 "Photo: Jordan Gomez")
Defensive end Brian Robison was carted off the field Saturday, horns held aloft. The blow dealt by Cyclones right tackle Aaron Brant didn't impact only his knee. It reverberated through the Texas defense. The Longhorns' vaunted depth will be tested early as injuries pile up.
"I've never seen this many [injuries] this quickly," head coach Mack Brown said. "It's been amazing."
Freshman Deon Beasley lost his redshirt early in the game after fellow defensive backs Michael Griffin and Matt Melton got hurt on the same play.
"With two defensive backs out and getting some guys banged up, we decided we didn't have the luxury [to redshirt him]," Brown said.
Unlike Robison, Melton and Griffin both came back. Griffin's brother Marcus was also back in the lineup after missing last Saturday's game in Houston due to an injury sustained against Ohio State.
And it's not only the defense feeling the bite of the injury bug. Selvin Young only lasted two carries, scoring a touchdown and gaining 4 yards before coming out with an "undetermined rib injury."
Running back Jamaal Charles picked up the slack with a career-high 17 carries for 78 yards, while Henry Melton and Chris Ogbonaya combined for another 13 carries.
"When we had Selvin go down, Jamaal stepped up and played great," quarterback Colt McCoy said. "Henry and Chris looked like first-teamers."
Texas will need similar efforts across the board in the coming weeks, and so far, the defensive replacements look promising. Beasley handled one-on-one coverage against the Cyclone's Todd Blythe - standing at 6-foot-5-inches - and backups Brian Orakpo and Aaron Lewis who both had solid outings.
The Longhorns managed to turn the loss of Robison into a small positive, letting the senior inspire them even as he left the field.
"We put it all out there for him," cornerback Aaron Ross said.
After the injury, Texas' defense stymied the Cyclones at every turn and held them scoreless for the rest of the game. Robison's replacement, Orakpo, notched a pair of tackles including a sack 8 yards in the backfield.
But things could be looking up for the Longhorns. Linebacker Drew Kelson played an estimated 20 snaps according to defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and Kelson is slowly being worked back into the rotation. Robison, despite the obvious pain he was in, guaranteed his teammates he'd be back.
If he comes back and the Cyclones end up facing off with Texas in the Big 12 championship game - a distinct possibility - don't expect him to target Brant. The tackle caught up with Texas guard Kasey Studdard after the game and asked him to tell Robison that he was sorry and that the damage inflicted was unintentional.
Speaking of Studdard, the 310-pound behemoth has noted the defensive ailments and made it known he'll line up on that side of the ball if the need arises.
Linebacker Robert Killebrew smiled when he heard that.
"Kasey's always ready to play," he said.
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