How freshman Keaontay Ingram is growing at Texas
Nick Moyle Oct. 16, 2018
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Texas running back Keaontay Ingram (26) jumps over Kansas State safety Eli Walker (7) as he rushes for a first down as Kansas State linebacker Justin Hughes (32) also defends during the fourth quarter of a college football game in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
Photo: Colin E. Braley/Associated Press
AUSTIN – The ingredients are all there.
The vision, and the patience required to use it. The anticipation. The ability to transform a mundane 2- or 3-yard run into something spectacular.
Texas tailback Keaontay Ingram is a mouthwatering cocktail of superior physical attributes and unteachable intangibles, and he's only six games into his college career.
Despite battling hip and knee injuries, the freshman has gained 403 yards on 66 carries and made 11 receptions for 41 yards. He has averaged at least 5.8 yards per carry in five of six games, including Saturday's 110-yard effort in a 23-17 win against Baylor.
Ingram has performed so well that every post-game press conference with coach Tom Herman includes at least one question about when he will start siphoning even more touches from graduate transfer running back Tre Watson.
The mounting popularity of Ingram has little to do with Watson, a solid fifth-year veteran who has amassed 401 total yards and three touchdowns in seven games after a torn ACL cost him all but two games of the 2017 season. The freshman just emits a superstar aura, and his potential seems limitless.
Tantalizing as it might be to fully unleash Ingram, Herman and running backs coach Stan Dray-ton will continue to utilize a dual committee approach to mitigate wear and tear as the season wears on.
"I think it's just a matter of keeping both guys fresh," Herman said Saturday. "I think it's a matter of managing what they do well. You know, neither one of them are big guys and that's a grown man position they play back there, especially on our offense, running inside zone and power. So we've got to be very cognizant of the cumulative effect of all the carries and tackles on their body."
Ingram has stayed in his lane and refrained from lobbying for more touches. No need to infuse unnecessary drama with No. 7 Texas (6-1, 4-0 Big 12) enjoying its best stretch in years.
But the past few weeks have revealed some insight into how the team plans to use Watson and Ingram moving forward. The veteran will grind out yards early on, while the explosive freshman consumes more touches deeper into the game.
Ingram didn't receive a single handoff in the first quarter against Baylor. He received 19 over the final three.
In UT's 19-14 win over Kansas State, 10 of Ingram's 15 touches came in the second half. Watson recorded one touch in the third quarter and none in the final period.
"Coach Drayton and coach Herman, they know what they're doing," Ingram said. "They're trying to make us last just a little bit longer. If we just keep playing our role and keep doing what we're doing we'll keep winning."
Ingram hasn't let the outside lovefest infect his ego. He remains his own harshest critic.
After gashing Baylor for 5.8 yards per carry and breaking off a season-long 30-yard run, he lamented leaving yards out on the field. He even graded his year-to-date performance an "F" despite ranking third among Big 12 players after averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Ingram has busted 13 runs of 10 or more yards on 66 carries, accounting for about one-fifth of his attempts. That ability to scurry through slivers in the line and weave past defenders in the open field would become even more valuable if sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger (first-degree shoulder sprain) remains out or limited for an extended period of time.
Herman expects Ehlinger to start throwing within a few days, and the team can ease him back due to the bye week. But even if his injured right shoulder fully heals, Texas might need to recalibrate how it uses its bruising quarterback.
If a real fear exists over re-aggravation or worse, Ingram could begin to chew into Ehlinger's typical share of rushing touches, particularly in the red zone.
That could accelerate Ingram's timeline, fostering his transition into Texas' feature back only seven months after he signed his national letter of intent.
"I don't know that you're ever going to say, 'We expect him to be the guy,'" Herman said of In-gram on February's national signing day. "That's not fair to the guys that are bleeding and sweating right now for us and have in the past.
"Every one of these guys, all 27 (signees), at some point in their career we expect them to be the guy or we wouldn't sign you at Texas. But there is definitely a need at that position to get better."
Ingram has already changed the perception of the Longhorns' running back room, and he's just getting started.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/texas-sports-nation/college/article/How-freshman-Keontay-Ingram-is-growing-at-Texas-13312699.php
