(Photo via Houston Chronicle)
LUBBOCK, Texas - Let us just forget about Charlie Strong for a moment.
We have been talking about his job security nearly every day for weeks – heck, some might say months and years – and this is a great time for a break. That subject will be waiting for us on Monday, at the latest. Strong’s supporters and critics can resume their debate soon enough. The eight wins vs. seven wins discussion will be heard louder than "tastes great vs. less filling" if you wait long enough.
However, here is something every Longhorn observer can agree on.
Texas running back D’Onta Foreman is not only having a historic season, he deserves to be in the conversation for every postseason award - including the Heisman Trophy.
Look, I am not saying Foreman deserves to win the award, nor am I suggesting he is getting snubbed, a word I absolutely hate when it comes to postseason recognition. This is clearly Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson’s award to lose. Washington quarterback Jake Browning has played extremely well this season, and is arguably the nation's best passer. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson had enough preseason hype to secure his main attraction status.
As most of you know, being the best player on a winning team usually plays a big role when it comes to the Heisman. Those squads usually play in several nationally televised games, and the average fan gets a chance to see them play more than once. In addition, those performances are discussed for days on national television and radio. Texas just climbed to 5-4, so Foreman’s odds of getting a New York invite are pretty slim.
That being said, Foreman deserves more national recognition than he is receiving right now.
Foreman rushed for 341 rushing yards and three touchdowns during a 45-37 victory against Texas Tech on Saturday. Foreman’s rushing total was the third most in school history, and he averaged over 10 yards a carry. In addition, the win over the Red Raiders marks his 10th straight 100-yard rushing game, the longest active streak in the nation, and second-longest streak in school history, moving him to just one game shy of Earl Campbell's all-time record for most consecutive 100-yard performances. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight game this season, and 12 times in his career.
If you missed the postgame wrap-up, here are some more stats:
- Foreman now has 1,446 yards on the season (sixth in school history). In the game, Foreman became the 19th player in school history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards. He is now 16th in UT history with 2,200 career yards.
- His 33 attempts, 341 yards and three touchdowns were all career highs. The 341 yards were the third-most in school history and the most since Ricky Williams rushed for 350 in 1998. It was just the fourth 300-yard game in school history.
- Foreman is the first player at Texas since Hodges Mitchell in 2000 with back-to-back 200-yard rushing games. He is just the third player to ever have back-to-back games with 200 yards rushing.
There is no need to compare Foreman to the great running backs in Texas history. However, it is fair to say Foreman will one day be in the same sentence as Ricky Williams, Jamal Charles, Cedric Benson and Campbell. Hell, he deserves it.
Foreman is so good, it seems criminal when he is not on the field during crucial situations. For instance, when Texas took over on Texas Tech’s 45-yard line with 7:49 remaining in the fourth quarterback, quarterback Shane Buechele rushed for no gain on first down, followed by two incomplete passes. Foreman arguably should have received the ball on each down.
On Texas’ ensuing possession, Foreman gained three yards on first down, and five yards on second down. After Texas Tech called a timeout, quarterback Tyrone Swoopes gained one yard on third down, and was stopped on fourth down. Again, Foreman may have been able to seal the game.
There are plenty of opinions about Foreman’s next move. He has until January 4 to contact the NFL College Advisory Committee to get a draft evaluation. Considering only two running backs were selected in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, it makes sense for Foreman to bolt after this season since his draft stock may not dramatically increase next year. If Foreman returns, he will definitely be in the Heisman Trophy conversation next year, and some will point to the four-year deal worth $24.9 million Ezekiel Elliott received ($16 million signing bonus) as a first-round pick, or Derrick Henry’s four-year deal worth $5.4 million ($2.1 million signing bonus), to prove coming back for one more season makes sense.
That being said, Foreman deserves to be in the conversation as one of the nation’s best players right now.
Save the discussion about Strong for another day.
(Photo via FOX Sports)
Funniest Thing(s) You Will See This Week
Damn, Finger:
Chuck is right. It does seem like those guys on ESPN work day and night, seven days a week, like characters from In Living Color's "Hey Mon" skits:
Sports On A Dime
1. One thing I have noticed about Charlie Strong and his players is they have been all business during their interviews. Nobody is joking around. There is not a single person acting like “it is just another game.” Everyone on this team appears extremely focused, and I believe it starts from the top.
2. If we start looking at bowl game possibilities for Texas, let us start by saying the Big 12 champ will be automatically slotted into the Sugar Bowl, unless they qualify for the college football playoffs, at which point the Sugar Bowl will have its pick of the remaining Big 12 teams. Since a Big 12 team in the playoffs seems unlikely, the Big 12 hierarchy to determine the selection order for its other six bowls is Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on December 29 (first pick once the Big 12 champ has been placed), followed by the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando (December 28), Texas Bowl in Houston (December 28), Liberty Bowl in Memphis (December 30), Cactus Bowl in Phoenix (Dec. 27) and Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth (Dec. 23). I will let the experts make their predictions, but it is hard to foresee the Texas Bowl passing on the Longhorns if this team is still there with the third pick. What is your prediction?
3. Winners can do whatever they want:
4. No matter how many games Notre Dame loses – and it appears the Irish are not going to win anytime soon – Texas defeated two top 10 teams this season. It is unfair to diminish that victory just because Notre Dame has struggled. If Texas sustained a loss against Notre Dame, it would have been used against Charlie Strong, so might as well give credit to this team for that win.
5. I was not a fan of benching linebacker Malik Jefferson, but he has played like a man on a mission since that decision. If that was the wake up call he needed, props to the staff for figuring out how to push Jefferson’s buttons in the right way.
6. It is very rare when you see safety Dylan Haines deliver a punishing blow, but he brought the pain against Texas Tech:
7. Everyone at Baylor is pointing fingers at each other, but once again, nobody cares about the victims. Every person at the university should just shut up because they had several players commit sexual assault against women, nobody prevented it from happening, and others ignored the horrific crimes. Baylor should have dismissed every assistant coach after getting rid of Art Briles if the school really cared about the victims. Instead, this program will continue to crumble until this staff is replaced.
8. Sure, Dallas has Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, but the defense does not get enough credit. Dallas is the only NFL team not to allow a 100-yard rusher or a 100-yard receiver this season, while the Cowboys are 12th in the league in total yards (348.7), ninth against the run (92.9) and seventh in points (18.6). That is pretty damn good.
9. Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman’s explanation for the NFL’s rating decrease makes a lot of sense: “Because the league isn’t fun anymore. Every other league, you see the players have a good time. It’s a game. This isn’t politics. This isn’t justice. This is entertainment,” Sherman said. “And they’re no longer allowing the players to entertain. They’re no longer allowing the players to show any kind of personality, any kind of uniqueness, any individuality. Because they want to control the product. They want to control the messaging, etc., etc. … They say we’re trying to influence kids, and that’s their biggest thing. That’s their biggest ploy is you don’t want to be a bad influence to kids. You don’t want to be a bad role model. And I can agree with that. But in the same breath, you can’t say Budweiser is the official sponsor of the NFL, and we’re trying to influence kids. So there’s a ton of hypocrisy, but it doesn’t matter because we don’t control it.” I will say this is just one of the reasons why NFL ratings have declined.
10. Apparently, Manny Pacquiao fought Jessie Vargas on Saturday. You can put me in the group of people who did not care. I am not paying to watch a tuneup fight. Check back with me when the popular boxers, including Canelo Alvarez, decide to give fans the fights they actually want. Basically, I am not paying for a Manny fight unless it involves Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Terence Crawford ... maybe a Floyd Mayweather rematch, but still not sure I care about that one.
