TCU’s Darius Anderson emerging as one of the top running backs in the Big 12

Sophomore running back Darius Anderson, the Big 12 and Walter Camp Football Foundation offensive player of the week, is gaining steam for TCU.

“He’s grown up, and every week he’s getting better at some part of his game,” coach Gary Patterson said Monday on the Big 12 coaches conference call. “He’s a lot better at everything from pass protection to how to make the cut and what to do every week. Only a sophomore. We see him only getting better.”

Anderson rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns and caught four passes for 41 yards Saturday in a 44-31 victory at Oklahoma State. His 42-yard touchdown run with 2:37 left clinched the game. The Big 12 named him its offensive player of the week.

“Not only he has speed, but he’s very powerful,” Patterson said. “We really needed somebody to step up with Kyle Hicks being down for a little bit. It’s been awesome because without him, we probably wouldn’t be where we’re sitting right now.”

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Anderson leads the Big 12 in carries with 65 and is third in yards with 422. He is tied for second in the league with six touchdowns.

Anderson’s three career 100-yard games have all come on the road against Power 5 teams Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma State. He ran for 103 yards on just three carries in Austin last year, including a 71-yard touchdown run. He had 106 yards on 15 carries at Arkansas.

Anderson came to TCU as a four-star recruit, ranked the No. 3 running back in Texas after rushing for 2,274 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior in George Ranch's 2015 undefeated state championship season.

“We just need to keep him healthy and do the things we need to do,” Patterson said. “But very proud of the way he’s handled everything.”

Hicks has been slowed since fall camp with an undisclosed injury, but Patterson said it’s possible he practices this week. The senior back, who led TCU in rushing and receptions last year, missed the second half of the SMU game and did not play at Oklahoma State.

This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 3:53 PM with the headline "TCU’s Darius Anderson emerging as one of the top running backs in the Big 12."