After injuries to their top three RB's -- Fozzy Whittaker, Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron -- the Texas Longhorns offense fell apart in the last four weeks of the season.
Texas was forced to lean on their two young QB's, freshman David Ash and sophomore Case McCoy, and the holes in both players' games were apparent without a dependable running game.
But while Whittaker's career in Austin is over, the Longhorns two star freshmen have recovered in time to play in the 2011 Holiday Bowl.
Brown rushed for 707 yards and 5 TD's on 4.4 yards per carry this season, while Bergeron had 454 yards and 5 TD's on 6.6 yards per carry. For Texas coach Mack Brown, it's hard not to think what the season could have been if his key offensive play-makers had stayed healthy:
"People will say, 'don't talk about injuries,' Brown said. "But when it's nearly everybody who is touching the ball, it's hard not to."
With highly-touted RB Johnathan Gray headed to Austin next season, after a high-school career where he shattered nearly every state record, a strong performance against California will be huge for Brown and Bergeron headed into spring football.