Junior running back Bijan Robinson is not letting Saturday’s loss stick with him. 

During Texas’ first play of overtime in Saturday’s 37-34 loss to Texas Tech, Robinson took a handoff but fumbled during the process of being tackled. The fumble gave the Red Raiders the opportunity to win with any sort of score — which they did. 

But when asked during Monday’s media availability how long it would take him to shake off the fumble, Robinson said that the fumble is already gone from his mind.

“I can’t go back, look at it and be like ‘Man, I fumbled,’” Robinson said. “If I start thinking about that, it clouds my mind. So I just leave it alone, (fumbling is) just something that can’t happen again.”

The tailback said he’s viewing the turnover as a learning lesson, instead of dwelling on it. Robinson carried a football with him around campus on Monday, an idea that came from running backs coach Tashard Choice. 

The purpose of bringing the football around campus was to increase muscle memory, Robinson said. When teammates and a student tried to poke the ball out from his grasp, Robinson got practice holding onto the ball with two hands under duress. 

Fumbling has never really been a problem before for Robinson, which made the turnover stand out that much more. Despite collecting 348 career rushing attempts so far, Saturday’s fumble was just his third fumble lost as a Longhorn. Still, Robinson views fumbling as something he can fix.

Robinson put up impressive rushing numbers against Texas Tech, even despite the fumble. The junior gained 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries on Saturday. He added a 22 yard reception to boost his total yards. Robinson has eclipsed 100 total yards from scrimmage in each game this season.

“It was in that moment that I fumbled, but it was a big moment,” Robinson said. “I don’t ever want that to happen again.”

Robinson said how the team responded after the fumble makes him appreciate his teammates that much more. Instead of criticizing the mistake and making him feel worse, Robinson said his team encouraged him.

The Texas locker room picking up Robinson is a bit of a role reversal for the running back. Viewed as a leader on the team, Robinson is typically one of the figures who is tasked with boosting his teammates’ confidence after a mistake.

During Monday’s media availability, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Robinson’s fumble is not the reason the team lost the game. 

“I don’t think anybody faults Bijan’s effort, intent or anything he does,” Sarkisian said. “There was a lot of empathy for him. That’s what great teams do — they pick each other up.”

While Saturday’s defeat gave Texas its second loss of the season and a 0-1 start to conference play, the Longhorns still have a lot of games left on the schedule. In order for Texas to contend for the Big 12 championship, Robinson cannot let the fumble define his season.

Robinson said he doesn’t necessarily want Texas to play with anger but will encourage his teammates to play like a team with something to prove.

“Everybody is against us, and that’s okay,” Robinson said. “That needs to be talked about in the locker room. It needs to develop a chip on our shoulders.”