The 2015 season has been one of many frustrations for the Texas Longhorns. The game plan Charlie Strong and his offensive staff will have to execute Thanksgiving night when Texas (4-6, 3-4 in the Big 12) hosts Texas Tech (6-5, 3-5) is yet another.

The Longhorns have the nation's 27th-best rushing attack (213.9 yards per game) while the Red Raiders are one of the worst defenses in the country when it comes to stopping the run, ranking 123rd out of 127 FBS programs (259.9 yards per game allowed). But Texas could be without leading rusher D'Onta Foreman (681 yards, five touchdowns) and Johnathan Gray (489 yards, three touchdowns) as the former had finger surgery on Thursday while the latter is working his way back from a left foot injury he suffered in the 38-20 loss to West Virginia last weekend.

The only contingency plan Texas has is to get true freshmen Chris Warren and Kirk Johnson ready to go. During his meeting with reporters Thursday evening play-caller Jay Norvell said the coaches were proceeding as if Foreman and Gray will be unavailable against the Red Raiders, meaning Warren and Johnson have to prepare themselves to carry the workload.

“Both of those kids have gotten a lot of reps this week in practice and both have to be prepared to play a lot in this game,” Norvell said. “They're young guys, they've been working hard, they've got a lot of enthusiasm. They're excited and they bring a lot of energy to the practice field.”

Warren has carried 18 times for 88 yards this season while battling an ankle injury off and on since the Sept. 19 game against California. Johnson, who battled a shoulder injury in the preseason, only has five rushing attempts on the season but Norvell is intrigued by what the former Top247 recruit (the No. 228 overall recruit in the 2015 class according to 247Sports) can potentially do for the offense.

“Kirk's not quite as big, but he's more of a slasher and more of a jitterbug,” Norvell said. “He really works awfully hard. He's a joy to see practice.”

Norvell confirmed that the coaches have moved wide receiver Roderick Bernard to running back, a position switch that occurred before the injuries to Gray and Foreman. Set back by an ACL tear last October, the sophomore has one catch for four yards this season and Norvell said moving Bernard to the backfield was a logical switch in the eyes of the staff, especially now that reinforcements are needed.

“That's something he's done in high school,” Norvell said. “He's completely different than those other guys. He's got a lot of speed and quickness.”