Longhorns target improved ground game

08:37 AM ET 02.27 | One of Mack Brown's favorite off-season pop quizzes involves asking people to guess Texas' ratio of passes to runs last season. Guesses have been in the 60-40 range, sometimes higher. The actual breakdown: 47 percent passing, 53 percent running. But few of those running plays registered as memorable, besides Chris Ogbannaya's 62-yard sprint around end against Oklahoma. Inside the numbers lies a goal for spring drills, which open today. The Longhorns want a downhill running game, as opposed to a running game headed downhill. "What really hurt us were fourth-quarter yards when we wanted to kill the clock, didn't need to punt and needed to take the game over," Brown said Thursday. "That was something we didn't do very well." Brown saw too many no gains and second-and-9s. All the ingredients seem to be there. Start with a deep, experienced offensive line that returns four starters. Add a handful of running backs who came to Texas with impressive stats and recruiting service star rankings to match. It didn't jell last season. Fozzy Whittaker tweaked both knees. Vondrell McGee struggled running out of the spread formation. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis wants someone to emerge as the next great go-to back.

Dallas Morning News