Tre Newton comes out of father’s giant shadow
Nate Newton. For Dallas Cowboys fans, the name evokes memories of the mammoth offensive lineman who was a six-time Pro Bowler that played for Dallas during the glorious 1990s. When he wasn’t mauling his opposing defensive lineman, he was smiling and providing comic relief for the cameras. Fast forward to 2009. There’s a new Newton making headlines today and he reminds you nothing of his father.
Tre Newton is a redshirt freshman running back at the University of Texas. In Texas’ 34-24 victory over Texas Tech, it was Newton who had 20 carries for 88 yards and helped keep the high-powered Red Raider offense on the sideline.
The 6-0, 200-lb frame of the younger Newton is a far cry from his father’s 360-pound playing weight with the ‘Boys.
Newton was never meant to follow in his father’s footsteps and battle in the trenches. Instead, he was groomed to be the one who uses the blocks of the bigger guys in front of him and find his way into the end zone. And he’s done it extremely well despite not being what most consider the fastest or strongest running back.
At perennial high school powerhouse program Southlake Carroll, Newton had a standout career.
He helped guide the team to a 59-2 record and three state titles rushing for 4,728 yards and 49 TDs on 610 carries or a 7.8 yards per carry average. He also caught 56 passes for 784 yards and six TDs. For his efforts, he was a three-time all-state and three-time all-district 5-5A performer.
After playing for the scout team and redshirting last season as a freshman for the Longhorns, Newton saw his first action in the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe carrying the ball four times for 28 yards. His workload doubled in the second game of the season, the Longhorns’ 41-10 victory over Wyoming. In that contest he had eight carries for 62 yards including a 13-yard TD run and caught a pass for 15 yards.
Against Tech, Newton made his presence felt after starting tailback Vondrell McGee re-injured his ankle. In the second half, Newton gained 81 yards and showed Longhorn fans and more importantly Head Coach Mack Brown he’s durable enough and knows how to pick up blocking assignments when called upon. In other words, he’s good enough to start for the No. 2 team in the nation.
In his first start on Saturday, he carried the ball nine times for 25 yards, and scored a touchdown for Texas.
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Kyle Dalton has lived in Austin for more than 30 years, having graduated from the University of Texas-Austin with a degree in journalism.
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