AUSTIN – When he arrived at Texas to take over as head coach, Charlie Strong wanted the Longhorns to take on more of a blue collar personality offensively.

It was a tremendous plan, but a depleted offensive line has made it tough to run the ball. Senior Malcolm Brown and junior Johnathan Gray have struggled to see the running game get off the ground this season as Texas (2-2, 1-0 in the Big 12) enters Saturday's game with No. 7-ranked Baylor (4-0, 1-0) averaging 120.5 yards per game on the ground, ranking No. 102 nationally.

That doesn't bode well against a Baylor defense giving up 80.6 yards per game, making the Bears the sixth-best run defense nationally. Texas clearly has to do something different to try and move the ball on the ground Saturday, and Strong acknowledged the game plan has changed.

Instead of forcing the run, Strong and associate head coach for offensive Shawn Watson are having rely on sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes to set the tone offensively.

“We know that it's going to have to come down to sometimes setting the run up by throwing the football, and that's what we're going to do if that's the way we're going to run the ball,” Strong said Monday. “But it's all about just developing that consistency on the offense.”

Strong has seen Arkansas and Boston College both have success being run-heavy teams, but his plan will have to wait to be fully implemented. While throwing the ball and loosening up the defense will take some pressure off of the offensive line, Strong also needs some big-time playmakers to emerge at wide receiver.

“I always talk to our wide receivers about if you catch a 5-yard hitch or a 10-yard – any type of crossing route – let's try to turn it into a big play,” Strong said. “Then, we can get the 'backers to loosen up some and then we can pull the pressure off of the run game so now it can enable us to run the ball.”

Of the 82 pass completions by the offense this season only 10 have gone for 16 or more yards, which means John Harris, Jaxon Shipley and the rest of the Longhorn pass catchers will have to do more after the catch to be able to have a chance of opening up the run game.

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