Offense...and RB's

Football
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A lot of comments have been made about the poor offense and former offensive coordinator but surprisingly very little about a big problem.

If UH wants to run a lot and move the ball…they need to get star running backs.
By Big 12 standards I do not think UH had them this last year. The OL wasn’t that great either.
The recent recruiting signings we did not sign one RB!
We better sign some stud RB’s in the portal signings.
Or else it is going to be another long season in 2025.
!

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Stud RBs can be made to look mediocre or worse by a deficient OL. An average RB can be made to look great by a great OL. It all starts in the trenches.

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We had great RBs last year and the best ones are returning.

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Well the highest rated RB recruit we’ve had according to 247 was a true freshman this year. He had some moments. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in his sophomore campaign.

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We had “great RBs last year…”
We did?
Who are they?

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Our top two running backs, Sanford and Sneed, were both above the conference average in yards per attempt. Not their fault we had the worst offense and ran the fewest number of plays per game in the conference.

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Oklahoma St. had a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate in RB Ollie Gordon II. Oklahoma St. finished the season 3-9, 0-9 in conference play. Having a good RB did not help them.

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Gordon is an amazing player too. He was probably the best offensive player in the conference in 2023.

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Fritz better look into some of the SEC/Big10 linemen who aren’t starting but willing to give them a chance in spring and load up.

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There is still time to remove this ridiculous thread.

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Our RB’s are fine . Arguably our 2 most talented were true freshmen.

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He’s on the roster he wears #26

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We have pretty good RBs. Other positions need a lot more attention in the portal right now.

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Here’s my take on the top three RBs we have coming back.

Re’Shaun Sanford II is exceptional. He was our leading rusher last year and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. I think he’ll make a big leap forward next season. He’s a great blocker and might be one of the best big-catch playmakers in the passing game I’ve seen in recent history coming out of the backfield. He made several huge catches in big moments last season on tough passes that MANY competent WRs would not have made.

J’Marion Burnette is the big fellow who was a true freshman last year. As much as I think Sanford improves, I think Burnette improves even more. H’e 6’ 1" 220 lbs and runs like a bowling ball. He knows how to get tough yards and should be great in the fourth quarter this upcoming season when the opposing defense gets tired.

Sneed is a fast-running bullet who can take the ball to the end zone any time he touches the ball. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 60 attempts and caught 16 balls in the passing game. He does his best work in space. I think the new OC will do a lot better job of getting him the ball where he can do the most with it. He’s a dynamic playmaker, and I expect big things from him next year.

My opinion is that all these things could easily be seen in 2024 EVEN THOUGH we had a patchwork OL and abysmal passing game. On top of that, I think Barbay did a terrible job installing and calling plays.

EVEN WITH ALL OF THIS: these three RBs stood out as top-line contributors.

So IMO these three RBs (plus DJ Butler, etc.) give us a more-than-solid core group of excellent RBs. Sanford is the lead guy IMO followed by Burnette. Sneed is the specialist who will make a lot of big plays in a better offense.

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We got thumpers, and speed. DJ butler looked really good for a true freshman I’m excited about him. I still hope Chriss is part of the run game he’s so electric. Short yardage and redzone he is a weapon.

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R Sanford had 467 yds 4.7 ypc. Hardly star numbers. He also fumbles the ball a lot. He fumbled and lost the ball 5 times this year?
Sneed had 335 yds.
The Big 12 had 8 RB’s(8 different teams) with over a 1,000 yds rushing.
All 8 avg more than 5 ypc.

RB is a position where a Freshman can have an immediate impact!
Freshmen Burnette and Butler had 187 yds and 102 respectfully.

Alton McCaskill had 961 yds for UH in 2021. He was a freshman and the Offensive Line was not that great. Admittedly he was not facing Big 12 competition.
This year Isaac Brown RB for Louisville had 1,074 yds and 7.3 ypc as a Freshman!
Will see what happens in 2025.
I am not that optimistic.