When the No. 11 Texas Longhorns announced on Tuesday that sophomore running back Malcolm Brown would not be able to play on Saturday against No. 8 West Virginia, the pressure for a successful ground game shifts to freshman back Johnathan Gray, writes Wescott Eberts of SB Nation's Texas blog Burnt Orange Nation.

Brown was ruled out by head coach Mack Brown on Tuesday following a left ankle injury suffered in the first half of Saturday's 41-36 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Eberts writes that while Gray showed promised against Oklahoma State, Brown's skill set can't exactly be duplicated:

"Brown's proven patience and vision will be missed, with a great deal of pressure now on Gray to continue on the path of improvement he has shown by finishing the last two games strong."

Brown joins a list of injured Longhorns also including linebacker Jordan Hicks, kicker Anthony Fera and defensive lineman Brandon Moore, all of whom may not be able to play this Saturday.

"If Fera, Hicks, and Moore can't play, along with Brown," Eberts writes, "it would unquestionably reduce the margin of error for a team that is already dealing with significant defensive issues."