Track stars Charles and Robison set to shine for Texas

Call them a perfect Texas thunderstorm of speed and strength, on both sides of the football. Call them a scary alignment of Big 12 track stars -- ominous for UT's gridiron foes. Or simply call them Jamaal Charles and Brian Robison.

Haven't heard of them? Many heroes went unsung at Texas last year, despite successfully operating in the shadow Vince Young. Tailback Jamaal Charles, while still just a freshman, made several clutch third-down receptions out of the backfield, sustaining the game-winning drive as Texas beat Ohio State. He also averaged 7.4 yards per carry, racking up 878 yards and 11 TD's in only 119 touches, limited only by injury during the season.

Oh yeah, and Charles is also the Big 12 Champion in the 100m dash. His best time? 10.1 seconds, which came after his ankle recovered. (For reference, Ted Ginn Jr. runs a 10.5, while Reggie Bush runs a 10.42.)

"I didn't know that I could run a 10.1 [second 100 meter dash]. When I found that out, it was like, 'Man, time to get back out to football,'" said Charles in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, defensive end Brian Robison, now a senior, is another big reason for the 'Horns #2 ranking in the coaches' poll. The 6'-3", 275-lb. beast from Splendora, TX, helped launch Texas to its Big 12 title in track with his first-place shot-put effort. He netted seven sacks last season, and is tied for the UT blocked kick record with five.

Oh yeah, and he has a 40" vertical jump. Are you frickin' kidding me? A beast. What's more, he leads seven returning starters into Gene Chizik's second year as defensive coordinator at Texas.

"I feel like right now everybody knows the defense; we should have a really smooth season," Robison said on mackbrown-texasfootball.com.

Smooth, perhaps, for Texas -- but not very smooth for Texas' opponents. Chizik likes to put up a four-man defensive front and drop seven guys into a zone-heavy coverage system. Having extremely strong and powerful rushers, like Robison, who can bat down passes as well as push offensive linemen onto their hinds, enables a more comprehensive pass coverage.

Also, having animals like Robison helps Texas' experienced O-line prepare. Nobody questions the quality of Texas' front five, and Charles is more than happy to run behind them.

"They're all bigger and stronger this year," he said in that interview, "so they just told me to get comfortable. I just go out there and they open those holes and I tell them, 'Thank you.'"

Last year, before both the Ohio State game, as well as vs. USC, everyone talked about Vince Young this, Vince Young that. Now, everyone is asking, "Which QB will replace Vince Young?"

Yet, whoever Texas' new QB ends up being, their biggest concern (besides evading Robison in practice) will probably be how to hand the ball to Charles -- before he vanishes into a cloud of dust.

Texas this year may lack Vince -- and, no doubt, opposing coaches all slept easier when VY announced his eligibility for the NFL draft. But with the Longhorns' defensive machine running "smoothly" and their dangerous RB tandem of Charles and Young chomping at the bit, Texas is set to punish any team who gets too overconfident from VY's departure.

J.S. Gilbert