LSU’s final home game brings a Texas team into Baton Rouge with a No. 6 ranking in the College Football Playoff picture, and the Tigers need a strong answer after their 31-13 loss to Alabama on Nov. 7.
That defeat was still hanging in the balance until the fourth quarter, but the margin for error is shrinking fast. If LSU is going to keep its postseason hopes alive, it has to prove it can stand toe-to-toe with an elite Longhorns squad.
That challenge starts with Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Once viewed as a Heisman contender, Manning is not in the Top 10 for the award through nine games.
His numbers have been solid, but not spectacular: 2,024 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, with his yardage total ranking 39th in the football bowl subdivision and sitting well behind LSU’s Sam Leavitt. The bigger concern for Texas has been protection.
Manning has been sacked 27 times in 2026, tied for third in the FBS, and LSU has to press that weakness if it wants to slow the Longhorns’ offense.
The pass rush cuts both ways, though, because Texas also brings the nation’s most productive edge threat in Colin Simmons. He leads the FBS with 10.5 sacks in 2026, a total that is 11 sacks ahead of second-place edge Marlin Dean of UAB.
Simmons also tops the country with 1.5 sacks per game. He did miss time after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Longhorns’ Oct. 17 loss to Florida, sitting out against Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
He returned for the Missouri game, but he was limited to 18 snaps and did not record a sack. LSU’s offensive line has had its own issues at times this season, so keeping Simmons from wrecking the pocket around Leavitt is a major part of the assignment.
Texas can also lean on Raleek Brown in the run game. The starting back has 537 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns through nine games, though those numbers trail what he did in 2025 at Arizona State, when he ran for 1,141 yards in 12 games.
He has only one 100-yard rushing game this season, compared with four for the Sun Devils. LSU’s defense has to keep Brown from finding traction if it wants to control the game.
On the outside, Ryan Wingo gives Texas another dangerous piece. The junior wideout has spent all three seasons with the Longhorns, which is rare in today’s college game, and he leads the team with 523 receiving yards in 2026.
That total is 300 yards shy of his 2025 mark of 834. He is averaging 12.5 yards per catch and has 4 touchdowns, both down from a year ago.
LSU will need corners DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland ready to handle Wingo’s ability to stretch the field.
Then there’s Jelani McDonald on the back end for Texas. The senior has been with the Longhorns throughout his college career and followed up a breakout 2025 season, when he posted 80 total tackles and 3 interceptions in 13 games, with another strong year in 2026.
He is second on the team with 67 tackles, along with 1 interception and 4 passes defended. For LSU, the answer in the passing game has to come from Jackson Harris, who will need to create separation and win contested catches if the Tigers want to hold their own against Texas.
In Other News...
Kim Mulkey Just Landed Another Frontcourt Talent LSU Fans Will Love
LSUs frontcourt plans for the future got a boost in February when Caroline Bradley, one of the nations top recruits out of Oak Grove, Louisiana, chose the Tigers. The highly regarded prospect is set to make it official during the NCAA early signing period, adding another in-state name to Kim Mulkeys growing pipeline of talent.
Bradleys commitment matters not just because of her ranking, but because of the connection she already has with Mulkey and the fit she appears to offer for LSUs womens basketball program. She is expected to arrive with the chance to make an immediate impact starting next season, giving the Tigers another promising piece to build around up front. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Gets A Whit Weeks Boost As Texas Prep Brings New Concern
LSUs first injury report of the week brought a little relief and a little unease as the Tigers turn their attention to Texas. Linebacker Whit Weeks is listed as questionable after sitting out the previous game with a fractured fibula, giving LSU at least the possibility of getting one of its key defenders back in time for a major matchup.
The report also added fresh concern, with offensive tackle Weston Davis and defensive end Gabriel Reliford showing up among the seven players listed. LSU is already working without Phillip Wright III, Dashawn Spears and Charles Ross II, all of whom are out for the season with leg injuries, so the Tigers are managing both the hope of a boost and the reality of a growing health list as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Playoff Push Just Took A Hit Fans Cant Ignore
A trip to Alabama was always going to be a measuring stick for LSU, but the Tigers came away with a 31-13 loss that leaves them 6-3 and with plenty to sort through. Even in defeat, there were a few bright spots, with Jackson Harris and TreyDez Green turning in notable performances, but the overall picture was hard to ignore as LSU spent much of the night chasing the game.
Braelin Moore had a rough outing, and the bigger concern was how often the offense seemed to fight itself in key moments. The play calling and coaching decisions drew criticism as LSU struggled to find rhythm, leaving the Tigers with more questions than answers as the playoff push gets tighter. [Read more 🡒]