Texas Running Backs Before Red River: Brown's Tennessee Finish and Smothers' Early Starts
Raleek Brown supplied both Texas touchdowns in its 20-17 win at Tennessee on September 26. He ran 17 times for 67 yards, scoring from nine yards in the first quarter and four yards in the fourth. That is a more useful starting point for a Red River running-back discussion than the spring-camp promise of added speed: Brown delivered the decisive points in the Longhorns’ last game before Oklahoma.
The two teams meet at the Cotton Bowl on October 10 at 2:30 p.m. CT. Texas enters off an open week. Brown and Hollywood Smothers give the Longhorns two experienced transfer backs, but their 2026 evidence is different, and neither player’s earlier production guarantees a particular role in Dallas.
Brown has the freshest evidence
Texas’ player profile lists Brown in all four Longhorn games through September 26, with two starts. He opened with 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Texas State, gained 54 yards on 10 carries against Ohio State, and added 41 against UTSA. The Tennessee game then gave him a season-high 17 carries and another two scores.
The Tennessee box score also puts that performance in perspective. Texas finished with only 61 net team rushing yards, a figure reduced by losses elsewhere in the rushing total. Brown’s 67 individual rushing yards and two short touchdown runs show a productive back inside a difficult ground-game day; they do not show a rushing attack that controlled the entire afternoon.
Brown arrived from Arizona State after a strong 2025 season. That background shows what he brought to Austin, but his four Texas games matter more for this matchup. If the Longhorns need to finish a drive in a tight game, Tennessee provides a concrete example of how they have already used him.
Smothers’ start, and a familiar uniform
Smothers’ Texas profile credits him with starts in the first three games. He rushed for 70 yards against Texas State, then had 74 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns on 21 carries in the comeback win over Ohio State. Against UTSA, he led Texas with 54 rushing yards on 10 attempts. He has also caught passes in each of those three listed appearances, including a receiving touchdown in the opener.
There is another Red River connection: Smothers played his freshman season at Oklahoma in 2023, before moving to NC State and later Texas. His Oklahoma past is a genuine storyline. It is still secondary to the football question of how Texas will divide carries and receiving work. His official profile lists three 2026 games, whereas Brown’s lists four; that record alone does not establish Smothers’ status for October 10. Check game-week school updates before assuming who is available or which back will start.
What the matchup can test
The backs have already shown different useful moments. Brown scored twice in a three-point SEC road win. Smothers handled 21 carries and scored twice against Ohio State. Together, those games suggest Texas can ask either player to do more than supply an occasional change of pace. Those results do not prove that a particular run concept will beat Oklahoma’s defense.
Watch the situations rather than a pregame label of “starter” or “speed back”: who takes early-down carries, who receives targets, and who is trusted near the goal line. Oklahoma’s defense and the Dallas game state will determine which opportunities exist. For the wider team picture, see our September matchup checkpoint; for kickoff and travel details, use the 2026 game guide.
