Texas to hand off to Newton from start

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis on Monday tabbed redshirt freshman running back Tre' Newton as the starter for the Jan. 7 national title game against No. 1 Alabama, which boasts the nation's second-ranked rushing defense.

Newton is a former star at Southlake Carroll High School in the north Dallas-Fort Worth area and the son of former Cowboys lineman Nate Newton.

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He leads the Longhorns in rushing with 513 yards on 102 carries and six touchdowns.

The inconsistent Texas ground game, which has revolved starters, has been a source of "frustration" as Davis said early Monday afternoon.

Alabama enters the title game with the No. 2-ranked rush defense in the nation -- one spot behind Texas and ahead of TCU.

Davis said the run game must do its part to keep the Alabama defense honest and to avoid a one-dimensional offensive attack. He said Newton earned the job by outperforming Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson and Foswhitt Whittaker.

Jeff Caplan covers colleges for ESPN Dallas. E-mail him at jeff.caplan@espn3.com.

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