is a huge part of that three-game winning streak. The SN Preseason All-American ranks second in the FBS with 652 rushing yards. He's added 167 receiving yards with nine total TDs in five games.
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Robinson is coming off a 35-carry, 216-yard performance in a 32-27 victory against TCU on Oct. 2. That has put the sophomore running back in the Heisman Trophy mix, and Sarkisian said the Longhorns' staff is managing that workload.
"Bijan feels great. If you ask him, he feels really good," Sarkisian said. "I think he came out of the game extremely healthy."
If Robinson wants to stay in the Heisman Trophy discussion, then a victory against the Sooners would go a long way in keeping him there.
Texas' previous Heisman winners made a statement in this game.
Earl Campbell had his best game against the Sooners as a senior on Oct. 8, 1977. The Longhorns were 0-2-1 in the previous three meetings. Campbell scored the game's only TD in a 13-6 victory. He had 24 carries for 124 yards and caught one pass for four yards. Campbell did throw an interception on his lone passing attempt, but that performance helped him win the Heisman Trophy.
Ricky Williams had his best performance against the Sooners on Oct. 11, 1997. He had 40 carries for 234 yards and two TDs and two catches for 26 yards. Texas won 27-24, and Williams finished fifth in the Heisman voting.
On Oct. 10, 1998, Williams had 31 carries for 139 yards and two TDs with two catches for 27 yards. The Longhorns won in a 34-3 romp, and Williams used that momentum to win the Heisman.
Cedric Benson (2001-04) and Jamaal Charles (2005-07) followed and rushed for more than 3,000 yards at Texas, but they combined to finish 1-6 against Oklahoma and never garnered any significant Heisman chatter.
Robinson is only a sophomore, but this is the game that can launch a Heisman Trophy campaign. Oklahoma has had four Heisman winners since Williams won the award in 1997. Quarterbacks Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2007), Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018) have all won the award, and Spencer Rattler was the preseason favorite in 2021.
Robinson, however, has a unique opportunity to steal that spotlight Saturday. Oklahoma has the top run defense in the conference at 83.6 yards per game. The Sooners have won four of the last five meetings, and this is Sarkisian's first shot at the rivalry as a head coach.
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There are a lot of noise factors, but Robinson showed last week he is capable of meeting the hype. Can he channel Campbell and Williams and do it again?
"We had challenged him early on coming out of spring ball to physically and mentally prepare himself for those kinds of games when they come up," Sarkisian said. "He responded really well."
